Sauna Therapy for Millennials
Written by Alex Edelson
When was the last time you sat in a sauna and why?
I grew up with a sauna in my house, and from a young age, I associated sauna with health. While most millennials view sauna therapy as one part of a spa day, a relaxing post workout sweat, or a luxury they get to have on vacation, there are more factors at play.
My dad spent his career as a Doctor of Environmental Medicine trying to understand the complex interactions between mankind and the environment. He and other Environmental MDs believe that disease is somehow linked to our exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides on our crops or pollutants in our air.
One way to get rid of these toxins: detoxification. He touted sauna therapy as one of the strongest modalities to rid the human body of harmful toxins.
To discover the benefits of saunas, let’s get into the details of sauna treatment and let me share with you why it’s important for your mental and physical health.
What is Sauna Therapy?
What is a sauna? Well, a sauna is a wood filled room that produces dry heat at a temperature anywhere from 150° F to 195° F.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where sauna therapy was invented but many believe the tradition originated in Northern Europe, Finland to be exact.
Sauna (pronounced saw-na) means bathhouse in Finnish but every culture has used some form of sauna to induce sweating as a therapy or medical treatment. Long before “treat yourself” days, filled with bougie spas and eucalyptus towels, our ancestors sweated in caves closed off with animal skins and holes in the earth heated by hot coals.
Sauna Therapy for Millennials
Millennials are known as “the wellness generation”.
They are changing their buying behaviors to prioritize lifestyle and health over materialistic purchases. According to a report by the International Spa Association, “60% of Millennials are invested in their personal well-being, and 56% are already spa-goers. Similarly, 70% say that, if they had some extra time or money, they’d spend it on health and fitness.”
Millennials believe in taking care of themselves and are more proactive than reactive when it comes to their health.
It is no surprise then, that Sauna therapy is becoming an integral part of millennial wellness routines. Exercise, therapy, eating well, alternative medicines like physiotherapy and acupuncture are additional ways millennials try to prevent health issues before they start.
Types of Sauna Therapy
There are diverse types of saunas such as a traditional Finish sauna, Turkish bath or steam bath, and infrared saunas. The most common are traditional and infrared. Infrared saunas use electromagnetic radiation from infrared lamps to warm your body directly whereas traditional saunas heat the air around you.
Infrared Sauna:
Infrared panels produce rays that heat up the body
Temperature is set between 120° F and 140° F (more comfortable)
More healing occurs as heat penetrates your more deeply
Traditional Sauna:
Conventional heat from a wood burning stove or heated stones
Temperature is set between 150° F and 190° F (can be uncomfortably hot)
Body cooling process produces sweat
Health Benefits of Sauna Therapy
Complementary wellness modalities like sauna therapy and float tank therapy, aren’t backed by enough medical studies to say with absolute certainty how many treatments you need to achieve health outcomes.
However, there are a handful of studies connecting sauna therapy to several health benefits related to circulatory, cardiovascular, and immune functions. Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing is associated with a reduction in the risk of vascular conditions, such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
A recent report by the Mayo Clinic Proceedings found other health benefits including:
Inducing physiological effects in the body similar to the effects of exercise
Relaxation / Mental Health through autonomic nervous system regulation
Improvement in pain symptoms associated with arthritis
Improvement in lung function
Detoxification
When I sit in a sauna, I often feel my heart rate rise and my body working hard. It’s fascinating to me how you can achieve the same benefits equivalent to those produced by physical activity without moving a muscle. If you don’t like exercise of any kind (it’s not for everyone), you may find solace in knowing you can get a workout by doing nothing. For those of you that do love exercise, a combination of sauna therapy and exercise may enhance your health benefits.
Risks of Sauna Therapy
It’s essential to drink a lot of water before using either a traditional or infrared sauna. Staying hydrated reduces the risk of severe dehydration which can lead to low blood pressure and possible heat stroke.
If you have any of the health conditions below, please speak with a doctor before you begin sauna therapy.
Asthma
Heart disease
High or low blood pressure
Epilepsy
Invest in Your Future with Sauna Benefits
Throughout our lives, there are things we can control and things we can’t control. You can’t fully control your health or financial stability, but there are things you can proactively do to work towards your goals.
Some of our health outcomes are related to genetics and others seem arbitrary. In the same vein, you can’t control the stock market but you can control your 401k deductions and savings. In both cases, little deposits over time can help you achieve long term success.
Make your sauna therapy deposit when you can. Your future self will thank you.
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