Have a Sauna session - Good for weight loss

29-Sep-2008

Tags: Sauna , Weight , Weightloss , Skinny , Fat Sauna , Weight , Weightloss , Skinny , Fat , Infrared , Dry Sauna , Wet Sauna , Smoke Sauna , Benefits , Sweat , Steam , Sweating , Water more less

A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions. A sauna session can be a social affair as you sit in temperatures of over 80 degrees C (176 degrees F) and chat to friends, this environment induces relaxation and promotes sweating. Now that's a win-win situation!

Types of saunas

Dry Sauna: The dry sauna keeps the humidity about 20% and surprise, surprise is very dry. A typical dry sauna is the Finnish sauna, where you have an enclosed space with a heater on the floor that heats special rocks. When it becomes too dry, you just pour some water over the rocks for instant steam and humidity.

Infrared Sauna: An infrared sauna heats its occupants with heaters that in turn emit far infrared radiant heat. Unlike traditional Finnish Saunas which heats the air, and thereby the user, infrared saunas do not use steam but directly heat as the man suggest by infrared radiation

Wet Sauna: A wet sauna, famously known as steam sauna, is accomplished when water is splashed onto the rocks and quickly vaporizes due to the extreme heat of the rocks. When you sit in a wet sauna, you sweat continuously and your body temperature raises as a result your heart beats faster.

Smoke Sauna: Smoke Sauna is a special type of sauna without a chimney. Wood is burned on a particularly large stove and the smoke fills the room. When the sauna is hot enough, the fire is allowed to die and the smoke is ventilated out. The residual heat of the stove is enough for the duration of the sauna. This represents the ancestral type of sauna, since chimneys are a later addition. Smoke saunas have experienced great revival in recent years since they are considered superior by the experts. They are not, however, likely to replace the regular saunas because more skill, effort and time (usually many hours) are needed for the heating process (and as we could guess this translate to more money being used!)

 

Sauna bath causes sweating & helps in opening skin pores. As we sweat it helps in excretion of body toxins and other impurities from the blood. As the body gets cleansed through sweating and muscles are relieved people experience freshness in mood and health for longer time once they take sauna bath. As the warm steam helps blood flow resume effectively in all parts of the body and the contracted muscles are relieved so sauna bath is useful in joint pains.

• The main reason people choose sauna bath over any other type of exercise is it's effectiveness in weight loss. Sauna works positively on our metabolism and increases its speed and intensity, which in turn results in weight loss. 
• Regular sauna bath provides mental and physical relaxation and release tension. People with sleep disorders such as insomnia and improper sleep condition can be benefited through sauna as it is very effective in inducing a good long relaxing sleep. 
• The heat generated during sauna bath helps our body in improving our immune system by increasing our body heat which simulates the fever condition. We also know about the medical properties of steam, which proves to be of great help in treating problems like cold (sinusitis), bronchitis, laryngitis etc.
• 15-20 minutes of sauna is almost equivalent to 1-2 hours of brisk walk or 1 hour of exercise. However, this effect can vary from person to person based on their physical condition.

Things to be aware of when using a Sauna
It is always better to seek proper guidance from your physician before anyone is planning to try out sauna bath for any reason.

• Sweating may increase itching in patients with a topic dermatitis.
• Pregnant women should avoid sauna bath.
• Heart patient with low or high blood pressure condition should first consult doctor.
• Alcohol consumption during sauna bathing increases the risk of hypo tension, arrhythmia, and sudden death, and should be avoided.
• Person suffering from cardiac and cardiovascular conditions should avoid entering a sauna

Serious infrared sauna side effects seem rare, but certain people should clearly practice caution.

Benefits for weight loss: Infrared sauna can burn up to 600 calories in half an hour. The far infrared sauna causes weight loss due to energy expenditure. You will be amazed to know that thirty minute sauna session creates about as much sweat as a six mile run. After 10 minutes of an infrared sauna session motor response and coordination of movement improves greatly. The sharp increase of blood and lymphatic vessels leads to intense physical squeezing of subcutaneous fat deposits and fast weight loss without load on the heart. Sauna causes body perspiration which can lead to weight loss Precautions:   Avoid alcohol and medications that may impair sweating and produce overheating before and after your sauna. Stay in no more than 15-20 minutes. Cool down gradually afterward. Drink two to four glasses of cool water after each sauna. Don't take a sauna when you are ill, and if you feel unwell during your sauna just skip that.

Sauna bath opens the pores on skin and helps body to remove toxins and other impurities from within the body and blood. Sauna's effect on human body shows unpredictable heart condition as the heart beats rate increases to almost double, causing blood circulation in the body increase towards the skin.

In some people the blood pressure goes up and in some people it falls. However, a study carried out on health benefits of sauna by various health case institutes and magazines have stated that the sauna bath is safe for human health and does offer health benefits such as relaxation, weight loss and many more. So, why not do it, it fun and can you believe easy!

(Sources: streetdirectory.com, wccomfort.com, excitingspas.com, abbysguide.com, nationmaster.com, buzzle.com, innerwestmassage.com.au, health.harvard.edu/press_releases/sauna_health_benefits.htm)

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