There’s a debate on whether a steam room offers more benefits than a sauna. While each may offer a set of unique health benefits, both are good for the body. Visiting a spa may be expensive, but if you are aware of the amazing health benefits both a steam room a sauna can offer you, you will realize that they are something worth investing your time and money in.
Sauna Vs. Steam Room
If you are wondering what the main difference between a sauna and a steam room is, the answer is simple: saunas offer dry heat while steam rooms provide moist heat. In terms of benefits offered, both have very similar effects on the human body. If you are asking which of the two is the best option for you, nobody can answer that for you, because it’s generally a matter of personal preference. Meanwhile, you might want to read along to find out what health benefits steam rooms and saunas can offer.
Generally speaking, visiting a steam room or a sauna…
Improves Your Breathing
One of the main benefits of visiting a steam room or a sauna is that it helps improve your breathing. Between 1983 and 1986, a study was done by researchers from the University of Munich’s Institute of Medical Balneology and Climatology to test the effects of steam rooms and saunas on the human body. The researchers found that both could help improve upper respiratory problems such as asthma and can help relieve nasal congestion.
Rejuvenates Your Skin
While steam rooms and saunas don’t remove toxins from your body like what most people think, sweating in saunas can open skin pores and temporarily cleanse the outer layer of the skin. Moisture softens the stratus corneum (layer of dead skin cells), making it easier for you to get rid of dirt and bacteria trapped in your skin. Steam also improves circulation, giving your skin a warm and colorful glow.
Relieves Your Stress
Both steam rooms and saunas help reduce muscle tension by improving blood circulation. This promotes relaxation and relieves the body and mind of stress. Visiting the spa also closes the door to the rest of the world, giving you time to relax, enjoy, and free your mind from worries and stress even just for a few hours.
Lowers Your Blood Pressure
The heat from steam rooms and saunas helps blood vessels to open up. This process is called vasodilation, which can lower blood pressure. Vasodilation usually occurs when you’re performing moderate exercise, so if you feel you need to lower your blood pressure, but don’t feel like going to the gym and working out, visit a spa to enjoy some time inside the steam room or sauna instead.
Removes Salt from Your System
You may not realize it, but salt has a lot of negative effects on the body. Not only is consuming a huge amount of salt regularly bad for your kidneys, but it is also bad for your heart and brain. It can cause muscles in the artery walls to thicken, restricting blood flow to the heart and brain, and causing high blood pressure. Steam rooms and saunas can help by removing salt from your system, reducing your risk for acquiring heart and brain problems.
If there is one thing you need to understand about steam rooms and saunas, it’s that they are not an alternative to a healthy lifestyle. They don’t offer magic effects and they are not a shortcut to a healthier you. Yes, they are truly beneficial, but they shouldn’t replace a healthy diet and your time in the gym. There might also be some health risks in going to steam rooms and saunas, so it would be best if you could talk to your physician first before visiting your favorite spa.
