Sauna Health Benefits

Why we love our sauna!

The benefits of sauna heat bathing become tangible once you experience an authentic Finnleo traditional sauna or far-infrared sauna room. A Finnleo Sauna helps you deal with mental strain and fatigue and reduce stress and relax muscles.

Psychological changes occur in the warmth of a sauna. Time spent in the calm, still retreat can provide a therapeutic effect. All sauna bathers agree – it feels wonderful.

Saunas Relieve Stress

Sauna bathers frequently cite stress reduction as the number one benefit of sauna use. Consequently, medical studies often determine that stress in our daily lives negatively affects our health. In fact, the vast majority of disease (i.e. heart disease) is at least partially stress-related. Heat bathing in a sauna provides stress relief in a number of ways:

First, it’s a warm, quiet space without any distractions coming from the outside. Step into a Finnleo sauna and close the door on the rest of the world.
Furthermore, the heat from the sauna relaxes the body’s muscles, improves circulation and stimulates the release of endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s all-natural “feel good” chemical, and their release provides a truly wonderful “after sauna glow.”

Saunas Relax Muscles and Soothe Aches and Pains

Your body releases endorphins under the high heat provided by a sauna. Endorphins can have a mild, enjoyable “tranquilizing effect” with the ability to minimize the pain of arthritis and muscle soreness.

Body temperature also rises from the heat of the sauna. As a result, blood vessels dilate, therefore increasing blood circulation. The increased blood flow in turn speeds up the body’s natural healing process. In turn, this soothes aches and pains and speeds up the healing of minor bruises or cuts. After participating in physical sports, use the heat and/or steam of a sauna to promote muscle relaxation. This reduces muscle tension and eliminates lactic acid and/or other toxins that may be present.

Saunas Flush Toxins

About Sweat

Many – if not most – of us do not actively sweat on a daily basis. Deep sweating, however, has multiple proven health benefits. Benefits derived from a deep sweat can be achieved via regular sauna bathing. Due to the heat of a sauna, core body temperature begins to rise. The blood vessels then dilate, causing increased blood flow. As heat from the blood begins to move toward the skin’s surface, the body’s nervous system sends signals to the millions of sweat glands that cover the human body. As the sweat glands become stimulated, they produce sweat.

Cooling the Body

Sweat production is primarily designed to cool the body, and is composed of 99% water. However, deep sweating in a sauna can help reduce levels of lead, copper, zinc, nickel and mercury: all toxins commonly absorbed just from interacting with our daily environments. As many doctors agree, saunas are a great way to detoxify the body.

Saunas Cleanse the Skin

Heat bathing is one of the oldest beauty and health strategies. As the body begins to produce sweat via deep sweating, the skin is cleansed and dead skin cells are replaced – keeping your skin in good working condition.Sweating rinses bacteria out of the epidermal layer and sweat ducts. Cleansing of the pores has been shown to improve the capillary circulation, while giving the skin a softer-looking quality. Dr. Ben H Douglas, a professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and author of “Ageless: Living Younger Longer,” attests that

“Sweating is a way of energizing the skin almost the way exercising a muscle energizes it. When you sweat, the rush of fluid to the skin bathes skin cells with a liquid rich in nutrients filling in the spaces around the cells and even plumps up tiny wrinkles.”

He also mentions that the nutrients and minerals in sweat are essential to maintaining the collagen structure of the skin. Bathing skin in sweat on a fairly regular basis deters collagen breakdown that can ultimately result in wrinkles. By continually flushing body waste through individual cells, one eventually brings back vitality, tone and a healthy glow to the skin. Sauna usage is certainly not a cure for acne, but it can help due to the deep cleansing it provides from a deep sweat (that is, cleaning the pores from the very inside out – instead of just cleaning the top of the skin).

Saunas Can Induce a Richer Sleep

Research has shown that a deeper, more relaxed sleep can result from sauna use. In addition to the release of endorphins, body temperatures, which become elevated in the late evening, fall at bedtime. This slow, relaxing decline in endorphins is key in facilitating sleep.

Numerous sauna bathers worldwide recall the deep sleep experiences that they feel after bathing the the calming heat of a sauna.

Saunas Have Recreational and Social Benefits

While the social benefit is rarely talked about, it’s quite important. For example, the sauna can be a private, personal area of relaxation and solitude. However, it can just as easily be a relaxing environment for socializing with family, friends and soon-to-be friends.

Finally, the sauna room environment is conducive to open, intimate and quiet conversation.

Saunas Improve Cardiovascular Performance

In the high temperatures of a traditional or infrared sauna, skin heats up and core body temperature rises.

In response to these increased heat levels, the blood vessels near the skin dilate and cardiac output increases. Medical research shows the heart rate can rise from 60-70 BPM (beats per minute) to 110-120 BPM in the sauna (140-150 with more intensive bathing), and can often sink to below normal after the cooling off stage.

With regular sauna usage, we not only train our heart muscles and improve our overall heart rate/cardiac output, but we also help the body’s regulatory system.

Even more cardiovascular conditioning takes place when the sauna bathing is taken in multiple innings, with sessions in the sauna separated by a cool shower or a quick dip into a cool pool or lake. For instance, each time you rapidly change temperature (from hot to cool or vice-versa), your heart rate increases by as much as 60%. This is comparable to the increase experienced during moderate exercise.

Saunas Burn Calories

While some people may experience high amounts of calorie burn when they first start using a sauna (particularly those individuals in poor shape to begin with), over the long term, saunas are simply treated as one of many tools in our arsenal when it comes to burning additional calories.

Overall the sweating process itself requires a notable amount of energy. That energy is derived from the conversion of fat and carbohydrates in a bodily process that burns up calories. According to U.S. Army medical research (Ward Dean, M.D.),

“A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 grams in a sauna in a single session, consuming nearly 300 calories in the process.”

The body consumes said calories due to the acceleration of heart activity (the cardiovascular section). Therefore, as heart activity increases and as these processes demand more oxygen, the body begins to convert more calories into usable energy.

Saunas Help Fight Illness

German sauna medical research shows that saunas significantly reduced the incidences of colds and influenza. As the body is exposed to the heat of a sauna and steam (in the case of traditional saunas), it produces white blood cells more rapidly, which in turn help fight illnesses and kill viruses.

In addition, saunas can relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of sinus congestion from from colds or allergies – especially when used with steam. Tip: add eucalyptus to the water for added benefit and overall enjoyment.

Moreover, the steam vapor action helps to clear up unwanted congestion and is a wonderful aspect of the Finnish sauna experience.

Saunas Feel Great

A sauna not only feels good, it’s good for your body. Physiological changes occur during the warmth of a sauna. Furthermore, simply spending time in the sauna is calming. Every seasoned sauna bather agrees – it feels wonderful!

As we progress through our stressful everyday lives, the sauna provides a pampering retreat where we can relax and restore body and soul. Sauna bathing truly makes you feel better, look better and sleep better.

Download the Top 11 Benefits of a Sauna

Much has been made of the health benefits of sauna bathing. With good reason.

Physically, nothing is more reinvigorating than a deep, healthy sweat every day. Tension fades. Muscles unwind.

Mentally, we emerge relaxed, revived and ready for whatever the day may bring.

A few minutes a day is all it takes to look and feel better.

The body’s response to gentle, persistent heat is well-documented and proven day in and out by people all over the world. Which is why more and more doctors are recommending its purifying benefits

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