With heat exposure in the fitness limelight, the effectiveness of various therapeutic options like saunas are put into question. Good thing, the benefits are outstanding. For centuries, saunas have promised relaxation and rejuvenation. There’s a reason this strange tradition is still in style.
Here’s why you should incorporate saunas into your daily routine!
Mental Benefits of Saunas
Saunas offer a host of wonderful physiological benefits, but often the main reason saunas are used is for their miraculous impact on stress. Just 15-20 minutes can make the difference in sleep, mood and cortisol levels.
Similar to cold exposure, the voluntary exposure to an extreme is rewarding. In the serene ambience of a sauna, stress evaporates like mist. The heat relaxes your muscles, undoing knots of tension which build up over over days. A sanctuary where the mind can wander freely. Emerging from a sauna session, you’ll find your worries have washed away, replaced by a profound sense of calm and mental clarity that can enhance your outlook on life.
Heat effectively forces the mind into the present, leading to a state of mindfulness. Stress struggles to exist in the sauna because stress can only exist in the mind. When the mind is present, fear, anger and worries diminish. These emotions only occur when your awareness strays from the current moment.
Recover Like An Athlete
For athletes and fitness enthusiasts, the sauna is a secret weapon in their arsenal for muscle recovery. The heat penetrates deep into the muscles, easing soreness and accelerating the healing process after strenuous workouts.
Regular sauna use also has a magical effect on our sleep patterns. The drop in body temperature afterwards mimics the natural decrease that occurs before sleep, preparing your body for a restful night. Imagine drifting into deeper, more restorative sleep, waking up refreshed and ready to embrace the day.
For athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike, recovery is crucial in the pursuit of progress. Without a proper regimen and good quality of sleep, muscle repair will not be the same. Even 5-10 minutes a day of sauna usage can provide the tools necessary to get ahead.
Spectacular Immune Health
In the warmth of a sauna, your body’s immune system finds a staunch ally. The heat stimulates the production of white blood cells, the valiant defenders against infections and illnesses. Regular sauna-goers often boast fewer colds and a stronger immune response. Each session arms your body with an invisible shield, safeguarding your health and vitality.
Traditional Eastern practices, such as the Korean jjimjilbang, the Japanese onsen, and the Russian banya, are testament to the belief in saunas as powerful allies against illness. By invoking the body’s innate healing processes, saunas in Eastern medicine are revered not just as places of physical cleansing but as sanctuaries for spiritual renewal. Heat is thought to serve as a medium for expelling disease and restoring health from the inside out.
Saunas’ Impressive Remedy Resume
Heat holds great power, and your body reflects this power immensely when in a sauna. Temporary exposure to higher temperatures elevates blood flow, promoting better cardiovascular health and circulation. This results in better tissue metabolic function, skin health, greater healing, and of course relaxation.
Saunas offer detoxification too. Increased blood flow helps release toxins in fat cells which are then processed and removed via the kidneys and liver. A sauna can be a great tool after a long night out.