The mental and physical health benefits of a Sauna

If you’ve ever sat in a sauna you’ve likely either thought oh my I am so hot, or you simply bask in the thinking that you are releasing toxins and are getting healthier by the minute!  In either case, I am here to tell you that you need to consistently make it part of your life!

I would consider myself a professional sauna enjoyer! It’s the dessert to the end of my workout! I will literally drive to the gym that is 30 minutes from my house as opposed to 10 minutes so I can end my workout with a good sweat in the sauna!  I’ve experienced sauna’s in various places across the globe, and I get a natural high just knowing I am about to sit in a sauna!

If you haven’t tried sitting in a sauna, give yourself this treat soon!  My sauna experience goes something like this —-

• Kick off my shoes (if in a public sauna wear socks or flip flops).
• I usually wear shorts and a sports bra (or tank top), sometimes a bathing suit.
• I generally stay in the sauna for about 20-30 minutes Tip: drinks lots of water before and after your sauna experience as you are releasing lots of toxins and fluids so replenish so you don’t get dehydrated! In fact, if drinking water is not a general rule of thumb for you every day, this is a great time to start (drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day is one of the healthiest life changing decisions you can make).
• If this is your first time in a sauna limit your time to 5-10 minutes for your first few visits.
• Get a couple of towels (I usually sit on one (see etiquette tip below), because no telling who’s been sitting in your chosen spot, and I use the other towel to wipe my face and skin as I perspire (it sounds gross but a great sweat is the body’s way to rid the body of toxins).
• If you have room and you feel like it, stretch your muscles or do leg lifts and crunches.  Your muscles relax in a sauna and it’s good for sore, tired muscles.
• I usually sit in a wood burning or electrically heated sauna (both considered a dry sauna).  A steam room is often considered a sauna but my preference is a dry sauna if I have the choice.  In a dry sauna you are producing your own sweat from the heat, and while a steam room is usually very hot, it is producing moisture on your body from the steam in the enclosed room.

Sauna Etiquette for use in public:

1. Wear clothes or bathing suit OR cover up well with a towel (trust me nobody wants to see you naked in a public sauna – seriously!)
2. Do not bring oil of any sort into the sauna and lather up.  That noise is disgusting as you are slapping it all over your skin and some people are offended by certain smells.  If you must put lotion or oil on your skin prior to your sauna experience, please be courteous to others, and put it on prior to getting into the sauna.
3. Please do not talk the whole time you are in the sauna! A sauna experience is a great time to just relax and reflect on your life, goals or just simply think of nothing. It’s a time for quiet reflection so talking non stop to your friend or frankly someone you just met in the sauna is seen as disruptive and rude.  Just relax and enjoy the experience!
4. If you have been working out prior to your sauna experience, shower off prior to entering (this is pretty standard etiquette for most any public sauna)
5. One of my favorite things to do in a sauna is lay down and stretch, do crunches or just lay there and chill; however if the sauna is crowded, it’s proper etiquette to sit up and make room for everyone. 🙂
6. Lastly and you think this would go without saying but do not leave your sweaty towels in the sauna when you are done, as nobody else wants to pick up after you (believe it or not, this happens all the time at my local gym).

Scientific proven benefits of a sauna:

• Assists in providing mental clarity
• Rid the body of toxins and other impurities that we eat, ingest etc on a daily basis
• Great for your skin and hair
• Stress relief (reduce stress hormones (cortisol)
• Weight loss
• Relieves sore muscles
• Heart health (sweating forces your body to work harder and naturally for your heart to pump faster)
• Lower blood pressure and improved blood circulation
• Heal your body through improved oxygenation to the body

Did you know?

• Saunas are usually heated to between 70-100 degrees.
• Saunas have been used in many cultures for more than 100 years.
• Most people’s heartbeats increase by approximately 50% when in a sauna.
• Research indicates that best sauna is an Infrared Sauna but stay tuned as I am about to purchase a personal sauna for our home and I will update the blog with the research conducted prior to my purchase.