10 Reasons Why I am Addicted to My Sauna: Part One

Contact SoCal Sauna at 951-741-1048 and please visit our website at www.socalsauna.com for a NO COST consultation to make sure you get the right sauna! 

We love seeing stories of how much people love their home saunas, especially when published in a popular publication.

Two notes:

1. We don't necessarily recommend exercising while in the sauna, especially kettle bell swing or other potentially intense workouts. A workout before, after, or in between sessions is great.

2. Sauna doesn't have to be a time of solitude. Yes, it is peaceful and relaxing, but something we often miss in our North American view of sauna is the great social time that can be had while in sauna. Share the sauna experience with family and friends.

Ben Greenfield writes:

I have a confession to make: I'm an addict.

Every morning I wipe the crust out of the corner of my eyes, suck down a giant cup of coffee, and then wander to my basement gym, where I commence to flip the power on my sauna. I step inside, and sweat hard and heavy for 15 to 30 minutes. Sometimes I do yoga, sometimes I do kettlebell swings, sometimes I simply stare at the wall and meditate, but always I feel pangs of guilt, desire and an intense urge to go sweat if I ever miss my daily sauna session.

On the rare morning that I can't find time to sauna, I carve out time in the afternoon or evening (usually after my workout, for reasons you're about to read).

It's been nearly 45 days since I've missed a single sauna session.

So yes, there, I admit it: I am a sauna addict. Knowing that I can venture downstairs and enter into a private chamber that gives my body a myriad of benefits simply makes a sauna sit a daily must for me.

Why the sauna? Am I a heat masochist? Addicted to sweating? An introverted loner who thrives on staring at wooden wall slats as my heart races faster and faster to rapidly pump blood through my body in desperate attempts to keep me cool?

Frankly, there are many reasons I "sauna". 10, in fact. In no particular order of importance here they are:

1. Heart Health and Longevity

A new report in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that regularly spending time in a sauna may help keep the heart healthy and extend life. Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland tracked 2,300 middle-aged men for an average of 20 years. The men spent an average of around 15 minutes per sauna visit, and over the course of the study, 49 percent of men who went to a sauna once a week died, compared with 38 percent of those who went two to three times a week and just 31 percent 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. Researchers reported that this was likely due to the decrease in blood pressure and an increase in blood vessel diameter that both infrared exposure and heat exposure can provide.

Having spent time last month in Finland sitting buck-naked in a traditional Finnish smoke sauna, surrounded by old guys who definitely seemed more ripped and vibrant than their fat Western counterparts, I can certainly attest to the fact that there's something special going on with this Finnish tradition.

2. Detoxification Of Chemicals And Heavy Metals

The skin is a major detox organ, and sweating through the skin is a critical human detox function, yet most people don't sweat regularly or enough. Think detoxing is a woo-woo, airy-fairy, pushing-giant-shopping-carts-full-of-kale-through-Whole-Foods myth? Think again. You may want to read this.

As you'll see if you read that article above, the body is very effective at eliminating toxins via the skin (and the liver, and the poo), but the skin side of things only really works if you make your body sweat. But many of us sit in air-conditioned indoor environments all day, and even gyms with temperature control can be a tough place to work up a serious sweat. So in these type of situations, you completely miss out on a major source of toxin elimination: the skin.

To combat these effects, a sauna can purify the body from the inside out, eliminating compounds such as PCB's, metals and toxins that are stored in fat cells, which can undergo lipolysis and release toxins upon exposure to infrared-based heat. Yep, you read that right: you are going to battle against and killing little screaming fat cells to death when you sweat in a sauna. They don't shrink: they die (especially when combined with niacin, which research has some interesting findings on and which I talk about in more detail here).

3. Athletic Recovery

Growth hormone is crucial for repair and recovery of muscles, and research has shown that two 20-minute sauna sessions separated by a 30-minute cooling period elevated growth hormone levels two-fold over baseline. Two 15-minute sauna sessions at an even warmer temperature separated by a 30-minute cooling period resulted in a five-fold increase in growth hormone.

Perhaps even more nifty is that repeated exposure to whole-body, intermittent hyperthermia through sauna use boosts growth hormone immediately afterward, and two one-hour sauna sessions for seven days has been shown to increase growth hormone by 16-fold. Yeah, that's right: you don't need to go buy fancy supplements or creams to increase growth hormone. You can just make your body hot instead and get a growth hormone increase

It is also important to note that when hyperthermia and exercise are combined, they induce a synergistic increase in growth hormone, which is why I do yoga, push-ups and squats in my infrared sauna. For an additional recovery benefit, sauna alsoincreases blood flow to the skeletal muscles, which helps to keep them fueled with glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, and oxygen, while removing by-products of metabolic processes such as lactic acid and calcium ions.

4. Arthritic and Muscular Pain Relief

In a report in The Annals of Clinical Research Volume 20, Dr. H. Isomäki discusses research results that show benefits of sauna for relief of pain and increased mobility. In the study, the pain relief induced by a sauna was attributed to an increase in the release of have anti-inflammatory compounds such as noradrenaline, adrenaline, cortisol and growth hormones, as well as an increase in positive stress on the body, causing it to releases natural pain-killing endorphins. More than 50 percent of participants reported temporary relief of pain and an increase in mobility, most likely due to the fact that tissues comprised of collagen, such as tendons, fascia, and joint articular capsules, become more flexible when exposed to increased temperatures.

Now here's the deal: I don't actually have arthritis. But I do have some pretty freaking gnarly joint pain the day after I've finished a typical workout of heavy squats, sandbag carries, kettlebell swings, hill sprints and tire flips. After my morning sauna session, things seem to melt away (caveat: I have not yet used myself as a N=1control study by sitting and staring at a wooden wall in normal, non-sauna temperatures, but I'm hazarding a guess it wouldn't work as well as a sauna, so I'll skip that study, because it sounds boring).

5. Muscle Gain and Fat Loss

Bigger biceps or a more toned butt by reading a magazine while sweating profusely? It could happen. Sauna conditioning can lend itself to promoting muscle growth and fat loss by improving insulin sensitivity and decreasing muscle protein catabolism. Intermittent hyperthermia has been shown to reduce insulin resistance in obese mice, and in this case insulin resistant diabetic mice were subjected to 30 minutes of heat treatment, three times a week for twelve weeks. The results were a 31 percent decrease in insulin levels and a significant reduction in blood glucose levels, both of which can contribute to an increase in muscle growth and an increase in weight control and fat loss.

It has also been shown that a 30-minute intermittent hyperthermic treatment can cause a significant expression of something called heat shock proteins in muscle, which is correlated with 30 percent more muscle regrowth than a control group during seven days subsequent to a week of immobilization. In other words, let's say you can't weight train, you've got a recovery day or you want to maintain muscle but you're injured. Based on the research cited above, via the use of a sauna instead, you can still maintain muscle.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this series, in which you're going to discover five more reasons I'm a sauna addict, and why you should be too. In the meantime, what are you waiting for? Find a sauna and get your sweat on!

Can a sauna increase the value of my home?

Contact SoCal Sauna at 951-741-1048 and please visit our website at www.socalsauna.com for a NO COST consultation to make sure you get the right sauna!

Does a sauna add value to my home?

As with so many home improvements, the answer to the above question is, ‘Well, that depends.”

Saunas are certainly very popular and rightly so. A sauna will help you relax; it can be part of your healthy lifestyle or social whirl. Saunas are generally good to look at and cheap to run. They need very little maintenance and yes, they carry with them a certain European cache that most people find attractive.

There is certainly something very appealing about having a sauna in your own home.

Having said that, they are also rather personal and your ‘perfect sauna’ may not appeal to everyone.

Location, location, location.

There is a classic estate agents rule of thumb that you cannot improve any properties value significantly above the ceiling of its particular area. That means, country estate or terraced cottage, there will be a maximum price that anyone is prepared to pay for a house in that particular location and no matter how many luxurious home improvements you put in, you’ll never get above that price.

The other aspect of the location question is, where in your house have you put your sauna?

For instance, you might think that tucking a sauna away in the cupboard under the stairs was a neat and clever plan. For a lot of people, it might be a little off-putting.

If your sauna fits comfortably and elegantly into your home, and your house looks like the type of place that could or should have a sauna then it will certainly be an asset in getting people interested in your property.

Adding value.

One thing to remember about saunas is that they need not be that expensive and they are reasonably quick and easy to fit. One of the reasons that bathrooms and kitchens are so important to selling a house is that they are expensive to replace and almost more importantly, the trauma and upheaval of having them replaced or refurbished is something that everyone is keen to avoid. So they pay the premium not to have to do just that.

If you are thinking of installing a sauna in your home then obviously the better thought out and designed it is and the better quality it is then the more impact it might have on your property price.

Perhaps more importantly it will add value to your home while you are still living there. Your sauna is a perfect way to relax at the end of a hard day, a perfect setting for weekend socialising with friends or family and one of the best ways there is of feeling truly clean and healthy in the midst of this hectic, bustling world.

Sauna Health and Wellness

Contact SoCal Sauna at 951-741-1048 and please visit our website at www.socalsauna.com for a NO COST consultation to make sure you get the right sauna!  

Health and Wellness

Much has been made of the health benefits of sauna bathing. With good reason. Physically, nothing is more reinvigorating than a deep, healthy sweat every day. Tension fades. Muscles unwind. Mentally, we emerge relaxed, revived and ready for whatever the day may bring.

A few minutes a day is all it takes to look and feel better. The body’s response to gentle, persistent heat is well-documented and proven day in and out by people all over the world. Which is why more and more doctors are recommending its purifying benefits.

 

1. Saunas relieve stress.

Not surprisingly, sauna bathers most frequently cite stress reduction as the number one benefit of sauna use. Medical studies often determine that stress in our daily lives can negatively affect our health. In fact, the vast majority of disease (i.e. heart disease) is at least partially stress-related. Heat bathing in a sauna provides stress relief in a number of ways. It’s a warm, quiet space without any distractions coming from the outside. As we like to say, "Step into a Finnleo sauna, and close the door on the rest of the world." The heat from the sauna relaxes the body's muscles, improves circulation and stimulates the release of endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s all-natural "feel good" chemical, and their release provides a truly wonderful "after sauna glow.”.

2. Saunas relax muscles and soothe aches/pains in both muscles and joints.

Under the high heat provided by a sauna, the body releases endorphins (see health and wellness benefit #1). Endorphins can have a mild, enjoyable "tranquilizing effect" and the ability to minimize the pain of arthritis and muscle soreness other from, say, an intense physical workout. Body temperature also rises from the heat of the sauna.. This causes blood vessels to dilate, therefore increasing blood circulation. This increased blood flow in turn speeds up the body’s natural healing process via soothing aches and pains and/or speeding up of the healing of minor bruises or cuts. After participating in physical sports, use the heat and/or steam of a sauna to promote muscle relaxation by helping to reduce muscle tension and eliminate lactic acid and/or other toxins that may be present.

3. Saunas flush toxins.

Many - if not most - of us do not actively sweat on a daily basis. Deep sweating, however, has multiple proven health benefits. Benefits derived from a deep sweat can be achieved via regular sauna bathing.Due to the heat of a sauna, the core body temperature begins to rise. The blood vessels then dilate, causing increased blood flow (see above). As heat from the blood begins to move toward the skin's surface, the body’s nervous system then sends signals to the millions of sweat glands that cover the human body. As the sweat glands become stimulated, they produce sweat. Sweat production is primarily designed to cool the body, and is composed of 99% water. However, deep sweating in a sauna can help reduce levels of lead, copper, zinc, nickel, mercury and chemical - which are all toxins commonly absorbed just from interacting with our daily environments.There is no shortage of books from Doctors and practitioners, who describe the benefits of detoxifying our bodies regularly. As many doctors will agree, a big reason for the popularity of saunas is that they are one of the best ways to detoxify our bodies.

4. Sauna cleanses the skin.

Heat bathing is one of the oldest beauty and/or health strategies in terms of cleansing one's skin. When the body begins to produce sweat via deep sweating, the skin is then cleansed and dead skin cells are replaced - keeping your skin in good working condition.Sweating rinses bacteria out of the epidermal layer and sweat ducts. Cleansing of the pores has been shown to improve the capillary circulation, while giving the skin a softer-looking quality. Dr. Ben H Douglas, a professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and author of "Ageless: Living Younger Longer,” attests that "Sweating is a way of energizing the skin almost the way exercising a muscle energizes it.” He goes on to explain that, when you sweat, the rush of fluid to the skin "bathes skin cells with a liquid rich in nutrients,” which "fills in the spaces around the cells” and even "plumps up" tiny wrinkles. He also mentions that the nutrients and minerals in sweat "are essential to maintaining the collagen structure of the skin.” Bathing skin in sweat on a fairly regular basis, therefore deters collagen breakdown that can ultimately result in wrinkles and sags. By continually flushing body waste through individual cells, one eventually brings back vitality, tone and a healthy glow to the skin. Sauna usage is certainly not a cure for acne, but it can very often help - due to the deep cleansing it provides from a deep sweat (that is, cleaning the pores from the very inside out - instead of just cleaning the top of the skin).

5. Saunas can induce a deeper sleep.

Research has shown that a deeper, more relaxed sleep can result from sauna use. In addition to the release of endorphins (see above), body temperatures, which become elevated in the late evening,fall at bedtime. This slow, relaxing decline in endorphins is key in facilitating sleep. Numerous sauna bathers worldwide recall the deep sleep experiences that they feel after bathing the the calming heat of a sauna.

6. Saunas bring about recreational and social benefits.

While the social benefit is rarely talked about, it's really actually quite important. The sauna can be a private, personal area of relaxation and solitude. However, it can just as easily be a relaxing environment for socializing with family, friends and soon-to-be friends. The sauna room environment is conducive to open, intimate and quiet conversation.

7. Saunas improve cardiovascular performance.

In the high temperatures of a traditional or infrared sauna, skin heats up and core body temperature rises.In response to these increase heat levels, the blood vessels near the skin dilate and "cardiac output" increases. Medical research has told us that the heart rate can rise from 60-70 bpm (beats per minute) to 110-120 bpm in the sauna (140-150 with more intensive bathing), and can often sink to below normal after the cooling off stage. With regular sauna useage, we not only train our heart muscles and improve the heart rate/cardiac output, but we also help the body's regulatory system.Even more cardiovascular conditioning takes place when the sauna bathing is taken in multiple "innings”, with sessions in the sauna separated by a cool shower or a quick dip into a cool pool or lake. Each time you rapidly change temperature (from hot to cool or vice-versa), your heart rate increases by as much as 60%, which is very comparable to the increase experienced during moderate exercise..

8. Saunas burn calories.

Outlandish claims are often made by some sauna sellers (primarily those who sell infrared saunas) to promote saunas as an end-all weight loss tool. While some individuals may experience high amounts of calorie burn at first - particularly those individuals in poor shape to begin with - over the long term, saunas are simply treated as one of many tools in our arsenal when it comes to burn additional calories.The sweating process itself requires a notable amount of energy. That energy is derived from the conversion of fat and carbohydrates in a bodily process that burns up calories. According to U.S. Army medical research (Ward Dean, M.D.), "A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 grams in a sauna in a single session, consuming nearly 300 calories in the process.”The body consumes said calories due to the acceleration of heart activity (the cardiovascular section). As heart activity increases and as these processes demand more oxygen, the body begins to convert more calories into usable energy.

9. Saunas can help fight illness.

German sauna medical research shows that saunas were able to significantly reduce the incidences of colds and influenza amongst participants. As the body is exposed to the heat of a sauna and steam (in the case of traditional saunas), it produces white blood cells more rapidly, which in turn helps to fight illnesses and helps to kill viruses.In addition, saunas can relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of sinus congestion from from colds or allergies - especially when used with steam (tip: add eucalyptus to the water for added benefit and overall enjoyment). The steam vapor action helps to clear up unwanted congestion and is a wonderful aspect of the Finnish sauna experience.

10. Saunas just feel good.

A sauna not only feels good, it’s good for your body. Whether it’s the physiological changes that occur during the warmth of a sauna, or if it’s simply the time spent in the calming and still retreat of the sauna, every seasoned sauna bather agrees - it feels wonderful! As we progress through our stressful everyday lives, the sauna provides a pampering retreat - where we can relax and restore body and soul. Sauna bathing truly makes you "Feel Better”, "Look Better” and "Sleep Better”!

The Benefits of Adding an In-Home Sauna!

Contact SoCal Sauna at 951-741-1048 and please visit our website at www.socalsauna.com for a NO COST consultation to make sure you get the right sauna!  

SoCal Sauna

By John Donegan
Unless you’re from Finland, where there are more saunas than cars, you may have never considered adding a sauna to your home. Although it’s a significant expenditure, once constructed, a sauna adds value to the home, requires very little upkeep and can provide a great deal of health benefits.
Whether you purchase a pre-cut sauna package or a pre-built, free-standing sauna, your sauna will take up a lot of space in your home. At-home saunas are generally anywhere from 3×4 feet to 8×10 feet, so in all likelihood, you will have to relocate some of your furniture to an attic, basement or storage unit. When choosing a location for your sauna, make sure there is a waterproof floor and access to a 220- to 240-volt electrical hookup for the heater. Also, you may want to place your at-home sauna near a shower for convenience.
Unlike swimming pools and hot tubs, saunas rarely require maintenance. Aside from periodically cleaning the floor, you can leave saunas alone entirely. All types of sauna heaters – electric, gas and wood – have few moving parts and rarely break down.

Benefits

• Help rid the body of toxins. Saunas are a great way to naturally expel impurities. While taking a sauna, the body sweats out harmful toxins, such as nicotine, lead and mercury.
• Soothe sore muscles. Saunas temporarily relax muscles and relieve arthritic pain.
• Reduce stress. Saunas cause your body to release endorphins, which help reduce stress and increase your energy level.
• Help to maintain healthy skin. Saunas open skin pores, relax facial tension and promote cellular growth by bringing nutrients to the epidermis.
• Improve circulation. Sauna heat brings blood closer to the skin and increases blood flow to the body’s extremities.
• Increase metabolic rate. With regular sauna use, you burn hundreds of calories per session and can increase your metabolic rate over time. However, this doesn’t mean saunas are a good dietary supplement. Nearly all weight lost in the sauna is water weight, which quickly comes back.
• Relieve sinus congestion. Saunas offer temporary relief from symptoms of the common cold, including sinus congestion and throat ailments.

 

Conventional saunas vs. infrared cabins

Regardless of the type of heat source, conventional sauna temperatures range from 150 degrees to 194 degrees Fahrenheit. Pouring ladles of water over the rocks produces steam, which raises the overall temperature but lowers humidity, making the heat tolerable. If you have a low tolerance to heat, you could consider an infrared alternative. Unlike conventional saunas, which use wood, gas or electric stoves, infrared cabins use radiation to heat the skin and can do so while keeping the air temperature as low as 70 degrees. Although technically not saunas per se, infrared cabins produce the same amount of sweat, though they usually do so quicker and at lower temperatures.

Precautions

• Be sure not to stay in saunas too long, as this can cause dehydration and heat stroke.
• Properly hydrate before using the sauna, especially if you live in a dry climate (say, Las Vegas).
• Don’t use your sauna under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• If you have heart disease or abnormal blood pressure, saunas can potentially be dangerous.
• Pregnant women should consult their physician before using saunas.
• Children under the age of 5 should not use saunas.