5 Ways Saunas Can Improve Your Health

Usually reserved for expensive health clubs and gyms, saunas aren't a common sight in homes in the UK when compared to the likes of Sweden or Finland. Since its origins in Finland, the sauna has spread across the world, even gaining popularity in the UK. Here are five benefits of having a sauna in your own home.

1. Saunas Are Good For Relaxation and Wellness

It won't come as a surprise to anyone that one of the most frequently talked about the positives of regular sauna use is stress reduction and relaxation. Multiple medical studies and journals highlight the dangers of stress in our day to day lives, ranging from irritability and difficulty concentrating up to heart disease and other conditions that we all want to avoid.

Saunas are hot, quiet places that remove the distractions of the outside world, giving you much needed time to relax and think. The heat generated by a sauna relaxes the bodies muscles and causes a surge of endorphins (your bodies "feel good" chemical), leading to what many call an "after sauna glow".

2. Saunas Help Recovery After Exercise

If you're into fitness and love a good workout, you'll be all too familiar with the aches and soreness that can come after a heavy workout. This is due to your muscles tearing at the microscopic level so they can rebuild stronger. The increased blood flow into your muscles from a sauna can speed up this recovery by getting more nutrients to your muscles.

3. Saunas Can Improve Brain Health

A study conducted by Dr Jari Laukkanen of the University of Eastern Finland over 20 years revealed that regular sauna use (4-7 times per week) lowed the risk of developing dementia for the 2300 people involved.

4. Saunas Can Help With Weight Loss

Theirs lots of information available now about how to lose weight from intermittent fasting, keto, cross-fit, HIIT and more. They all share one similarity though, and that is limiting the intake of calories while maximising how many you use, leading to weight loss. The bodies response to heat is to sweat to try and cool you down, this burns calories. Studies have shown that 20 minutes in a sauna can burn up to 500 calories (equivalent to a 5-mile run).

5. Saunas Help Detox Your Body

As the sauna session starts and your core body temperature rises, a chain reaction begins throughout you - and that's where the benefits begin. For example, the heat causes your body to start sweating intensely which helps draw out deeply embedded dead skin cells and impurities, which can create glowing and clear skin with repeat use.  With more and more jobs becoming sedentary, people are, simply sweating less. Sweating is good for the skin, as it removes all the impurities it is exposed to daily. Regular use of a sauna is a great way to get a sweat on and clear those blocked pores. The increase in blood flow to the skin can also help fight ageing and wrinkles by carrying more nutrients to the surface.

We hope you find the information about home saunas interesting. See more information about home saunas or see our range on home saunas here.