Odds are you pop into the sauna at your gym after a hard workout to loosen up your muscles. Maybe you use it more often when you're sick or congested or because you heard it can break up congestion. Saunas are used for all those purposes. They can also ease muscle pain and help you lose weight through sweat. There's also a small amount of scientific evidence that saunas can help treat heart disease and certain respiratory complaints making the few minutes you spend inside a potential contributor to overall well-being.
Heart Disease
Saunas may help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension, according to an article published in "The American Journal of Medicine." The article also points out that saunas have shown to improve heart function in people who suffer from congestive heart failure. A study published in "Canadian Family Physician" points out that saunas are useful in treating people with heart attack risk factors. They're not good for all types of heart disease, however, because a small amount of people experience hypotension or arrhythmia in the sauna.
Joint Pain and Stiffness
"The American Journal of Medicine" indicates that saunas might help alleviate symptoms caused by diseases, which inhibit joint mobility. Specifically, sauna bathing helps improve pain, mobility and stiffness in people suffering from rheumatic disease. According to Harvard Medical School, saunas may only work by promoting relaxation in the body, and that benefits of saunas can differ from one person to the next. Because saunas generally prove safe, it may benefit you to test the effects and see if regular bathing improves your condition.
Asthma and Bronchitis
It's true that heat and steam help break up bronchial and nasal congestion, according to Peace Health, especially if the seam contains mentholated vapors. It might not be in your best interest, however, to use the sauna if you're congested. Harvard Medical School advises against using a sauna when you feel sick. It points out that you lose a as much as a pint of fluid through sweat. If you don't properly hydrate, dehydration causes mucous to thicken. Talk to your doctor if you have lung or bronchial illness before using the sauna.
References
- "The American Journal of Medicine": Benefits and Risks of Sauna Bathing
- Harvard Medical School: Sauna Health Benefits: Are Saunas Healthy or Harmful?
- "Canadian Family Physician": Far-infared Saunas for Treatment of Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Summary of Published Evidence, 2009
- Peace Health: Sinus Congestion
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