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Sauna and Wellness

By Keith Raisanen

 

Sauna not only feels good, it’s good for you. 

Decades of medical research, primarily in Scandinavia, documents the many health benefits of regular sauna bathing. For me, personally, I find the sauna has a positive affect on my overall health.  

 

Look better, feel better, sleep better. Don’t we all want that? Scientific research has demonstrated sauna can provide those benefits and more.

 

My list of the top six health benefits of sauna bathing includes:

 

Data from 24 years of polling our customers on why they use sauna, shows the overwhelming #1 reason for personal use of sauna is “stress reduction”. Stress in our every day lives adversely affects our health. In fact, medical research shows the majority of disease is stress related. The soothing heat of a sauna relaxes the body, improves circulation, and stimulates the release of endorphins—the body’s natural feel good chemical—providing a wonderful “after sauna glow”.

 

As I noted in my first blog entry, my favorite sauna time is in the evening, after the kids are in bed, when Heidi and I “escape” to the sauna. We enjoy the quiet time together and appreciate the way stress drains away in the quiet enveloping heat of the sauna. 

 

Detoxification is getting a lot of attention these days, and for good reason. Deep sweating in a sauna can help reduce levels of lead, copper, zinc, nickel and mercury—all toxins commonly picked up from our environment. There is much being researched and written about these days regarding “detoxification with sauna therapy”. The medical benefits are profound; I’ll do a separate future blog on detoxification.

 

Research shows a deeper sleep can result from sauna use. In addition to release of endorphins, when body temperature is raised in the evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating sleep. 

 

Saunas have been long associated with health and fitness. Following sporting activity, the heat of a sauna helps muscles relax by reducing muscle tension and eliminating lactic acid and other toxins. I know of many people who suffer from arthritis who use sauna to improve their range of motions. A family friend has arthritis in his hands. He starts the day with a sauna, letting the heat penetrate his hands, limbering them up for the day ahead.

 

In the heat of a sauna skin heats up and core body temperature rises. In response to the heat the blood vessels near the skin dilate and cardiac output increases. 

 

German sauna medical research shows regular sauna use significantly reduces the incidence of colds and influenza. As the body is exposed to a sauna’s heat and steam, it produces white blood cells more rapidly—which in turn help fight illness and help kill viruses. 

 

Saunas can relieve sinus congestion from colds or allergies—especially when used with steam in traditional Finnish saunas. Add eucalyptus to the water for added benefit and enjoyment.  

 

My son, Tom, had allergies and mild asthma when he was a young boy. When he’d get badly congested, we depended upon “sauna therapy” for him to get relief. We regularly brought Tom for a low temperature, steamy sauna to clear his breathing passages. He liked the sauna, and best of all—he slept like a baby following the sauna, breathing comfortably.

 

One simple Blog column can’t do justice to the broad topic of “Wellness and saunas”. Whether it’s the physiological changes that occur in the warmth of a sauna, or if it’s simply the time spent in the calm, still retreat of the sauna, all who sauna agree—it feels wonderful! As we go through our daily stressful lives, the sauna provides a pampering retreat—where we can relax and restore body and soul. A sauna truly makes you “Feel Better”, “Look Better” and “Sleep Better”.

 

I encourage you to do your own research. There is a virtual flood of information on the internet and there are several books written on the subject.  A particularly good document summarizing various sauna medical studies is from the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, 1988, “Special Issue on Saunas, Annals of Clinical Research, Vol.20 No.4”.