Winter weather has been creeping in for a few weeks now, depending on where you live. With the cold weather and lack of sunshine our bodies start to crave the warmth and energy that comes from heat and sun rays. Saunas can be the perfect addition to your weekly routine to help keep you out of any winter ‘funk’. Not only can a sauna warm up your bones and help you to relax, but your body will thank you for the health benefits after a few visits as well!
Photo by: Bad Kleinkirchheim
Top Reasons To Use A Sauna This Winter
1. Relax Your Mind – Its around this time of year that everything gets just a little bit harder to do. Getting out of bed, going to work, staying on a diet, working out. Cold weather makes us want to bundle up in our beds and throw on some Netflix. Adding some sauna time into your weekly routine can help to switch this up!
People who spend 10-30 minutes in their home saunas or at a local gym notice their energy levels to be higher and remain higher throughout the day. Just a few minutes of this intense heat can help your mind and body to relax, forgetting about the cold and just soaking up the heat.
Saunas actually cause your body to release endorphins. These endorphins are our bodies natural ‘mood boosters’ and will keep you from getting those wintertime blues.
2. Kick the Winter Cold & Flu – Winter is the season of the common cold. Runny noses, headaches, cough and sniffles. No matter what precautions we may take it always seems to catch up! But why not add another level of defense against these uncomfortable conditions. A regular sauna visit can do just that.
Doctors and scientists have actually published that regular sauna bathing can drastically reduce the incidence of the common cold and flu. The white blood cells within our bodies which are our defense against getting sick are actually produced at a higher rate when experiencing these high temperatures.
3. Sweat Does the Body Good! – While using a sauna should not replace any regular workouts, the additional sweat can be the icing on the cake. Saunas work best with steaming hot temperatures which open up your pores and make you break a sweat. The process of sweating allows your body to release toxins within your skin. This process will leave your body and skin feeling clean, refreshed, and may even give you that warm glow that may not be often found in the winter months!
While the toxins are being released from your skin & pores, another benefit of this is increased blood circulation. High temperatures dilate your blood vessels allowing the increase of blood flow. This act is great for your entire body, but especially great for your cardiovascular system!
4. Let Your Body Recover In Deep Sleep – Work and life can seem a whole lot harder in the cold winter months. One thing that can truly improve our moods and productiveness is a solid night’s rest. How can a sauna change the sleep you get? Well as mentioned before, while in the high temperatures of a sauna our bodies experience an increase of endorphins being released. When going to sleep our bodies also experience a steady decrease in endorphins being released. When having the high levels of endorphin output as seen in saunas paired with the steady decline as we get closer to that bedtime, users often experience a deep and rejuvenating sleep cycle.
5. Get Social! – If you’re like me, as temperatures reach freezing I have less desire to get up and out of my house. The car takes a while to heat up, breaking out the ice scraper, walking is undesirable, and all around social activity seems to slow down. If you have a local sauna or gym that offers one, these can be incredible places to have some conversation or relax outside of your home! If you have a sauna within your home, take some time and sauna with a partner or family member or even invite some people who may not usually have the opportunity.
Saunas can be a great place to chat because they are quiet, intimate and relaxing. Take some time to sit back and enjoy the company of others this winter in the warm comfort of a sauna.
Interested in more? Check out The Top 10 Health Benefits of Saunas or read some Advice from Industry Experts!
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about saunas, purchasing saunas, health benefits or anything else feel free to reach out via email: healthbenefitsofsauna@gmail.com or on our social channels.
Enjoy.