A sauna in the garden means more than just luxury. You will also benefit from a variety of positive he alth effects of sauna use.
Our garden is our second living room and much more than just a piece of greenery. It acts as a kitchen, donates he althy food, is our gateway to the outside and can even contribute to he alth that is still far too little appreciated in this country: it can house our own sauna.
Having a sauna is nice, but not everyone has a sauna nearby and always wants to go there. That's a shame because the he alth benefits are immense. You can take advantage of these advantages with your own sauna in the garden, although there are many different models that you can find out about here.
Why is the sauna so he althy?
Our body is designed to detoxify on its own to a certain extent. Because we're exposed to so many more toxins today than at any time in human history, it's important for us to perform simple detoxification routines on a regular basis. The sauna activates our largest detoxification organ: the skin!
Saunas are nothing new
Throughout history, people have used sauna therapy as a safe and effective means of detoxification. Examples include Native American sweat lodges and Finnish wood saunas, which have been in use for over 2,000 years.
Amazing Benefits of Sauna
Using a sauna has amazing he alth benefits. Here are the most important ones:
Extreme Stress Reduction
Saunas are great stress fighters. Thanks to sugar, coffee, lack of sleep, stressed adrenal glands, and toxic chemicals, many of us are trapped in the sympathetic or "fight or flight" state. Saunas encourage our bodies to enter the parasympathetic state that allows us to relieve stress, digest, rest and heal.
Balancing hormones
Stress reduction helps lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol. When cortisol is balanced, thyroid, insulin, DHEA, testosterone, and estrogen are also balanced.In fact, when we keep our cortisol in a he althy range, progesterone levels can increase. Saunas help the adrenal glands secrete aldosterone, which also helps keep electrolytes balanced.
Get Superpower
Saunas give us a superpower in self-healing. A number of studies show that near-infrared saunas can significantly improve tissue and wound healing, including retinal injuries!
Improve skin he alth
Near infrared saunas can help reduce signs of aging and keep skin looking he althier and younger. The red light stimulates collagen and elastin production. Collagen and elastin help plump and firm skin, which can also help reduce stretch marks and cellulite.
Deep sweating can remove bacteria from the skin, which helps with acne and improves skin he alth. In addition, NIR saunas are shown to reduce inflammation, thereby relieving skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema.
Lose weight effortlessly
Saunas can help you lose weight. They can increase heart rate while lowering blood pressure and increasing oxygen and metabolic rates. These physiological effects are incredibly similar to cardio training!
Improve blood circulation and oxygen supply
When we sit in a hot sauna, the body temperature starts to rise. This causes the blood vessels to dilate, which increases blood flow and overall circulation. Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to all body tissues and helps them heal.
Remove heavy metals and chemicals
Studies have shown that arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury are excreted through the skin as well or better than through the urine.
Another study found BPA in 80% of subjects' sweat, while finding barely detectable levels in their blood or urine. This seems to indicate that sweat is the best way to eliminate the toxin.
Avoid Heart Disease
We already know that saunas can lower blood pressure and increase oxygenation and blood flow, which supports heart he alth. Studies show that sauna use is less likely than exercise to cause heart problems in men with underlying heart conditions. However, saunas are just as effective at increasing heart volume as exercise, making them aa great alternative for people with some heart conditions that make exercise potentially dangerous.
Heal faster
Saunas have been shown to be useful for relieving symptoms associated with depression, autoimmune diseases, and chronic pain and fatigue. It helps with chronic tension headaches. Sauna therapy reduced pain and fatigue associated with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
Sauna therapy has even been used to support various cancer treatments. It is well known that high temperatures can kill cancer cells, usually without harming normal cells and body tissues.
Protect the Brain
A recent study by researchers in Finland - a country where it's not uncommon for a home to have a sauna - found that men who used it four to seven times a week for an average duration of 15 minutes used a sauna had a 66 percent reduced risk of developing dementia and a 65 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's compared to men who used the sauna only once a week.
Can't I just train hard to get all the benefits of sweating?
Exercise is certainly good for your he alth, but it has other benefits than sweating in a sauna. During aerobic exercise, heart rate increases but blood flow to vital organs decreases. A sauna increases heart rate and blood flow to vital organs, allowing for the elimination of toxins from those organs.
Impressive, isn't it? It's amazing when you delve into the benefits of the sauna! It's a great tool for he althy living and is especially easy to get if you have your own sauna. The garden is a good alternative to the house as a location and can increase the relaxing factor.
» Recommended reading: Building a garden sauna - 5 tips for implementation