Health Benefits of Infrared and Steam Sauna

When thinking about sauna, most of us consider relaxation as its main benefit.
However, many researches have found other health benefits of steam and infrared
saunas. But there are certain health risks as well to both wet and dry saunas.
Find out how sauna bathing can improve your health.

Sauna helps with muscle pains by relaxing tired muscles

Athletes use infrared saunas regularly, because it helps them relieve the muscle
tension after hard exercise. Sauna, can also give temporarily relive of arthritic
pains. The reason for that is that at high temperature, our bodies produce endorphins
- natural pain killers. So the effect of a sauna on muscle pain is absolutely
natural and much prefered to taking drugs. Also, high temperature causes the
increase of circulation rate, which also helps with soothing muscular pains.

Sauna helps you with stress relive

Not only your muscles feel relaxed after a session in the sauna, but everyday
stress goes away. Sauna is a great way to fight mental fatigue that most of

us suffer from in modern stressful life.

Sauna is good for lowering high blood pressure

Increased blood circulation, makes your blood vessels expand. As a result after
taking both infrared and steam sauna, blood pressure goes down for most people.
This effect is only temporarily, however, there is some medical evidence that
using sauna often, about once a week, helps keep your blood pressure to a manageable
level.

Sauna heart benefits

When you use a sauna, your blood vessels get wider while you are exposed to
heat, but contact afterwards. This helps them stay more elastic and generally
healthy. Also your heart rate increases from normal (about 60 per minute) to
110 per minute or even more, depending on how intense is the heat. This gives
your heart quite an "exercise" without going to the gym.

Sauna bathing helps you sleep well

Do you have troubles falling asleep? The night after using a sauna, you will
sleep like a baby, because all your muscles feel relaxed. This is also a direct

result of increased endorphins level, while you are in a sauna.



Saunas have a weight loss effect

You can loose up to 300 calories using a sauna, because of the increased heart
rate due to heat exposure. Of course, most of the kilos lost in the sauna, are
water, but regular use of a sauna definitely contributes to weight loss. So
it makes sense to use sauna bathing in addition to your diet and exercise.

Detox effect of sauna

Sweating in high temperature opens up your pores, and helps you get rid of
toxins like lead, copper, zinc, nickel, mercury and other chemicals that are
very bad for your body. Also sauna cleans your skin and gives it that radiant
look and healthy feel. Even visiting a sauna once detox your body and clears
the skin well, but the effect is greater if you use it on a regular basis.



Sauna health risks

For a healthy person moderate use of sauna presents, no health risks. However,
people with conditions such as high blood pressure, heart diseases, asthma and
some skin conditions. Sauna can also be dangerous during pregnancy. If you have
any of these conditions, it's best to consult with your doctor before using
a sauna. As a general rule, sauna with mild temperature under 90°C, should
be all right for everybody. Just avoid sudden and dramatic change in temperature.

Tanya Turner is a publisher of Infrared Sauna Guide.org , where you can find additional information on types of saunas and sauna health benefits