In the great big, wide world of health, you’d be hard-pressed to find a mechanism more worthy of your attention than a sauna. Yet, this modernized sweatbox often sits idly by on the sidelines of the health continuum at the expense of the latest pill, powder, and potion. But these exogenous substrates can’t carry their weight in wooden nickels compared to a sauna.
When you think of game changers for longevity, health, and wellness, your best bet is to get your sweat on inside the walls of a sauna. Here’s a deeper dive into how these marvelous machines can play a positive tune in your mental and physical health.
Brain Function
Every organ in the body is important. But the most important one is the brain. It is the main control center for every voluntary and often involuntary action that you go through in a day.
Needless to say, you want to go to great lengths to preserve it as much as possible. A seamless way to do this is by frequenting the sauna multiple times a week. Not only does it help boost the brain’s ability to process facts, but it also helps with memory.
Additionally, you need to be very present when you’re in a sauna. It’s not like sitting on a park bench, watching a flock of seagulls sail by. You have to overcome the heat from a mental perspective.
This is akin to overcoming the burning sensation in your legs when you’re doing sprint intervals. Doing so, literally makes you more mentally tough, which can translate nicely into daily affairs when your brain capacity is being pushed to its limits.
Relaxation
No one likes to be stressed or riddled with anxiety and depression. This is the REAL cause of many illnesses across the board. It is also why so many people resort to calming activities like yoga, tai chi, deep breathing, and meditation. Well, you can add saunas to the mix.
When you are sweating it out, you end up taking long, deep breaths while you focus your attention on the task at hand. And that task is really nothing more than sitting still and enjoying the experience.
Overall, it is very therapeutic for stress because it takes your mind off of that which troubles you. Plus, you can actually combine deep breathing with meditation and heat all at the same time. It’s a triple whammy of euphoria.
This can then end up reducing your risk for disease and keeping your mood elevated. A better mood leads to a better body.
Inflammation Reduction
Nothing can stop you in your tracks faster than inflammation. And this goes beyond the joints. It can also include the muscles and even organs. Sitting in a sauna has a magical power to reduce muscle and connective tissue tension, stiffness, and soreness.
Partaking in a few sessions a week can not only take the edge off your soreness, but it can bode well with inflammation-related conditions like arthritis and chronic lower back pain. The next thing you know, you’re out of threat and playing pickleball like a lightning-fast jellyfish.
HGH boost
Also known as the “master hormone,” HGH carries a heavy load on both male and female health. Are YOU looking for a nice boost? Then step into a sauna. According to Dr. Rhonda Patrick, 20 to 30-minute sessions, about 2 hours before bed give the greatest results.
A higher level of HGH can have a profound effect on your workouts, maintaining muscle mass and optimizing fat loss. Not to mention, it is quintessential for energy, mood, and sleep quality itself. Plus, it can expedite recovery time from hard training sessions.
Better Cardiovascular Function
Don’t you just love running on a treadmill for hours in a row to get in your regular dose of cardio? No? That’s a familiar tale because most people would rather pick rocks out of their neighbor’s garden than stride atop a cardio machine for what seems like an eternity.
That’s where the sauna comes into play. Think of it as running mimicking. The heavy breathing, sweating, and elevated heart that you experience is identical to a cardio session. Your body doesn’t know the difference.
So you end up reaping the same cardio benefits you would if you chose to go to the gym and grind it out on a cardio machine.
Specific benefits include:
- Lower resting heart rate
- Stronger heart
- Lower risk for high blood pressure
- Cholesterol reduction
- Improved endurance
- Higher lung capacity
Final Fun Facts
Judging by the many benefits of sauna usage, the secret is starting to get out quickly. If you take your health and wellness seriously and want to go to the next level, you are one sauna away from making that happen. And once you do, you’ll wonder why you haven’t started sauna sessions sooner.
