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Sauna use – once a practice scoffed at by younger generations in the United States, and a practice that the rest of the world has been embracing for ages, is on the rise – as health-conscious individuals begin to take note of the numerous physical and mental benefits that saunas offer. Sauna use can help you
- Build, Repair, and Maintain Muscle
- Increase Metabolism
- Reduce Stress
- Remove Dead and Damaged Cells
- Boost Immunity
- Improve Cardiovascular Health
- Promote Brain Health
- Improve Memory
- Enhance Sleep
leading to a higher quality of life.
Saunas – Traditional Vs. Infrared Vs. Steam
The most traditional sauna, used throughout the world and made famous in Finland over 2,000 years ago, are dry heat Saunas. These started as wood-burning Saunas and over time some have been adapted to run on electricity, but the concept remains the same – an enclosed, low moisture, hot room designed to heat you up. These Saunas generally will fluctuate in the 160-195 (Fahrenheit) degree range, and some can get up to 210 degrees. Optimal temperatures for dry Saunas generally are anywhere in the range from 175-210 degrees, and, depending on your goals, the hotter temperatures, generally, the more benefits to be gained.
While traditional dry saunas are by far the most popular and used throughout the world, infrared saunas, which uses infrared waves to heat you up and require less heat, as well as steam saunas or steam rooms, which are very high moisture and lower heat, are also popular. However, while you’ll derive a benefit from any type of sauna, traditional saunas continue to be the gold standard from a health and wellness standpoint.
Traditional saunas offer a multitude of health benefits and should be an essential part of anyone’s health and wellness protocols. The following are just a few of the benefits you can expect from a deliberate traditional sauna practice.
Build, Repair, and Maintain Muscle
Sauna use has been shown to play a significant role in building and maintaining muscle mass for those seeking to gain muscle or maintain their current build.
Growth hormone is an essential hormone needed to generate and maintain muscle mass and strength. The vast majority of growth hormone is released during slow-wave sleep – up to 75% of it. Sauanas help release additional growth hormone and, depending on your sauna practice, can help release up to 16 times more growth hormone.
The most effective sauna protocol, if growth hormone release is your goal, is a 30 minute in/five-minute out protocol over a period of about two hours, performed once a week. Interestingly, however, the more frequent your sauna use, the more muted the benefits will be. Daily sauna use has been shown to have diminishing benefits over time; the initial shock of the heat, and resulting change in growth hormone increase, become less pronounced over time as you become heat adapted. Thus, sauna use should be carefully planned, consistent with your goals.
Additionally, blood flow increases – the result of heat dilating your blood vessels –results in better circulation and enhanced muscle recovery.
Finally, the heat stress brought on by traditional saunas have been shown to stave off muscle atrophy caused by muscle disuse, as well as repair and enhance the growth of damaged muscles. Thus, if your goal is muscle growth and repair, stacking your once-per-week or more sauna practice immediately following a workout will give you the best opportunity to achieve strength and hypertrophy gains.
Increase Metabolism
While a sauna is not a replacement for a well-crafted diet and exercise regimen, about 60 minutes of sauna per week has been shown to increase metabolic activity. During and after a round of sauna, your body’s metabolism spikes, resulting in additional calories consumed as your body works to cool itself down. Additionally, as your thermoregulatory mechanisms improve over time (your body’s ability to cool itself through sweating), you’ll be more prone to burn additional calories whenever your body begins to heat up. Said another way, your likely to experience an increase in sweating than you were previously accustomed to.
Reduce Stress,
Sauna use has been proven to reduce stress levels over the short and long-term and increase overall health levels. Specifically – dry, hot saunas can cause acute stress to the body – the effect you feel when you get hot. While we often consider stress synonymous with poor health, acute stress is actually good for you. The initial shock of the heat increases your blood pressure (a reaction to stress), followed by a decrease in stress and resulting blood pressure when you leave the sauna. This on/off mechanism of turning on acute stressors following by quickly turning them off resulting in lower overall levels of chronic stress (the bad kind of stress). Over time, with a continued practice of routine sauna use, your baseline levels of cortisol (stress) fall and the result is a lower baseline stress level, which is great for your overall wellbeing.
Remove Dead and Damaged Cells
Aside from reducing long-term stress levels, sauna use kickstarts the body’s autophagy process – the process of clearing away dead or poor functioning cells. A hot sauna activates your body’s heat shock proteins which go into cells and fix damaged cells, and protects your body from abnormal cells.
Boost Immunity
Last, a sauna protocol can improve immune activity by activating your body’s immune system cells which can help clear away any cells that would otherwise cause you harm.
Improve Cardiovascular Health
Recurring sauna use has been shown to benefit cardiovascular health over time. While a sauna session is not a replacement for exercise, and should be used in addition to, not in place of, exercise, the heat stress experiences during a round of sauna mimics, to some extent, moderate cardiovascular activity. As the body comes under acute stress during a sauna session, your heart’s stroke volume (the amount of blood it pushes out) increases, resulting in more efficient pumping and better endurance. The result is a near-term increase in blood pressure, followed by lower blood pressure over time. Baseline cardiovascular improvement begins with two to three sauna sessions per week, and those benefits increase as you move towards four to seven sessions per week.
If heart health is your number one priority, shorter bouts of sauna multiple times per week is the most effective protocol.
Promote Brain Health, Improve Memory & Enhance Sleep
The impact of sauna on the brain continues to fascinate me – from increases in mood, emotional health, and memory, to potential neurogenesis (growth of new neurons in the brain), the mental benefits of a sauna practice are enough for me to adopt the practice. A round of sauna releases endorphins and norepinephrine (adrenaline), which are through to promote mental clarity and improve memory, as well as elevate your mood during and after the session, which contributes to an overall stronger state of emotional health.
Further, if better sleep is your goal, saunas can help signal your body’s wind-down mechanism towards the end of the day. Evening sauna use can boost natural melatonin production which contributes to better sleep. Healthy sleep habits and adequate amounts of sleep have been proven to reduce the risk of certain brain-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Bottom Line:
While there are countless benefits of sauna use, it is important to remember that your optimal regimen depends entirely on your situation, and everyone will be different. Before you begin your sauna practice, consult your physician, as there are times when it can be detrimental to use a sauna – including when men are trying to conceive, as sauna use can potentially reduce mobile sperm count – and appropriate precautions should be taken.
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