Sauna and Health
by Gail Templer
http://www.saunay.com
Until recently, when sauna became popular in many countries
of the world, sauna has been a national pride and necessity
only in Finland. But times are changing and in the last
years sauna became an obsession in many countries, including
the hot ones.
The reasons sauna to become so famous internationally are
that if one is healthy, sauna is a nice addition to one's
sports and fitness program and at the same time it is a kind
of an entertainment. However, knowing some basic concepts
about sauna is useful, if one wants to enjoy sauna in a
healthy way.
First, there are times when going to the sauna is absolutely
forbidden. For instance very young children must not be
taken to the sauna, although for most Finnish the first
visit to the sauna was before they were two years old. Young
children have not developed a fully functional temperature
control and might not be able to give the right signal when
they feel really uncomfortably.
Since 60 to 100 C is the normal sauna temperature, pregnant
women should also refrain from going to the sauna because
such a high temperature increases the risk of malformations
in the baby. There is some evidence that high temperatures
have a negative effect on male fertility as well because the
testicles require lower body temperature than the rest of
the body.
Probably the main undisputed advantage of saunas is their
purifying effect. The heat opens the skin pores and sweating
helps us to get rid of the toxins in our body. After you
finish, wash your body to remove the sweat and then you are
cleansed.
Although sweating is detoxifying, be careful how much body
liquid you lose because your body might get dehydrated!
Having a cup of coffee or some juice (during or after the
sauna) prevents you from dehydration. Some people even
recommend a bottle of beer but generally alcohol is not
advisable to be taken while in the sauna.
Sweating is believed to have another positive effect - it
helps to lose weight. Well, the truth is different. If you
sweat during jogging in the park, you do lose weight, but by
sweating while sitting in the sauna or the steam bath you
only lose body liquid, not fats.
After a visit to the sauna you might weigh less, but this is
not due to the slimming effect of sauna. Rather it is the
weight of the litters of sweat you left in the sauna, which
you will compensate for in the next couple of hours, when
you intake some liquid. Your organism will demand its normal
balance of liquids to be restored.
If you have low blood pressure, be careful when going to the
sauna. The heat in the sauna makes the skin capillaries
widen, which additionally decreases the blood pressure. The
solution is to start slowly and to see if you feel
comfortably in the sauna. Do not strain your body and wait
till the moment you faint.
Be careful because blood pressure increases after the sauna,
when you have a cold shower or decide to swim in the ice-
cold water outside. If one is healthy, those striking
temperature changes are not so risky but if your heart is
ill, it is your doctor, not you, who can judge if sauna is
the right activity for you.
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