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Do you like bathing and perspiring?
Don’t get me wrong, the bathing center is still very formal and healthy. It is very relaxing to take a bath and steam a sauna once in a while. There is even a trend in the Northeast. “Bath Culture”.
Are steam and sauna benefits other than decompression? Chinese medicine believes that saunas can help weight loss by expelling moisture and cold.
Does this theory make scientific sense? I’ve seen many studies before that found that saunas improve cardiovascular health indicators, which in turn reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Sauna can also be anti-aging. There is a saying that the essence of anti-aging is torture yourself.
Such as fasting, cold, sauna, etc., simulating some extreme environments, it is beneficial to the cells to become stronger.
What’s the benefit of taking a sauna? What are the risks? Let’s take a look. ↓
What are the health benefits of using a sauna?
In fact, not only in China, but also abroad, sauna is very popular.
→Improves Cardiovascular Health
A 2015 Finnish study found that sauna significantly reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death, heart attack, and even death from any cause.
The study tracked the health of 2,315 middle-aged men, with data released more than 20 years later.
You may be wondering, how does tracking for 20 years ensure that subjects stick to the habit of taking a sauna? That’s a big reason why the study chose Finland, the Finns are so fond of saunas.
Finland is the most famous sauna-loving country in the world, with nearly one sauna for every two people in the country.
In fact, sauna originated in northern Europe, probably around 2000 BC, or even earlier, which may be related to the humid and cold climate of northern Europe.
Northern Europe has a high latitude, and many countries even have polar night, people can only stay indoors for a long time, so smart Nordic people invented the sauna.
Saunas initially heated stones, then poured some water over the stones to create steam, and when the temperature dropped, another wave of water was poured to further heat the space, and some saunas are still doing this .
Saunas were originally used not only for relaxation, but also for surviving cold temperatures and providing a safe and warm place in case of sick or childbirth patients and babies.
Study after years of follow-upIncreased sauna frequency was found to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality.
Cumulative Kaplan-Meier curves of cardiovascular mortality according to weekly sauna frequency and duration
Not only that, but the number and length of sessions is linear related to the outcome, meaning the more sauna sessions the better the effect, 4-7 sessions per week 40% reduction in all-cause mortality.
→Sauna improves brain function
A 2017 paper, also in Finns, found that using a sauna reduced the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The study also established a relationship between the frequency of sauna use and risk, with 2-3 saunas per week reducing the risk by about 20%, and 4-7 times per week reducing the risk by 65%.
Although the relationship between sauna use and Alzheimer’s is unclear, poorer blood vessel function and vascular disease may lead to poorer cognitive performance and even Alzheimer’s.
The heat exposure of a sauna makes the skin sweat, causing fluid loss and an increase in heart rate, which can improve hemodynamic function.
This is a common benefit of sauna, and many people are concerned, can sauna help to lose weight?
→Exercise + sauna, can you lose weight?
Many steaming physiotherapy organizations and health theories claim that steaming can help you lose weight.
I’ve also argued that sauna makes you sweat, mostly dehydration, not fat loss.
However, a recent study found that sauna combined with exercise can actually make you thinner.
A study evaluating body weight loss (BML) caused by heat stress in a sauna found lower BML in underweight people and the largest BML in overweight and obese subjects.
The rationale behind it, like improving cardiovascular health, is inconclusive.
But sure, it’s not as easy as the business advertises. The most common theory of health care we hear is “dehumidification”, as if any disease can be cured by expelling moisture.
Sweat steaming does make you sweat a lot, but that’s because of heat exposure, not the so-called dehumidification theory.
After sweating, dehydration in a short time leads to weight loss. If you want to lose weight, you need to cooperate with exercise for a long time.
However, people with a high body mass index are at higher risk of dehydration and should pay special attention to hydration during the sauna.
Sauna is good for health, the rationale behind it
Sauna therapy is not pseudoscience, and while the mechanism of the effects of heat exposure has not been established, there are several possible reasons.
→Appropriate stress is good for the body
The human body needs to accept some stress, such as exercise or cold, the heat of the sauna is also a “stressor” that is beneficial to the body, because the body responds to stress. React and adapt.
Sauna temporarily increases some inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6. But acute elevation of IL-6 actually leads to a corresponding anti-inflammatory effect.
Meanwhile, regular sauna bathing was associated with improved endothelial function, which also led to reduced inflammation.
→Heat Stress Response
During a sauna bath, blood flow to the skin typically increases, resulting in an increase in cardiac output and an increase in body temperature.
The heart rate may increase from 100 to 150 beats per minute during the sauna bath, the increase is due to heat stress and is beneficial for lowering Systemic hypertension and elevated pulse pressure.
Sauna therapy also activates heat shock proteins, one of the adaptive responses to heat stress, a highly conserved family of proteins that present in all cells.
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) repair damaged proteins, prevent them from disorganizing and clumping together to prevent chronic disease, slow muscle wasting and prolong life.
The sauna is very hot, irritable, and even difficult to breathe, but it is very enjoyable to feel refreshed and refreshed after steaming.
This is because heat stress from sauna use may promote the release of dynorphins, which usually causes feelings of irritability but helps cool the body.
Dynorphins can bind to opioid receptors, which are more sensitive to beta-endorphins, endorphins that are secreted by the brain to relieve pain A drug that relieves pain and gives a sense of pleasure.
So, that’s why people get addicted to steaming, how irritable they are when they sweat, and how happy they are after steaming. And sweating also helps in detoxification.
Key Thin Dragon Says
You may have heard the news about someone having a heart attack while sweating, or a case of shock from excessive sweating.
Saunas do have risks, and we need to participate at our discretion according to our physical condition.
The heat of steaming can significantly increase the heart rate, so heart patients and drinkers are definitely not suitable.
And saunas pose a risk to men, which is reduced sperm count and motility. However, this effect was reversible and returned to normal within 6 months of stopping the sauna.
Some studies also suggest that sauna use may have some harmful effects, especially on cardiovascular events, in part because sauna conditions and temperatures vary, and dry sauna use is safe.
Dry saunas refer to steam rooms that are provided through methods such as heat or infrared, while steam rooms and warm water therapy are cooler and less effective.
Older adults who are prone to orthostatic hypotension are not suitable for saunas, as blood pressure may drop suddenly after a dry, hot bath, and extensive dehydration may also occur low blood pressure.
Therefore, you must pay attention to rehydration when you go to the sauna to avoid dehydration, and pay special attention not to let people who drink in the sauna, almost all of them die suddenly in the sauna. All because of drinking.