Saunas originate from Finland and with almost 2 million steam baths, it’s not a surprise that Finland is often called the land of saunas.

Finns go to the sauna at least once per week to relax, relieve the stress, to achieve mind-body harmony or even for social interaction.

Nowadays, almost every family has a sauna in their home or own a portable camping one, but years ago things were different.

The traditional Finnish sauna, dating back to the 12th century, was a smoke sauna, a small house with no chimney, heated by a wooden stove.

So, if you haven’t already tried a sauna, just go to Finland and they’ll show you how to do it the right way.

Well, going in the cold Finnish air right afterward might be a bit shocking but at least it’s how they do it…and it’s thought to increase the blood circulation.

Either you love saunas or you haven’t tried one, you’ll be curious to find out the top 4 benefits you can experience if you take a steam bath today.

1. An immune booster

German studies have shown that regular sauna reduces the risk of catching a cold or flu by almost a 30%. The reason behind that?

As the body is exposed to the heat of the sauna, it produces more white blood cells, which in turn helps our bodies to fight against illness more rapidly.

As a bonus, inhaling the hot air is thought to relieve the cold symptoms.

So, if you’re not feeling your best, simply put on a smile and jump into the sauna.

What rests? Just wait for the results.

2. Sauna increases blood circulation

One of the things you will experience once you get into the sauna is an increase in circulation.

It’s simple biology. When your body is heating, your heart muscle starts to beat faster, which means, to pump blood faster.

As a result, your blood vessels widen and the blood can flow a lot more freely.

Also, more blood goes to your brain and that’s why when you go to the sauna, you feel a lot more creative and you’re able to think better. Actually, your brain works ways better.

Improved circulation can have a bunch of benefits for your health.

 

For instance, saunas can deal with muscle soreness and help your joints a lot.

Something else, sauna use has been linked to decreased heart disease which is a big thing as we know that the number 1 cause of death in the world is cardiovascular disease.

Researches have shown that those who visit sauna regularly suffer less from heart disease and stroke.

It’s not red wine, but still, it’s an easy measure to take, isn’t it?

3. Powers the mitochondria

For those of you who don’t know what mitochondria is, I’ll explain in a few words.

Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. You make all your energy with the help of mitochondria. They transform the proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates into ATP, which is the basic energy unit.

Maybe you’ve heard that the sauna improves mitochondrial function but do you know how exactly?

The infrared light from the sauna makes more ATP. What is interesting is that mitochondria create ATP without any food, just from that light.

Boosting mitochondria will make your life a lot easier.

Some of the best ways are exposing yourself to cold temperatures, using a sauna, getting more sunlight and avoiding blue light.

Well, I’ll get out of the topic a little bit to explain to you why avoiding blue light is one of the best things you can do to boost your mitochondria.

Blue light

 

 

Not exposing yourself to blue light is definitely a hard thing to do. electronics, some light bulbs, and even the Sun emit blue light.

Even though it’s everywhere around us, you can block it with ease just by installing an eye-protecting software.

A good one that I can recommend is Iris. One of its main features is reducing the emitted blue light as well as the brightness.

It has many other features but if you’re interested in reading more about the software and how it can protect your eyes, you can just check the website.

4. Detoxifies your body

 

Your skin is the largest organ in your body and it acts as a barrier that doesn’t let any pollutants from the environment to get into your body.

And so, even if you go outside just for a few minutes, your skin absorbs these pollutants. The way you can get rid of the toxins is by sweating.

But nowadays, we’re getting more and more used to a sedentary lifestyle, and we rarely have time to workout.  As a result, the toxins clog your pores and the harmful elements go deeper into your skin.

Once this happens, it gets a lot of work to clean your body from the inside out.

Actually, the sauna is one of the best alternatives to sport to detoxify your body.

You’re sweating out some toxic elements such as copper, zinc, and lead.

Cleaning the toxins in a steam room or sauna is a relaxing way to improve your overall health and energy. So, what are you waiting for? Get into the sauna and sweat it all out!