Types of Saunas that are good for Heart Health
Sauna is well known all over the world, and it is usually a building or a small room created as a place to experience dry and wet sessions. The bathers perspire due to steam and high heat and steam. The temperature may be up to 70 to 100 degree Celsius or in Fahrenheit 158 to 212 degrees. There are various types of sauna, and this is based on the heating of the room. You have the electrically heated saunas, which are sort of like the wood burning; they have low humidity and high temperatures. The sauna room is heated by an electric heater, which is attached to the floor. There are the wood burning saunas as the name implies, the sauna room is heated by wood together with sauna rocks. You have the Infrared room called far-infrared saunas which are not the same as electrically heated and wood burning saunas as the body of a person is heated by light waves from special lamps. Even though the sweat of the person is similar to other saunas, the temperature is usually lower compared to others. It operates at about 60 degree Celsius. Also, there are steam rooms, which differ from saunas as they involve high humidity and moist heat, unlike saunas which have dry heat.
Health Benefits of Sauna
Over the past years, sauna has shown to have significant health benefits like:
- Reduction of soreness in the muscle, easing the pain that comes with arthritis, and improvement of joint movement as a result of increased circulation
- Great feeling of relation is felt during sauna sessions which is good for general well-being
- People who suffer from skin problems like psoriasis experience reduction of symptoms during the use of saunas especially a dry sauna which dries the skin during use
- Saunas can help in the opening of airways, reduce stress and even loosen phlegm so people living with asthma can benefit from the use of saunas as it may relieve their symptoms
- Improvement of cardiovascular health as a result of stress reduction during the use of saunas.
Stroke and Heart Disease Reduction Due To Regular Use of Sauna
Even as there is a difference in the way the saunas are heated or the humidity levels differ, they all have the same effect on the body. During the use of sauna, circulation is increased as a result of an increase in heart rate and widening of blood vessels. This is almost same effect as performing low to moderate exercise though it depends on how long the sauna is used. The heart rate can rise to 100-150 beats per minute during the use of saunas.
In Finland, a study was conducted, consisting of 2,315 men within the age range of 42 to 60 years old over a period of 20 years. Amongst the participants of this study, a sum of 878 died due to cardiovascular disease, sudden cardiac death or coronary artery disease. Participants were put in groups according to their frequency of the use of saunas, including one time in a week, two to three times per week, and four to seven times a week.
After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, reduction of risk of fatal cardiovascular-related disease was connected to the increased use of saunas. Compared to participants who used the sauna just once a week, those who used it two to three times a week were 22 percent at less risk of experiencing sudden cardiac death. There was a 63 percent lesser chance of encountering a sudden cardiac death for those who used the sauna four to seven times in a week and 50 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than the participants who make use of the sauna just one time in a week.
Infrared Saunas and heart disease prevention
Infrared Saunas operate at quite a lower temperature compared to the usual hot rock saunas or electrically heated saunas; heat shock is not experienced by the body, which means for people suffering from high blood pressure, the infrared sauna is a good choice. Medical research suggests that using an infrared sauna may provide cardiovascular conditioning, as there is an attempt for the body to cool itself. In addition to this, since infrared sauna rays are able to penetrate the body at about one to two inches deep, big heating effect occurs in the muscle tissue and internal organs. This is a response by the body to this heat with a hypothalamic-induced rise in both heart rate and the volume of blood being pumped. This process improves the flow of blood as it makes the capillaries in the body to expand.
As it is said that sauna originated in Finland, most studies take place in Finland as saunas are quite familiar to a point people have them at home. There was a study for fifteen years; research was conducted on 1,628 adults, they were asked to fill out surveys about sauna use by them and other lifestyle habits. At the beginning of the study, the participants underwent a couple of health tests. In the period of follow-up, a total of 155 people suffered from a stroke. That data was then used by the researchers to calculate the rate of stroke per 1,000 people for the three available groups which were the use of sauna once in a week, two to three times in a week and four to seven times in a week. It was seen that there was a vast difference between those who use sauna often who had 2.8 strokes per 1,000 people and those who used the sauna less often who had 8.1 strokes per 1,000 people.
Regular time in a sauna dramatically reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease
From the results of many studies carried out, it is indeed true that regular time in a sauna dramatically reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease even on account of other health and lifestyle factors that may influence the risk of stroke-like cigarette smoking, diabetes, and high cholesterol. These results are possibly because of the drops in blood pressure during the use of the sauna. As we know, hypertension is a risk factor for stroke, when sauna is used the heat causes increase blood flow to the skin which leads to an overall drop in blood pressure.
References
De Pietro, M. (2017). Sauna: Health benefits, risks, and precautions. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313109.php
Here’s Another Reason Saunas Are So Good For You. (2018). Retrieved from http://time.com/5262794/saunas-stroke-risk/
Sauna for High Blood Pressure | Good Health Saunas. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.goodhealthsaunas.com/health-benefits/high-blood-pressure/
