Sauna

Sauna and Steam Baths – what are different health benefits?

The use of a steam room or sauna is a health practice with numerous health benefits. Saunas and the steam rooms are the rooms designed for the treatments with the use of heated air, which is of a temperature that varies between 800 and 1000 degrees of Celsius.

Difference between a sauna and a steam room?

Sauna air is heated by hot, porous rocks that emit a long-lasting heat. Because the humidity in a sauna is low, saunas are usually made of softwoods. In a steam room, the water vapor carries the heat. The wall construction is typically acrylic, tile, marble, or other stone. Steam rooms are much cooler than saunas although they often feel warmer.

Steam Bath Benefits

A steam room is an enclosed room which is made warm and humid by use of a heater and steam.
- they have high moisture content.
- the condensed moisture relieves pressure in the sinuses and lungs, which helps to counteract conditions such as asthma and allergies.
- steam baths or rooms give us relief from muscle soreness, relief from stiff joints, immune system enhancement, lymph detoxification, blood circulation improvement and sinus congestion relief.
- people with respiratory ailments often prefer the benefits of the steam room to those of the sauna.
- steam helps in the enhancing the speed and intensity of the metabolism of our body, in turn leading to weight loss.

Sauna Benefits

A sauna is a low humidity chamber that uses hot rocks (or even infrared rays) to create a high, dry heat.
- cleaning and detoxifying your skin.
- increases blood circulation.
- improves immunity system.
- sweating in sauna helps eliminate bacteria and viruses from inside your body.
- heart pumps harder which is an aerobic workout in itself.
- the heat also helps in stimulating production of white blood cells, exactly what your body needs to fight off illnesses.
- sauna bath has been proven to help in weight loss.

NOTE : One must be careful, since the excessive exposure to the hot air may cause some severe burns. Because of that, it is very advisable to take a lot of water, both, from the inside (by drinks) and from the outside.

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Sauna Health Benefits : Are saunas healthy or harmful?

A sauna is an enclosed room which can be heated with the use of an electric heater, infrared heater, or wood stove. The elevated temperature in the room can be made more intense with the use of steam, or left dry, depending on the taste of the sauna bathers.

- During a 10-20 minute sauna session, your heart rate increases by 50-75%. This provides the same metabolic result as physical exercise. There is a nominal effect on blood pressure.
- Blood vessels become more flexible and there is increased circulation to the extremities.
- One of the main health benefits to owning a sauna is that using it rids your body of unwanted materials and helps to improve overall circulation.
- Another health benefit to owning a sauna is that it can help prevent heart disease.
- Steambaths and saunas induce sweating to provide a comprehensive cleansing of the skin and sweat glands.
- When taking a sauna, skin temperature rises to 40°C (104°F) and internal body temperature rises to about 38°C (100.4°F). Exposure to the high heat creates an artificial fever state. Fever stimulates the immune system resulting in increased production of disease fighting white blood cells, antibodies and interferon.
- Relief from the pain and stiffness of arthritis.
- Steam is an excellent treatment for respiratory problems, such as; chest congestion, bronchitis, laryngitis and sinusitis.
- Revives tired and strained muscles after physical exertion.
- The cleansing effect of profuse perspiration helps provide healthy skin and a clear complexion.
- Burns calories. About 600 calories burned in 30 minutes while sitting in a sauna.

Precautions before using sauna

- Avoid alcohol and medications that may impair sweating and produce overheating before and after your sauna.
- Stay in no more than 15–20 minutes.
- Cool down gradually afterward.
- Drink two to four glasses of cool water after each sauna.
- Don’t take a sauna when you are ill, and if you feel unwell during your sauna, head for the door.
Caution
Pregnant women, heart patient with low or high blood pressure condition or suffering from any disease which has negative effect of sauna bath should first consult a physician regarding their physical condition and the length of period they can take sauna bath.

NOTE : Using a sauna for weight loss is not a sole method. Used in conjunction with eating correctly and getting regular exercise a sauna can help a person to lose weight. It is also a great way to relax after a stressful way, which will also help keep the body healthy. A healthy body losses weight much better than one that is not healthy.