Fact Check: Are Steam Rooms and Saunas Good for Your Health?

Saunas and steam rooms are a common addition to most fitness facilities these days.

For decades, they’ve been in demand, with wellness centres and spas boasting of their various health benefits. However, remaining seated in compact rooms at high temperature for prolonged hours does seem sketchy. How is that supposed to be good for one’s health?

Saunas and steam rooms are similar yet different, as they use different sources to produce heat. While saunas use dry heat generated from hot rocks, steam rooms produce steam from tanks of boiling water. That means both rooms have varying levels of humidity.

While steam rooms and saunas can seem intimidating, it turns out there are lots of benefits to using them. Just keep an eye on the temperature and the amount of time you’re spending in the heat. Typically, steam rooms are maintained at about 110ºF, while saunas can be anywhere between 180º and 195ºF.

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Benefits of Saunas and Steam Rooms

Here's a look at the benefits of using these super hot compact rooms:

Improves Circulation

Did you know that hot environments can not only increase your body temperature but increase your heart rate as well? Increased heart rate means improved circulation in the body. That is helpful to improving and maintaining cardiovascular health.

Clears Congestion

Sitting in a steam room or sauna is like going through steam therapy. Steam therapy is the inhalation of steam to clear the respiratory pathways, clearing congestion and treating potential colds or respiratory ailments.

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Reduces Stress

Sitting in the heat for a while can have a calming effect on the body. Regular sauna users have reported reduced stress levels compared to those who don’t use heat therapy as often. That can also be attributed to the reduction in the production of cortisol in these environments. Cortisol is the stress hormone.

Reduces Muscle Soreness

Heat therapy has been proven to reduce the effects of post-workout muscle soreness, usually known as DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness), by penetrating into the muscle tissues and facilitating their recovery.

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Improves Skin Health

The heat and moisture in these environments help open up pores, releasing dirt and dead skin that may be trapped in your skin. Moreover, it facilitates blood flow to the surface of the skin. That ensures your skin is always clean and firm, making it more gloomy and smooth. Using a body scrub while sweating it out in a sauna is ideal for cleaning away the debris.

Loosens Stiff joints

Heat therapy is ideal for stiff joints, and what better way to loosen up your body than by using a sauna or steam room? It’s an overall heat pack for your entire body. Regular use of these places can help make you more mobile and flexible.

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After much consideration and a lot of research, it can be said that using steam rooms and saunas are indeed beneficial to health, as heat therapy is believed to boost immunity.

Before you leave the gym next time, make sure to spend a few minutes in the sauna soaking up some heat. Not only would it feel great, it'll be highly beneficial to your health. Don’t knock it till you try it.