5 Ways Sitting in a Sauna Can Improve Your Health

Do you see saunas only as somewhere to relax and get really sweaty? You wouldn’t be the only one with that belief, but sitting in a sauna can have all sorts of health benefits.

Saunas are usually heated to somewhere between 150°F and 195°F. These are temperatures that humans not built to last in and so there are all sorts of things that the body does in response. 

Keep reading if you’d like to know what some of the benefits of sitting in a sauna are.

1. Saunas Aid Recovery

Endorphins are the body’s natural pain reliever, and a sauna is one way to encourage your body to release them. So if you are sore after a workout, a sauna is a great way to relieve the accompanying aches and pains.

But more than just the pain relief, the heat from a sauna causes the body temperature to rise which increases blood flow. This improved circulation can speed up the body’s natural healing process.

2. Saunas Can Help You Sleep

This effect is more of an after-effect. When you come out of a sauna, your body temperature starts to fall to regular levels. If you time it right, the slowing release of endorphins can be the perfect way to bring your body into a state of rest, allowing you to enjoy a much deeper sleep.

3. Saunas Relieve Stress

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, and it has been well documented that it can contribute to poor health. So if you are the type of person who gets stressed, it is worth your while to look at ways to relieve it. Not just for the benefit of your mental health, but your physical health, too.

Saunas can have a two-fold impact. The heat of a sauna helps you relax, which not only regulates cortisol levels, it also stimulates the release of serotonin, the “happy hormone”.

4. Saunas Flush Toxins

If there’s one thing that people associate with saunas, it’s sweating. Sweating is the body’s natural effort to cool itself down. There are benefits of sweating, but the fact is most of us make a daily effort not to sweat.

Try not to think about it too much, but sweating will rinse off bacteria, as well as dead skin from your body and leave you feeling fresh and clean. If the idea of sharing a sauna with other people makes you shudder, infrared saunas are often manufactured for solo use. Search around to find out which is right for you.

5. Saunas Burn Calories

The body is burning calories at varying rates throughout the day. Digesting food, pumping your heart and any movement all require energy – this comes from calories. When you’re hot in a sauna, the body is working overtime to prevent you from overheating.

While a sauna isn’t a miracle weight-loss tool, it can increase your calorie expenditure. 

Could Sitting in a Sauna Help You?

Sitting in a sauna is some people’s favorite way to relax, and others may not even be enticed by the idea. But if you have never tried it, this article will hopefully have shown you that it’s not just a way to relax – there are several different sauna health benefits.

For more information and advice like this, check out the Health and Fitness section of the website.