Health benefits | The Well

Health reasons to visit The Well

Get good health with a regular sauna and steam bath.

The effect of sauna and spa visits is increasingly being put in the spotlight by medical research environments, and it has become a clear trend to use both hot sauna visits and cool baths as part of keeping fit. Medical research is constantly giving us new answers to what the effects of exposing the body to heat and cold mean for body and soul.

Here you will find several important health reasons to make spa visits a habit.

Strengthens the immune system

Medical research shows that regular use of saunas and steam baths strengthens the immune system. It is the body's reaction to the high temperature that pushes the immune system and gives it extra strength. We get a fever when we get sick, so increased body temperature is our self-defense against viruses and bacteria. By raising the body temperature, viruses and bacteria find it more difficult to survive.

Therefore, it is not illogical that increased body temperature with the help of saunas and steam baths can support the body's self-defense against diseases. The body can benefit from sweating, because the sweat cleanses the skin of insidious bacteria that can otherwise stress the immune system, by flushing bacteria-removing sweat out of the pores.

Scientific research has shown that sauna bathing increases the number of white blood cells and other factors in the blood that are important for the immune system. An article in the European Journal of Epidemiology shows that regular sauna bathing leads to a reduced incidence of colds and flu.

Make you beautiful
Regular use of sauna and steam bath can do wonders for your skin. The warm air cleans the pores in the skin and increases blood circulation. Heat and sweat also stimulate collagen, which makes the skin resilient and gives it a youthful appearance. One session in the sauna may not have such a big impact, but if you regularly use the sauna and steam bath, you will soon see a difference in your skin. A good tip is to use a good skin cream while the skin is still moist, so that you preserve the fresh glow from the sauna.

Increase in psychological well-being
Warmth provides well-being and can help you relax in a better way. Whether one spends the time taking a warm bath or lowering the heart rate in the sauna and steam room, the result is often a long-lasting feeling of relaxation and satisfaction. Research shows that regular hot baths and visits to saunas and steam baths actually have measurable positive effects on serotonin levels in the blood. Serotonin is called the "happiness hormone" and it affects both our mood and our behaviour. For symptoms of low mood, such as autumn and winter depression, hot baths, saunas and steam baths can therefore have a very positive effect.

More sauna - less headache
A visit to the sauna can ease tension headaches caused by stress. In a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a research group from New Zealand compared two groups of patients suffering from chronic tension-type headache (CTTH). One group was asked to take regular sauna baths for a period of 8 weeks. The result clearly showed that those who regularly sat in the sauna experienced significantly lower levels of pain and headaches.

Healthy for your heart
Regular sauna bathing can reduce the risk of heart attack by as much as 63%, according to a Finnish study. For 20 years, Finnish researchers have monitored 2,000 middle-aged men (42-60 years). The participants who visited the sauna regularly lived noticeably longer, and the more often they spent time in the sauna, the stronger the positive effects on cardiovascular health. The study was led by Dr. Jari Laukannen, a cardiologist at the University of Eastern Finland.

Reduce the risk of stroke
Studies show that regular and frequent sauna sessions can significantly reduce the risk of stroke. The study was carried out by a Finnish research team and the participants were monitored for 15 years. During this period there had been 155 strokes in the group. The participants who had 2 to 3 sauna sessions a week were 12% less likely to suffer a stroke. But what was even more astonishing was that the people who spent time in the sauna 4-7 times a week reduced their risk of stroke by 62%.

Reduce the risk of Alzheimer's
Sauna visits can reduce the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's. The same Finnish study mentioned above showed that men who went to the sauna between four and seven times a week were found to be 66 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia. They were also 65 percent less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease than those who only took a sauna bath a week.

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