Posted by Eileen Durfee on 11th Jan 2021

Know 7 Reasons to Use a Sauna This Winter - Creatrix Solutions

In the United States, adults experience an average of 2 to 4 colds a year. Children are even more susceptible with an average of six to ten colds.

That means every year there are over a billion colds affecting people in the United States. To say that colds are common is an understatement.

Have you ever wondered, “Does a sauna help a cold?”

Studies have been done about sauna's effectiveness in treating and preventing various illnesses. Using a sauna while sick does have an effect on our bodies. Using a sauna while suffering from a cold offers relief of symptoms, but it isn’t the only reason to use a sauna this winter.

Saunas Help Relieve Congestion

Whether it is from a cold or not, saunas help relieve nasal congestion.

This is true whether you have allergies, the flu, or the common cold. The hot, dry air helps alleviate congestion. This can be especially good for people who suffer from chronic congestion.

While many claim that it is sweating that helps, studies have shown this isn’t the case. It is the environment created in the sauna that is most beneficial.

While exercising can offer relief as well, it doesn’t work nearly as well at knocking out congestion as a sauna.

Saunas Help Improve Cardiovascular Function

Using a sauna more than once a week can have a surprising health benefit. Using a sauna forces the blood away from your internal organs and to the skin. The body does this as a means of cooling your skin.

Studies in Japan have found that daily use of a sauna helps improve blood circulation. This can help extend a healthier life for anyone. If a person has had damage to their heart, the effect is even more pronounced.

Saunas Can Help Prevent Colds

A sauna can’t magically defeat a cold.

However, it can relieve the primary symptoms of a cold, like congestion. While you won’t suffer as much, the cold will be there for 7 to 10 days on average. What a sauna can do is help prevent colds.

Regular use of a sauna helps prevent colds from happening. This is a startling discovery and one that makes their use very helpful. With so many days of work and school lost because of colds, using a sauna can make a huge impact.

Saunas Can Help Those Who Suffer from Asthma

Asthmatics who regularly use saunas experience less wheezing and trouble breathing. The soothing effect of warm, dry air is the primary reason for this. Because blood is pulled away from the internal organs, the risk of swelling due to inflammation lessens as well.

Using your inhaler less will help you save money. It also helps expose your body to less of the high-powered steroids in many inhalers. While nothing will replace an inhaler for an asthmatic, using a sauna will help those with acute asthma live a more comfortable life.

Saunas Are Good for Cleaning Your Skin

In Finland, saunas became popular thousands of years ago. One primary purpose of early saunas for the nomadic peoples of Finland was cleanliness.

Removing dead skin and contaminants trapped in it is the primary benefit. If you have ever been in a sauna for a while and rubbed your skin you will be familiar with this. Using a sauna regularly can keep your skin clear of chemicals and other contaminants which can cause irritation and illness.

Saunas Increase Body Temperature

The rise in body temperature from a sauna has benefits similar to that of having a fever. For example, when you have a fever, it indicates your body is in the process of fighting off an infection. Microbes that cause illness tend to thrive at the body’s regular temperature, but an elevated temperature prevents them from being able to reproduce. This is an added benefit of the higher body temperature that results from a healing sauna.

Regular sauna use, with the consistent raising of the core body temperature, is excellent at killing microbes and preventing infection. It is also beneficial to shower with cold water immediately after a sauna to rinse off any toxins from the skin.

Saunas Are Good for Recovering from a Hard Workout

If you work out or run a lot, then a sauna will help you recover. Exposing your muscles and joints to the elevated temperatures in a sauna will soothe them. Much in the same way that a hot shower can help, a sauna will speed up your recovery.

The more hard, physical exercise you engage in, the greater the benefits. That doesn’t mean that you need to wait until you are exhausted to use a sauna though. Regular use of a sauna may even help you prevent damage to your muscles from exertion.

Saunas Can Help You Lose Weight

While a sauna won’t make you skinny by itself, it will help.

The act of cooling the body requires a good amount of energy expenditure. This will cause your body to burn up calories at an accelerated rate. You can expect to see more benefit from this at first.

Keeping a healthy weight is key to long term health. Using a sauna to supplement your weight loss strategy is a great idea. The more out of shape you are, the better using a sauna will help you at first.

Does a Sauna Help a Cold?

The answer to this question, then, is yes. In addition to all the wonderful health benefits, it does help relieve the symptoms of a cold.

While a sauna is not a magical device, it will improve your health. Regular use, at least 4-7 times a week, is especially helpful. Not just with your cold, but with all aspects of your well-being.

Be Safe When Using a Sauna

As with anything you use for your health, make sure to be safe. Incorrectly using a sauna can actually do more harm than good. Make sure that when you use a sauna you are using it correctly.

Saunas and You

Saunas are a great tool to help improve your health and life in general. They are not only healthy, but also can be a lot of fun.

Whether you need to destress or fight off the symptoms of the flu, a sauna can help. With so many health benefits associated with saunas, you won’t only be asking does a sauna help with colds, you’ll be asking if there’s anything a sauna doesn’t help with. There are so many health benefits that if you want to feel better about yourself and life, you need to get in a sauna.

Browse around our site and consider buying a sauna from Creatrix Solutions to heal your body and eliminate toxins.

This article is republished from the original at Go Healthy Next.