What is the difference between saunas and steam rooms

Spending time in a sauna can lower your blood pressure, says Dr. In fact, people can see improved cardiovascular health from sauna use. Research shows that shows people who regularly use a sauna at least four times a week for 20 minutes have a significantly lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and dementia, notes Dr. Sauna bathing is a regular part of Scandinavian culture, says Dr.

Millstine, and is viewed as a way to destress and relax. Using a sauna is beneficial for workout recovery , as it's going to result in loosening up any tense muscles after a workout. Anecdotally, people with stiff joints and body aches also swear by saunas for easing pain. Sauna use can also help with tension-type headaches , likely because it reduces muscle soreness that contributes to them, says Dr. Sauna usage has also been shown to decrease circulating levels of inflammatory markers, which mess with your immune system response too.

Some studies show that sauna sessions can benefit your mood, which could, again, be tied to the relaxation factor. However, men in Finland who regularly used a sauna had a decreased risk of psychosis, found one study , and sauna usage can reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, another study showed. Either way, there seems to be some positive brain and mental health benefits to visiting a sauna.

Basically, steam rooms aren't as hot as saunas, and they're much more humid. Steam rooms have all the same health benefits as saunas, because the effects of heat are the same whether it's a dry heat or a moist heat, says Dr. This means you'll still get some cardio benefits, along with lessened pain and stiffness. Since the body is heated up, the brain, the nervous systems, and endocrine systems work together to respond to this external stimulus by increasing blood flow, heart rate, cardiac output, and sweat production in order to cool the body down to maintain balance in the body.

This has been linked to direct benefits for both cardiovascular diseases in general, and in assisting with reducing inflammation. This could provide relief for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and allergic rhinitis. There is also evidence that the heat provided by saunas increases the amount of nitric oxide metabolized in the body.

Nitric oxide can help to keep blood vessels flexible, which can help to support healthy blood pressure. It can also help reduce the likelihood of plaque developing on the blood vessel walls, which also lowers cardiovascular risk.

Additional benefits that could be provided by saunas are improved hunger and relaxation levels as well as increased insulin sensitivity. Where saunas provide dry heat, steam rooms provide moist heat usually from a water-filled generator pumping steam into an enclosed room. There is, however, one caveat. As such, many studies have excluded steam rooms from their investigations. Despite the difference in humidity levels, saunas and steam rooms both provide whole-body heating, and there is helpful information to keep in mind for both:.

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Better Life. Become The Better You. Want to know more? More to explore. April 26, No Comments. What Muscles Do Deadlifts Work? Leave a Reply Cancel reply Comment. Enter your name or username. Enter your email. Steam rooms create an environment that warms the mucous membrane and encourages deep breathing. As a result, using one can help break up congestion inside your sinuses and lungs.

Steam therapy used for treating colds and sinus infections at home is controversial because of the potential to scald yourself if you do it incorrectly. An older study done on a group of children found that kids with respiratory infections recovered more quickly after steam therapy than kids who did not use steam therapy.

Through environmental exposure, all sorts of toxins can become trapped underneath your skin. Steam rooms help solve that problem by using heat to open up your pores. The warm condensation rinses away the dirt and dead skin that can lead to breakouts. As a result, you may have clearer and more even-toned skin. The pain you feel after working out is called delayed onset muscles soreness DOMS.

Professional athletes have known for decades that heat therapy can help them recover from training workouts. Heat can penetrate deep into muscle tissue and help relieve DOMS. A recent study showed that moist heat works as effectively and also more quickly than dry heat in muscle recovery.

Warming up before a workout is critical in avoiding injury. Using a steam room as part of your warm-up could help you reach maximum mobility during activities such as running, Pilates, and yoga.

One study investigated the effects. Heat was applied to the knee joint before activity, and as a result, the joint was far more flexible and relaxed. The results showed that heat can help reduce injury before a workout. It was also found that women especially benefitted from heat therapy on the knee joint to prevent injury.