And why would I offer and take advantage of such a loophole? Wouldn’t it be better to exercise for a full hour rather than substituting 30 minutes of laying around being hot for half of my exercise time?Well read on…
Sauna therapy is an ancient method of detoxifying and healing the body, mind, and spirit.
When it comes to sauna benefits, they stem from a sauna’s ability to help your body detox. Yes, a relaxing sauna can help you remove more toxins than almost any other mode of detoxification.
Our bodies are built to detox to a certain extent on their own. However, because we are exposed to so many more toxins today than ever before in human history, and because most of us do not labor full time out in the elements each day resulting in lots of sweat, it’s important for us to practice simple detox measures regularly.
I love saunas because of the amazing benefits! They also activate our greatest detox organ… OUR SKIN!
Saunas are nothing new
Throughout history, humans have used sauna therapy as a safe and powerful means of detoxification. Examples include Native American sweat lodges and Finnish wood-fired saunas, where saunas have been in use for over 2,000 years.
Sauna health benefits are amazing. Here’s are ten of the biggies.
Sauna Benefits #1 – Extreme stress reduction
Saunas are huge stress fighters. Thanks to sugar, caffeine, lack of sleep, stressed adrenals, and toxic chemical exposure, many of us are stuck in the sympathetic or “fight or flight” state. Saunas encourage our bodies to go into the parasympathetic state, which allows us to de-stress, digest, rest, and heal.
Sauna Benefits #2 – Balance hormones
Stress reduction helps to lower stress hormones (cortisol). When cortisol is kept in balance, thyroid, insulin, DHEA, testosterone, and estrogen are also kept in balance. In fact, progesterone levels can increase if we keep our cortisol in healthy range. Saunas help the adrenals secrete aldosterone, which helps keep electrolytes in balance too.
Sauna Benefits #3 – Get superpowers!
Saunas can make it seem like you’ve acquired super healing strength. A number of studies show that saunas can significantly improve tissue and wound healing.
One study found that mice who were blinded by chemicals had their eyesight damage completely reversed because of NIR therapy. Finnish and German studies show that saunas can reduce the incidence of cold and flu by about 30%.
Sauna Benefits #4 – Fountain of youth
Saunas can help reduce signs of aging and help your skin be healthier and younger looking. The heat stimulates collagen and elastin production. Collagen and elastin help plump and firm the skin which can also help alleviate stretch marks and cellulite.
Deep sweating can also help improve skin cell turnover. It can remove bacteria from the skin, which helps with acne and improves skin health. Additionally, saunas are shown to reduce inflammation, which can alleviate skin issues such as psoriasis and eczema.
Sauna Benefits #5 – Lose weight effortlessly
Saunas can help with weight loss. Saunas can increase heart rate while lowering blood pressure and increasing oxygenation and metabolic rate. These physiological affects are incredibly similar to cardio exercise!
A study involving a group of women riding stationary bicycles demonstrated a 444% increase in weight loss for the group exposed to sauna when compared to the exercise only group. Sauna heat can burn more than 600 calories in a 30 minute session! (That’s my kind of exercise.)
Saunas can also help with weight loss by stimulating human growth hormone which helps keep us young and fit.
Sauna Benefits #6 – Improve circulation and oxygenation
When you sit in a hot sauna, your body temperature begins to rise. This causes your blood vessels to dilate, which increases blood flow and overall circulation. Blood brings nutrients and oxygen to all body tissues and help them heal. Studies show that infrared therapy recharges mitochondria, so it’s reaching us at a cellular level and is a great practice for increasing energy and stamina.
Sauna Benefits #7 – Avoid heart disease
We already know that saunas reduce blood pressure, increase oxygenation and circulation, all of which support heart health. Studies show saunas are less likely than exercise itself to cause cardiac episodes in men who have underlying heart conditions. However, saunas are just as effective at increasing cardiac output (exercising the heart) as exercise, making them a great alternative for those with some heart conditions that make exercise potentially dangerous.
Sauna Benefits #8 – Helps with medical conditions
Saunas have been shown to be useful in alleviating symptoms associated with depression, autoimmune disease, and chronic pain and fatigue. It helps with chronic tension headaches. Sauna therapy reduced pain and fatigue associated with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
Sauna therapy has even been used to support various cancer treatments. It is known that high temperatures can kill cancer cells, usually without hurting normal cells and body tissue.
Sauna therapy can inhibit the growth of solid tumor cells. One study showed that the use of hyperthermia alone resulted in complete overall response rates of 13%. Using hyperthermia, in addition to other treatment modalities, has shown significant improvement in tumors of the head, neck, breast, brain, bladder, cervix, rectum, lung, esophagus, vulva and vagina, and also for melanoma.
Sauna Benefits #9 – Removes heavy metals & chemicals
Many toxins seem to prefer to dump into sweat versus blood or urine. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury have been shown in studies to be excreted through the skin as well or better than they are excreted in urine.
Furthermore, a Canadian study found that the concentration of phytates (chemicals in toys, fragrances, cosmetics, etc) was twice as high in sweat than in urine or blood.
Another study found BPA in 80% of the subjects’ sweat, while finding no detectable levels in their blood or urine. This seems to point to sweat being the best method for excreting the toxin.
Sauna Benefits #10 – Protect Your Brain
A recent study conducted by researchers in Finland — a country where it’s not unusual for a home have a sauna — found that men who used a sauna four to seven times a week for an average length of 15 minutes had a 66 percent lower risk of developing dementia, and 65 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s, compared to men who used the sauna only once a week. WOWZERS!
Sauna Benefits BONUS – Live to 100
And finally, one huge, landmark study found that the more men used their sauna, the lower the risk for sudden cardiac arrest, fatal cardiovascular disease, fatal coronary heart disease, and ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY. Basically, the more you sauna, the longer you’re gonna live.
“Can’t I just work out hard and reap all the benefits of sweating?”
While exercise is certainly good for you, it has different benefits than sauna sweating. During aerobic exercise, your heart rate is increased but the blood flow to vital organs is lowered. A sauna increases heart rate and blood flow to vital organs, allowing for the excretion of toxins from those organs.
So if I could have my wish it would be that for this week’s challenge you could each partake of 30 minutes of sauna use as part of your daily exercise time. But I realize you don’t all have access to saunas.
So I apologize for this super long blog but let me share another way you can foster heat shock proteins.
It may sound unpleasant, but along with sauna use a cold shower can also actually benefit both the body and the mind.
For most of human history, people were exposed to very cold temperatures, whether they wanted to be or not. Extreme cold is one form of stress that causes our bodies to briefly go into a “fight or flight response” and then adapt in order to be able to handle the same stressor more effectively in the future.
Today, Wim Hof, nicknamed the “Iceman,” is one of many health influencers who recommends regularly exposing yourself to icy, cold temps. (One of my new favorite shows is Wim Hof's Freeze the Fear on Youtube)
A cold shower is considered showering with water that is roughly about 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit or as cold as you have available when you turn your shower all the way down.
Some swear that taking cold showers gives them an advantage when it comes to handling stress and improving their confidence. The idea is that by willingly allowing yourself to feel uncomfortable for a brief period of time, you might not only give your immune system a boost, but you may also cultivate more willpower and “mental toughness” in the process.
Studies tell us that there are in fact some impressive cold shower benefits — which may include increasing alertness, productivity and recovery from exercise.
Cold Shower Benefits
Exposure to cold causes our bodies to release a rush of “stress hormones,” including cortisol, norepinephrine and adrenaline. This leads to a shutdown of nonessential bodily functions, which include inflammatory responses, among others.
High release of stress hormones may sound bad, but when it happens briefly and then you give yourself time to recover, it’s actually very beneficial — much like with exercise, fasting and other “good stressors.” That’s why there are several cold shower benefits.
Studies have found that health benefits of cold showers can include:
1. Improved Mental Clarity and Alertness
When it comes to mental health, why are cold showers good for you? One of the most compelling reasons to give cold showers a try is due to their ability to immediately wake you up.
Studies have demonstrated that showering in nearly freezing temps causes an increase in perceived energy levels, focus/concentration, productivity and mental/cognitive performance. Some even describe the uplifting effects of cold exposure as being on par with drinking a cup or two of coffee.
2. Reduced Inflammation and Improved Circulation
Exposure to cold is considered a form of hormesis, a phenomenon in which low exposure to “hormetic stressors” actually causes beneficial changes in how your body works.
The same thing happens when you exercise — hormesis causes the body to learn to adapt to stress and to grow back stronger. In the case of being submerged in frigid temperatures, your body reacts by improving cardiovascular, cognitive and musculoskeletal functions.
Researchers believe that cold showers work to improve general health due to a reduction in muscle soreness and inflammation, along with improved muscle recovery, and cardiovascular function following exercise.
The anti-inflammatory effects of cold exposure are due to mechanisms including increased heart rate, blood flow and oxygen uptake.
Research suggests there are also certain cold showers benefits for your immune system, since cold exposure can increase white blood cell production. One study found that adults who regularly showered in the cold for 30 days experienced a 29 percent reduction in sickness and absence from work compared to a control group.
Further research is currently underway to determine if cold showers can help countries potentially decrease costs associated with employees’ illness days and if it can boost subjective well-being.
3. Help With Exercise Recovery
Healthy circulation is essential for helping muscles and other tissues properly repair, which means you may notice you’re able to bounce back better after tough workouts if you engage in cold showers.
One study found that cyclists were better able to recover from high intensity interval training if they took 15-minute showers in in water that was 59 degrees F (or 15 C) following exercise. Researchers believe this is due to the cold’s beneficial cardiovascular and hormonal effects, including lowering cortisol levels.
4. Lifted Mood and Confidence
It takes guts and grit to plunge into cold water, and many find that although it might feel unpleasant, it actually puts them in a better mood afterward.
By overcoming your fear of being uncomfortable and facing acute stress head on (in the form of the freezing cold), you can learn to better handle the physiological symptoms that your body experiences when you’re stressed or scared, such as racing thoughts, fast breathing and shaking.
Some research suggests that cold therapy can improve people’s moods and even benefit those suffering from depression, anxiety and panic attacks.
In addition to releasing endorphins and other chemicals that make you feel more alert and excited, another mechanism by which cold showers work for boosting your mood is by increasing electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings in the brain, which seems to have some antidepressant effects.
5. Enhanced Skin and Hair Health
One study focused on the health benefits for the skin after showing in the cold. Researchers found that this habit can help reduce skin dryness, inflammation and itching.
Resisting the urge to crank the heat up when you shower can prevent skin and hair from losing lots of moisture and appearing irritated or dull. That’s because the cold constricts small blood vessels, causing pores to look tighter and less inflamed (although you may initially turn red after becoming very cold).
6. Can Help Support a Healthy Metabolism
While it’s unlikely to cause substantial weight loss without being combined with other lifestyle changes, exposure to the cold may also help with weight loss.
Studies have found that being cold activates brown adipose tissue (brown fat), which burns more energy in order to warm the body. This uses calories and may help give your metabolism a boost.
Showering in the cold may be able to help with maintenance of healthy blood sugar levels and reduce the risk for obesity.
7. May Help Improve Sleep Quality
We know that body temperature plays a role in preparing our bodies for sleep and regulating our sleep-wake cycles. Our internal body temperature drops before we go to sleep, so by using the cold temperature to lower your temp at night, you may be able to drift off more easily.
Scientists believe that exposure to cold at night can help promote natural temperature regulation processes, possibly even better than hot showers can. So while hot showers are relaxing and reduce muscle tension, we may start seeing cold ones recommended more for those dealing with insomnia.
Methods/When to Take Cold Showers
A great way to get yourself into the habit of withstanding, and even enjoying, cold showers is to do a “30-day cold shower challenge.” Start with brief exposure times, and keep increasing, eventually working up to a full minute or more.
How long should you take a cold shower?
Aim to start with a very brief cold exposure period, increasing gradually as you get accustomed to the feeling of the freezing cold. Here are some tips for getting started and methods to experiment with:
- Begin with just about 30 seconds. You may want to start by standing in comfortably warm water and then gradually lowering the temp until it’s very cold (this is the method I’m trying)
- As you get used to withstanding the effects of the cold, increase the time you continuously stay in the cold water, up to two to three minutes or even more if you’re capable.
- Another method is the “contrast shower,” which is a technique that involves alternating between cold and hot water. You can do this by going back and forth between one minute of very cold water, followed by one minute of recovery in a warm/hot temp, and so on. Complete the cycle about three to seven times. (Total time will be somewhere around 10 minutes.) This alternation will help open up your blood vessels and get blood pumping throughout your body.
- As far as where to aim the water, you can either stand directly under the shower head or direct the water to specific parts of the body and muscles that are inflamed or tight. You may experience the most benefits and biggest “rush” if you allow the water to hit many different parts of your body, especially your head, neck, shoulders and back.
- While standing in the cold, remember to keep breathing. You might find that you gasp for air in reaction to the cold, but try to purposefully keep taking steady, deep breaths. To further boost the mental benefits of the shower, you can pause between breaths after exhaling, then take a deep breath in as you count to five.
- It’s a good idea to finish with warm water in order to make the experience seem enjoyable, which makes it more likely you’ll stick with it.
That being said, it’s probably best to avoid very cold showers if you’re dealing with certain health problems, such as:
- The flu or a cold
- Having a sensitive heart or respiratory issue that causes trouble breathing/gasping for air (speak with your doctor first)
- Pregnancy
- So finally after this boat load of information what is the challenge? To use heat or cold this week to bless your health. While I partake in 30 minute sauna sessions almost every day you might only be able to handle 10-15 minutes to begin. So if you have sauna access try some sauna time (as part of your hour of daily exercise) OR if you don’t have sauna access or just prefer the cold challenge begin with brief periods of about 30 seconds of cold water as part of your daily showers every day this week, and then try to work your way up to three minutes or more of continuous cold or you can also try alternating between hot and cold for about 10 minutes. So for every day you make a valiant attempt to use hot or cold to bless your health you will earn 5 points toward our weekly challenge of 35 possible points.
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