I have been dreaming about getting a sauna for almost 20 years. I think this year is going to be the year. You may wonder if the “health benefits” of using a sauna are real or imagined. Good news, they are real!
The executive workout: For years, when discussing exercise activities with patients, I always bring up what I refer to as “the executive workout,” which is any heat exposure. If you go to a gym and the facility has a hot tub, sauna, or steam room, I encourage you to use these amenities regularly for your workout. Exposure to heat has been shown to lower glucose levels in people with diabetes. The cardiovascular system (both heart and blood vessels) also gets a workout from heat exposure.
Detoxification: Your body has three phases of detoxification. Phase I and Phase II take place in the liver. Phase III is the final step in detoxification and occurs in the kidney, in your bowel movements, and in your sweat. Using a sauna is one of the best ways to increase Phase III detoxification and get toxins out of your body.
Cognitive function: Probably one of the most shocking found benefits of using a sauna is on cognitive function. In a Finnish prospective cohort study was conducted based on 13,994 brain-healthy men and women aged 30-69 over 39 years it was found that sauna bathing frequency was related to a reduced risk of dementia after adjustment for the potential sociodemographic, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors of dementia considered. The more a person uses a sauna, the lower his or her risk of dementia. Possible reasons for this benefit include increased relaxation of the brain, improved brain function (shown in brainwave studies), improved blood vessels, and increased detoxification of toxins out of the blood-brain barrier.
It feels good. Many people report less joint pain, stiffness, and muscle pain with sauna use. Unfortunately, studies are very limited (and why wouldn’t they be - pharmaceutical companies cannot make money off of saunas). Sitting in a sauna is also relaxing for the mind and can be a form of meditation.
How can I get heat exposure without investing in a sauna?
Until I get a sauna, I must continue to do the things that I do to experience the effects of a sauna. You can take a very hot bath and stay in it for at least 30 minutes, making sure your face is sweating. In the summer, my attic becomes my sauna. Yes, I actually do go up there and lay out some towels to sweat on. For obvious safety reasons, I DO NOT recommend that you sit in a hot car as a makeshift sauna. Sometimes I put on a 3M painters protective coverall over jeans and a long sleep shirt and hang out in my garage (or anywhere outside).
Comments