Benefits of Saunas

Benefits of Saunas

Whether you use a pre-manufactured steam sauna or build a DIY sauna kit for home, the benefits are the same:

WHAT ARE THE SAUNA BENEFITS?

• Soothes and relaxes tired muscles

• Helps to relieve mental fatigue

• Relieves tension and stress

• Provides a cardiovascular workout--Helps condition heart

• Increases metabolic rate

• Improves circulation

• Provides temporary relief for arthritic pain

• Promotes healing and releases natural pain killers, Beta Endorphins and Nor-epinephrines

• Increases resistance to illness and naturally reduces toxins

• Burns as many as 300 calories during a normal Sauna session

• Helps maintain clear, healthy skin--and provides an afterglow of a rosy complexion

• Promotes a wonderful feeling of wellbeing and a total body experience that no bath can duplicate

• Adds luxury and value to your home or cottage

In a recent study published by Harvard Health Publications it was found that sauna bathers live longer and have fewer heart problems.

Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland tracked 2,300 middle-aged men for an average of 20 years. They categorized the men into three groups according to how often they used a sauna each week. The men spent an average of 14 minutes per visit baking in 175° F heat. Over the course of the study, 49% of men who went to a sauna once a week died prematurely, compared with 38% of those who went two to three times a week and just 31% of those who went four to seven times a week. Frequent visits to a sauna were also associated with lower death rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The results did not surprise Dr. Thomas H. Lee, a cardiologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and founding editor of the Harvard Heart Letter. “The cardiovascular effects of sauna have been well documented in the past. It lowers blood pressure, and there is every reason to believe that its effects are good for blood vessels,” says Dr. Lee.