5 Ways A Sauna makes You More Healthy
While many people might think of a sauna as simply a place to relax in, it’s been found that saunas have health benefits most wouldn’t have even considered. Besides helping us to relax saunas can provide benefit to our immune system, our skin and can reduce the level of toxins in our bodies. If most people knew the benefits of saunas then I think more people would have home saunas. Right here are 5 health benefits of saunas.
1. Many of us already know that saunas can help with stress reduction, but do you know how a sauna can help you relax and shed stress? The stress relieving effect is actually tied to the ability of a sauna to cleanse toxins from our bodies. You see, stress causes our bodies to produce certain chemicals and they are responsible for the stressed feeling. Saunas clean our bodies of toxins, including these stress chemicals making us feel more relaxed and at ease. Additionally, the heat of a sauna by itself makes us feel more relaxed.
2. The sweating caused by the sauna is another way we release toxins from our bodies. Research shows that up to 1/3 of the toxins our bodies release come out through the pores of our skin. So, by heating up in a sauna and sweating we are actually de-toxifying our bodies.
3. Saunas can help us lose weight two different ways. First of all, we lose weight when we sweat, but that’s not all. Saunas also cause our metabolism to increase meaning we burn more calories. This happens through two ways, first our heart rate is increased, similarly to when we run. The increased heart rate increase the metabolism, but that’s not all. The sauna also increases our bodies core temperature and this too leads to increased metabolism and increased calorie burning. And the increased metabolism can stay with us for hours after we’re done in the sauna.
4. If you have skin problems then you’ll love the effects of the sauna. Saunas have been shown to improve the skin of those with excema, acne and other skin problems. Cleansing toxins from our bodies helps with this, but so does the increased heart rate I talked about earlier. By increasing our body temperature and heart rate we also increase the blood flow to our skin significantly. The increase in blood to our skin helps sweep away toxins and also brings more nutrients and oxygen to the skin which aids in healing.
5. Increased body temperature prompts our bodies to create more white blood cells, similar to when we have a fever. These white blood cells are the bodies natural defense against infections, so the sauna actually boosts our immune system. It may not be the same effect as running a fever for two days, but there is a small boost to our disease fighting ability from the sauna.
These are just 5 of the health benefits of saunas and there are actually many more. Even with just these 5 benefits in mind, combined with the stress relief provided by the sauna it should be easy to see why so many people are opting to have saunas installed in their homes. If you’re serious about your health you’ll find a way to include a sauna in your health plans.
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So You Want A 1 Person Sauna
As you would imagine, 1 person saunas are built and designed to accommodate just one person. While you might think a sauna this small would be cramped, they are actually built a bit bigger than usual to make extra space for the person to stretch out. You can find models that have leg rests and even very comfortable chairs in them to relax and stretch out. Your choice of design and wood type will influence the price of the sauna with Hemlock being the cheapest and most common type of wood used for 1 person saunas. Most of the 1 person saunas are infrared variety with the heaters being made of ceramic and placed so that the body can be heated evenly.
1 person saunas also have other great features to choose from. You can have CD players or MP3 players installed along with speakers for the music lovers out there. Digital controls for temperature can be installed both inside and outside the sauna. Some models even come with built in ionizers to kill bacteria and sanitize the sauna. And a personal sauna like this is very cheap to use. It’s estimated that it costs just one nickel to run a 1 person sauna for 30 minutes.
Another great benefit of these smaller saunas is the ease of installation. You can literally install one in minutes and be enjoying the benefits of your sauna. Smaller saunas like this plug right into a normal electrical outlet so there’s no worry about having an electrician out to wire the sauna, just plug it in and go.
A 1 person sauna is not that expensive. Budget models are as low as $1000, although you can pay over $2500 for a top of the line model with all the bells and whistles. Even if you can afford a higher priced model you may choose to go with a cheap sauna if it has all the features you need. Take the time to research different models and get a feel for what you’ll actually need in your sauna. If it’s the health benefits and stress reduction you want than a simple 1 person sauna may be all you need without adding additional features. Really there’s no need for music and speakers if you won’t be needing them. And that can significantly reduce the cost of your sauna.
Of course some people want all the bells and whistles and that’s fine too. You should get whatever features in your sauna that you need to make you happy. You may feel that a sauna is a luxury item anyway so why not go for the very best you can. Admittedly a top of the line sauna is a beautiful thing to look at and if it’s got all the added features as well it will certainly make your neighbors green with envy. Soon you might find you’ll need something bigger than a 1 person sauna because everyone wants to use it!
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