What does the Sauna do?

[Rick_Trahan]

Can someone list me the pro's of going into the sauna.
I know you can lose water weight, clear up your skin and be a place where you can just relax... but does it do anything for muscle growth/hardening???

[chris-warrick]

I would like to know too. I read somewhere that if you sit in the sauna for 10 to 15 minutes after you workout, the muscles that had been worked will grow a little faster. I guess it may be cause the lactic acid is being removed. Not sure. I know my muscles are not as sore the next day when i get to sit in there. Im wondering if its beneficial as well though?

[naturalbrawn]

It makes you sweat.

So whatever the benefits of sweating are is what it does.

[PoundingTheRock]

Good question...

Also.

What is the difference between the sauna and the steamroom?

Anyone know?

[pologod05]

aside from make you sweat, very little. it will increase blood flow so it can help you relax after a workout and it can help prevent some muscle soreness(so ive heard) but other than that, nothing.

as for the difference between a sauna and a steam room, i think they are the same.

[DubyaAye]

Good question...

Also.

What is the difference between the sauna and the steamroom?

Anyone know?

i think they're pretty much the same but the steam room gets a lot more wetter.

[BrianBear]

About as much as baking in the sun dose.

Might lose a little water weight from sweeting but the actually energy you burn regulating body temperature is probably is probably worth a few peanuts.

[EazyE15]

About as much as baking in the sun dose.

Might lose a little water weight from sweeting but the actually energy you burn regulating body temperature is probably is probably worth a few peanuts.

I thought you only burn extra calories when you are cold, and your body burns energy to maintain a proper temperature. In the form of shivvering, you dont have any uncontrollable movements when you are overheating, just sweat but i dont think that burns extra calories.

I shivvered badly yesterday. It was cold in our house and i only had a t shirt on and trousers, i drank 2 litres of cold water in 15 minutes and was shivvering for about an hour. Only cold water has a negative calorie effect, if you are cold anyway.

[Abc^^]

Sauna may provide some relief to patients with asthma and chronic bronchitis, and may also alleviate pain and improve joint mobility in patients with rheumatic disease. The sauna does not cause drying of the skin, and may even benefit patients with psoriasis, although sweating may increase itching in patients with atopic dermatitis. Contraindications to sauna include unstable angina pectoris, recent myocardial infarction, and severe aortic stenosis. Sauna is safe, however, for most people with stable coronary heart disease. It is not harmful to the aged or young even infants over 3 months in moderation and does not effect wound healing. Sauna can help prevent the common cold, it increases performance in endurance sport, increases plasma volume and red cell volume in athletes, decreased systolic blood pressure, significantly improved exercise tolerance, increased peak respiratory oxygen uptake, and enhanced anaerobic threshold in chronic conditions. Sauna may reduce chronic pain more effectively than cognitive behaviour therapy. It is indicated for rheumatic pain (with cold shower) but not for neuropathic pain. Is effective for appetite loss and mild depression. Indicated in reducing symptoms in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis, and indicated for anorexia nervosa. Sauna improves function in conditions such as, congestive heart failure, and high blood pressure, improves vasodilation, improves heart arrhythmia, and reduces heart rate on exercise. Sauna has been proposed for treatment of other conditions such as, glaucoma, Sjogren syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, anorexia nervosa, obstructive lung disease, recuperation after childbirth, and also for lifestyle related diseases of, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis and smoking induced symptoms. Therapeutic sauna adaptation improves neuroendocrine and immune function with increases in cortisol, DHEAS, and lower cytokines. Women show higher neuroendocrine response than men. Sauna has also been found to reduce sympathetic activity, stress hormones adrenalin and noradrenalin and to trigger a well defined neuro-endocrine reaction which includes raising the hormones found low in CFS and some other chronic conditions (ACTH, cortisol and beta endorphin), interestingly cortisol remained elevated after other hormones had returned to prior levels. Other conditions with low cortisol include fibromyalgia, PTSD, inflammatory bowel diseases. Sauna has been found to increase the hormone testosterone in men. Sauna also found to reduce prostaglandin F2alpha and protect against oxidative stress. It enhances activation of monocytes to bacteria and endotoxins. Other benefits of saunas; It has shown that regular saunas combined with exercise therapy can efficiently clear organic chemicals, solvents, drugs, pharmaceuticals even PCBs and heavy metals from the body. Such environmental toxins increase allostatic load on the body. In addition a sauna followed by a cold shower has been shown to reduce pain in rheumatoid arthritis where pain is mediated by sensitised c-fibre sympathetics, pain in other chronic conditions such as CFS and fibromyalgia may be similar. Low beta endorphin is also associated with pain. Regular saunas have also been found to improve micro circulation reduce vasoconstriction and hypertension. Many symptoms of chronic illnesses may be due to vasoconstriction effects eg. cold sensitivity, pain even mood states, and sauna improves microcirculation and blood supply to constricted areas.
Research has also shown that adaptation to cold through short term cold stimulus, as in cold swimming, immersion (or showers) has the added benefit of improving the body's anti oxidant capabilities, with increases in glutathione and reduction of uric acid, which may mean better handling of the stresses of illness. Those that are shown to involve reduced glutathione or increased glutathione use, include; cardiovascular conditions, pulmonary diseases, diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, cancer, osteoporosis, aging, and after pesticide exposure. Conditions involving oxidative stress include neuro degenerative diseases, CFS, bone fracture and others. Conditions in which increased uric acid may be a risk factor include, gout, metabolic disease and vascular diseases. A reported study from the Thrombosis Institute in London into the effects of the cold bathing found that volunteers that followed a disciplined daily regime had increased immune white blood cells and the level of the bodies natural blood thinning enzymes substantially increased, improving micro circulation. It also stimulated the production of hormones such as testosterone, the hormone that regulates sexual drive and potency in men, and boosted the women's production of oestrogen, a hormone regulating fertility and involved in other medical conditions. They found this treatment alone considerably improved many chronic conditions. Cold water immersion raises thresholds of pain tolerance, and aids adaptation to cold, reduces muscle spasm, can influence the frequency of respiratory infections and improve subjective well-being. It may cause an immunological modulation in terms of the Th1-type pattern, which is a proinflammatory cytokine profile. It is involved in diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, inflammatory myopathies, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, CFS, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, fatigue conditions, auto immune disease and other inflammatory conditions. Cold water adaptation reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, lowered plasma viscosity and blood pressure rate product. Cold water immersion reduces recovery time in athletes, enhances repeat performance and reduces exercise induced muscle damage. Cold water exposure challenges both the neuro-endocrine and the immune systems, reduces stress hormones and attenuates their response. Increases ADH and cortisol and increases immunomodulatory cytokines. Cold water exposure and adaptation can modify the sensory functions of hypothalamic thermoregulatory centres to lower heat loss and produce less heat during cold exposure and have immunostimulating effects. The thermogenic action of adrenaline in cold exposure produces heat and may reduce this stress hormone. An important effect is the ability of sauna to use up excess sympathetic nerve tone in both the central and peripheral nervous systems and just as importantly use up excess levels of local tissue hormones involved in feedback loops to the hypothalamus, thus aiding recovery in chronic illness.
The therapeutic sauna with hot cycle followed by a cold cycle brings the benefits of both and in fact induces the body to switch from sympathetic to parasympathetic mode. Forcing all the blood to flow gently and evenly outwards to the skin to cool off in the heat of the sauna, and then forcing it to flow evenly inwards to protect and heat the vital organs of the body when suddenly cooled, this effect helps break down one of the nastier aspects of chronic illness; imbalance of blood supply due to vasoconstriction. With sauna, sections of the body with chronically deprived blood, increase supply and reduce oxidative stress. As the blood supply cycles into the organs and then out to the skin it acts like a pump bringing stored chemical toxins from remote areas of the body through the microcirculation to the skin to be removed in sweat. The skin of our bodies is in effect another eliminatory organ so even when other organs are compromised in chronic illnesses or contamination, the skin through sweating can rid the body of such toxins. The parasympathetic system governs sweat glands secretion and is increased by sauna. It has been shown with drugs such as caffeine, that delayed metabolic clearance was offset by a sizeable elimination in sweat by sauna. Sweat tests have shown pharmaceutical drugs are eliminated in sweat, narcotics, alkaloids and barbiturates are eliminated in sweat, and elimination increased with heat. Sweat analysis is also used for diagnosis of some disease, toxic metal excretion in sweat is used in diagnosis of chronic disease the result of contamination, and sweating used to eliminate toxic metals. Iron loss in sweat increases with exercise in athletes. The beneficial effects of therapeutic sauna are both temporary and long term, during treatment some benefits will last about 24 hrs so the treatment needs to be repeated daily for the best result. Adaptation and detoxification will occur after longer use when the practice can be suspended but regular use if beneficial is advised

[amberlynn72]

Good question...

Also.

What is the difference between the sauna and the steamroom?

Anyone know?

One is good for you, and the other is a gas chamber (steamroom) if they arent using filtered water you are breathing in gas fumes from all the chemicals in tap water.

[outlaw98]

FROM EXPERIANCE



STEAM
opens pores so if u a teen then to get rid of all those spots the steam is the answer
when u get out jump straight into COLD shower for 4 sec
steam also takes away water weight and opens up senses (if u have a flu go steam)
also as we cant afford massage steam is alternate relaxes muscle
muscle tension can restrict muscle growth

SAOUNA
is dry heat
recommendation for a little while
not very good for teens
can give boils or puss spots (blood gets hot)
but very relaxing



uptp u