The sauna is not only healthy in the cold winter months: the beneficial effect that comes from sweating in the wooden cabin is in fact throughout the year. It is good for the body and the mind, especially if the sauna session is followed by exposure to the cold. Below we illustrate the consequences on our health, the precautions to be followed and the possible alternatives.
In Finland, saunas have played an important role in society since the Middle Ages. For many people, sweating at least once a week is part of everyday life. The reasons behind it are more than valid, given the relaxing effect and the health benefits. Frequently attending the sauna activates the circulation and purifies the body. Thanks to the high temperatures, the blood vessels are dilated, improving the blood circulation of the body and with it also the supply of oxygen to the heart and muscles. The inhalation of warm air increases the production of immune substances in the mucous membranes and thus strengthens the whole immune system. In addition, heat helps to pull the plug from everyday stress and promotes mental regeneration.
How to use the sauna correctly
The full effect of sweating develops only through the subsequent cold application. Exposure to fresh air cools the lungs and increases the oxygen content in the blood. Water jets, showers, and cold baths after the sauna make the blood vessels shrink again. The circulation stabilizes and the frequency of the heartbeat decreases.
We recommend a sauna per week to strengthen the organism in an optimal way. The sauna should last a maximum of 15 minutes and be repeated two or three times. Between sessions it is advisable to spend 10-15 minutes in the fresh air, then take a cold shower and dry well before entering the sauna again, otherwise, the sweating is delayed unnecessarily. To allow the skin to breathe freely it is important to enter a sauna without foundation. With the sauna, one to two liters of body fluids are lost through the skin, so it is essential to drink as much once you have left.
Alternatives to the sauna
If you feel unwell or suffer from asthma, venous problems, hypertonia or heart problems, you'd better give up the sauna. Alternatively, you can take alternate baths or showers (for example «Kneipp applications» according to Sebastian Kneipp). After a bath in hot water (from 37 to 39 degrees Celsius) of three to five minutes, a cold water bath lasting 10-20 seconds is passed; the alternation between temperatures must take place in an immediate form, ie without interruption. This change between hot and cold must be repeated three times. Always start with the heat and end with the cold. For the application in the home, just follow the same principle of alternate showers.