The benefits of using the sauna and steam room are no myth. Read below to find out. Which ones didn’t you know?
Sauna and steam room use has been shown to be an extremely valuable lifestyle practice that helps extend lifespan.
The difference between these two terms has to do with relative humidity. Indeed, a sauna has a humidity level of 10-20%, whereas a steam room has a humidity level of over 50%.
I’ve been using saunas for as long as I can remember. Indeed, the sports club I went to as a kid had both. I could never explain why, scientifically, I felt remarkably better after a session.
Well now I know. And so can you.
This blog post is all about the benefits of using the sauna and steam room!
Sauna and Steam Room BENEFITS
A few things to know
Before we get into the details of it all, there are 2 things I would like to highlight:
- The benefits I’ll highlight below are reported from studies that use 20-25 minutes sessions.
- The benefits of using a sauna and steam room are not forever. Indeed, they “disappear” a couple hours after the session (for the most part). Therefore, it is important to note that the sauna is best used regularly to get the most out if it.
9 Benefits of Sauna and Steam Room Use
1. Promotion of cardiovascular health
Going into the sauna causes protective responses, many of those being similar to those that we experience when we exercise (don’t get too excited yet, sauna does not replace exercise).
Indeed, heat exposure increases heart rate (100-150 bpm) to the same extent that moderate or intense exercise does. Similarly, blood pressure is also affected.
Consequently, regularly spending time in the sauna can lead to:
- Lowers systolic and diastolic blood pressure
- Increases left ventricular ejection fraction and reduced left ventricular ejection time
- Enhances arterial compliance
- Improves flow-mediated dilation, a measure of endothelial function
2. Reduces Cardiovascular-Related Mortality
I believe that this title is quite self-explanatory. But below are some statistics should you need further explanation. For reference, these statistics are compared to people who use the sauna one time per week.
| Sauna Use | Sudden Cardia Death | Fatal Coronary Heart Disease | Fatal Cardiovascular Disease |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2-3 times per week |
22% less likely |
23% less likely |
27% less likely |
|
4-7 times per week |
63% less likely |
48% less likely |
50% less likely |
|
Sessions of 11 minutes or less |
7% less likely |
- |
- |
|
Sessions of 19 minutes or more |
52% less likely |
- |
- |
Remember when I said that sauna could not replace exercise? Well, it was found that the strongest reductions in cardiovascular death are found in the following group, in this order:
- High cardiovascular fitness + high frequency of sauna use
- High cardiovascular fitness + low frequency of sauna use
- Low cardiovascular fitness + high frequency of sauna use
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3. Helps the Brain Do Its Braining
Heat stress makes more of a protein called the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which in turn promotes the growth of new neurons by acting on the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Due to its important activity in the brain, BDNF helps in learning and long-term memory. In the same vein, higher BDNF levels also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease
4. Reduces Symptoms of Depression & Increases Endorphins
Depressive symptoms are often linked to a chronic activation of one’s inflammatory system. This is why people displaying symptoms of depression are often told to exercise, as this sharply increases levels of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine.
And since heat stress can recreate some of the effects of exercising, then it follows that heat stress can reduce the symptoms of depression.
Interestingly, the antidepressant effects have been shown to persist for 6-weeks following a single session of heat stress.
Not only can the sauna reduce symptoms of depression, it can also increase endorphins, our body’s feel-good chemical. That is because the receptors become more sensitive and thereby… receptive.
5. Helps Fight Age-Related Obesity and Weakness
Heat therapy can help promote the release of the growth hormone. Indeed, growth hormones decline with age, which can help explain why one gains weight and becomes increasingly frail with age.
It has been shown that a 1-hour sauna session for 7 consecutive days has shown to increase growth hormones by 16 times its baseline, its effects being felt for a couple hours after the sessions.
It should be noted that the combination of exercise and regular sauna use has been shown to have the best effects on the growth hormone.
(See point 9 for a little more info.)
Take note
Sauna & Proper Hydration
People who plan on going to the sauna should take care in being sufficiently hydrated. They should also consider eating electrolyte-rich foods before and after the session.
Such foods include cooked spinach, avocado, tomatoes, fish, nuts and seeds.
6. Improves Immune Function & Reduced Respiratory Infections
Briefly, sauna use reduces the risk of certain chronic or acute respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia.
Indeed, people who use the sauna 2-3 times per week are 27% less likely to develop pneumonia. And those who use it 4-7 times per week are 41% less likely.
This is because sauna use decreases pulmonary congestion and supports other aspects of lung health (not to get all technical on you, but it helps vital capacity, tidal volume, minute ventilation, etc)
Also, sauna use also reduces the occurrences of common colds. Indeed, when your body fights colds, it reacts by increasing white blood cell, lymphocyte, neutrophil and basophil counts. All of these counts normally go up when you have a cold… so basically, the sauna makes your body react to a cold without actually having a cold.
7. Improves Endurance
Repeat sauna and steam room use can improve endurance.
It was actually shown that those who start using the sauna frequently can beat their endurance baseline by 32%.
This might be because there was also an increase in plasma volumes and erythrocytes. Indeed, erythrocytes help the transport of oxygen from the lungs to muscle tissue, as well as the transport of carbon dioxide to the lungs for expiration.
Increased erythrocytes facilitate these processes.
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8. Improves Our Body's Ability To Adapt to Heat
Heat acclimation refers to the improved cardiovascular and thermoregulatory functions resulting from repeated exposure to heat.
- Heart rate decreases for the same given workload
- Sweating occurs at a lower core temperature and maintained for a longer time (this is actually a good thing!)
- Perceived strain decreases
- Increased blood flow to the working muscles
- Lower skin temperature and peak temperature
9. Muscle mass maintenance
Sauna and steam room use can help preserve muscle mass.
This is particularly helpful for those who have to immobilize their muscles for an extended period of time.
Without getting into the nitty-gritty, there seems to be increased activity of the Akt/mTOR pathway after sauna use. This pathway is important in maintaining skeletal muscle mass.
Furthermore, the increased expression of HSPs can also contribute to lowers muscle degradation by 37% (because they increase growth hormones). What’s also interesting is that when the muscle is mobilized again, there is a better muscle regrowth.
HSPs can repair damaged proteins, that way the latter maintain their proper structure and function.
A Few Concerns of Sauna and Steam Room Use
1. Male Fertility
Sauna has a negative effect on sperm count for men who regularly sauna bathe.
However, sperm count goes back to normal with 6 months after stopping frequent sauna use.
2. Pregnancy
There’s reason to believe that high heat exposure can be linked to birth defects such as anencephaly, spina bifida and cardiovascular malfunctions.
However, please note that women in Finland have the lowest incidences of the two first birth defects, while being exposed to sauna and steam rooms on a weekly basis.
3. Children
Kids dissipate body heat less efficiently than adults. Simply, this is due to their less efficient thermoregulatory mechanisms.
Though it is not certain whether or not children should altogether avoid the sauna, those with sinoatrial node disorders may have a greater risk of fainting in the instances following sauna use.
No Sauna?
No problem.
No everyone has access to a sauna or steam room. Here are some alternatives:
- Hot-water blankets
- Hyperthermic baths
- Heating coils
- Infrared-A radiating lamps
- Hot water immersion
4. Cardiovascular conditions
Though individuals with stable heart disease are safe to use the sauna, there is scarce research of sauna use in patients with a history of stroke, ischemic attacks, inflammatory skin condition, or illnesses with fever. Therefore, these individuals should avoid sauna and steam room use.
5. Those With Restricted Diets
People who have a restricted diet should take supplements in order to compensate for the lower levels of hydration and/or electrolytes.
Restricted diets include:
- Limited or severely limited calories
- Limited food groups
- Unbalanced diet
- Alcohol consumption
Alcohol consumption before or during using the sauna should be strictly avoided as it can cause severe dehydration, arrhythmia, and possibly embolic stroke
That was all for this blog post all about the benefits of sauna and steam room use!
xx LS
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