Health Benefits of Sauna: What You Need to Know

Inside a sauna from WCI Pools and Spas serving the Aames and Urbandale area in Iowa

 

Saunas have been in use for thousands of years, and over that time, there have been many claims about how they can improve your physical and mental health. 

While some of those claims may be exaggerated, scientific studies have shown that this ancient practice can provide a bounty of benefits to anyone who uses it. According to research, regular sauna use can:

 

Improve Heart Health

 

Sauna Health Benefits Heart Health from WCI Pools and Spas serving the Aames and Urbandale area in Iowa

 

The leading cause of death in America is heart disease. While a healthy diet and regular cardiovascular exercise are both great ways to protect yourself from adding to those statistics, adding regular sauna use to your regimen can only serve to strengthen that protection. 

There are various studies available that have found that sauna bathing is associated with reduced cardiac mortality

It’s believed that using a sauna regularly can keep your resting heart rate down and improve your cardio endurance. While this is not a perfect replacement for more rigorous cardiovascular exercise, it can be a great supplement to it, and saunas can also be useful to anyone who is unable to exercise due to injury.

 

 

Reduce Inflammation

 

Sauna Health Benefits reduce inflammation from WCI Pools and Spas serving the Aames and Urbandale area in Iowa

 

The list of serious medical issues that can be linked to inflammation is shockingly long. From cardiovascular disease to diabetes, Alzheimer’s to rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer, there is a nearly endless number of reasons why reducing inflammation in the body should be a key goal of anyone concerned about their health. 

Sauna use has been shown to do exactly that. The heat in the sauna stimulates blood flow throughout the body, and that increased blood flow works to reduce swelling and combat inflammation. 

This can not only defend your body from serious medical conditions over the course of your life, but it can also relieve pain caused by swelling in the short term.

 

 

Boost the Immune System

 

Sauna Health Benefits Boost Immune System from WCI Pools and Spas serving the Aames and Urbandale area in Iowa

 

Saunas are capable of strengthening your body’s immune system in an interesting way. Exposing yourself to high temperatures can trigger a stress response in the body, which will cause it to send out something called “heat shock proteins.” 

Heat shock proteins have been connected to a laundry list of health benefits, one of which is the strengthening of the immune system. 

Going into the sauna is essentially a way of giving your immune system a workout without having to pit it against any viruses or other outside agents that might do your body harm. 

Just as lifting weights can help you gain muscle mass, exposing your body to high temperatures can toughen up your immune system and make it stronger.

 

 

Improve Mental Health

 

Sauna Health Benefits Improve Mental Health from WCI Pools and Spas serving the Aames and Urbandale area in Iowa

 

While there are plenty of external reasons why someone might struggle with mental health concerns, connections have been found between inflammation and things like depression and anxiety. This means that, if you can reduce inflammation, you may be able to better combat both of these issues. 

While you wouldn’t want to simply replace things like talk therapy, a healthy diet, and exercise with regular sauna use in order to improve mental health concerns, using them all in tandem may prove to be quite effective. 

And it’s not just the reduction of inflammation that can improve mental health, either. Sauna use can reduce cortisol levels, thereby reducing stress and anxiety, and it can also increase levels of mood-boosting endogenous chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin.

 

 

Improve Skin Health

 

Sauna Health Benefits Improve Skin Health from WCI Pools and Spas serving the Aames and Urbandale area in Iowa

 

The effect that poor skin health can have on your quality of life should not be underestimated. Feeling unhappy with your complexion can take a serious toll on your mental health. Fortunately, saunas may be able to provide you with a solution.

In the same way that sauna use can give your immune system a workout, it can also work to clean your pores and improve the appearance of your skin. The improved circulation saunas provide can also supply your skin with the blood flow it needs to achieve a healthy glow. 

Additionally, sweating out toxins in the sauna can improve your skin health and rejuvenate your complexion.

 

 

Improve Relaxation

 

Sauna Health Benefits Improve Relaxation from WCI Pools and Spas serving the Aames and Urbandale area in Iowa

 

One of the more immediately noticeable benefits of sauna use is how relaxed it can make you feel. The mood-boosting hormones combined with the reduction of cortisol levels that sauna use offers can make for a euphoric sense of calm that you’ll be enjoying well after you’ve left the steam room.

 

Home Saunas from WCI Pools and Spas  

Enjoy all of these incredible benefits and more right in your own home with a home sauna from WCI Pools and Spas. To learn more, contact us or stop by one of our showrooms today.