Why can regular sauna use be beneficial for health?
Sauna bathing is an age-old practice adapted in many cultures to aid in detoxification and long-term health and wellbeing. It involves passive, short-term exposure to temperatures that range from 45 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius. Scientific data in regards to the benefits of sauna bathing is increasing, and this is one of the reasons why we are exploring this topic in more detail.
Benefits of Sauna Bathing:
Sauna bathing has been shown to help with some vascular conditions, like hypertension, and have benefits for circulatory and cardiovascular health.
Cardiovascular fitness is a strong predictor of overall health, and sauna bathing, when coupled with regular exercise, may have more pronounced health benefits. This may happen secondary to improved endothelial dilatation and reduced arterial stiffness, and secondary to these effects, it may help lower blood pressure.
Studies show that when sauna bathing was coupled with regular exercise, there were better responses with respect to blood pressure lowering, cardiovascular fitness, and cholesterol levels.
Large prospective population-based cohort studies show that regular sauna bathing is linked with decreased long-term morbidity and mortality.
Repeated sauna bathing helps expose the body to heat and may help modulate future responses, probably via a biological adaptive process called hormesis. This thermoregulatory mechanism may further enhance its long-term circulatory, neurological, and cytoprotective effects.
When the body is exposed to whole-body heat therapy via sauna (dry and wet forms), it is postulated that this induces the production of heat shock proteins, a decrease in the reactive oxygenated species that fuel damage, and thereby a decrease in oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators. This may happen through increased nitric oxide availability.
There is also noted to be an increase in insulin sensitivity that may help improve long-term metabolic health.
As discussed above, sauna bathing seems to have health benefits that are worth exploring. However, as always, check with your health care physician before embarking on this health quest, as different individuals have varying tolerances to exposure to intense heat. We must also consider the dangers of hyperthermia, dehydration, fainting, and injury that can happen with this procedure. As always, I wish that you keep your health and nutrition in center focus and live long and strong!
