How to visit a sauna correctly: advice from experienced people
The first thing that is recommended for a proper visit to the steam room is to take all measures so that the head and hair do not dry out in the steam room , otherwise there is a risk of getting burned and losing consciousness. In addition, there is a risk of falling on a wet floor when you are exhausted from the steam.
To prevent this from happening, make sure you have a special hat and slippers. Also, if you take all kinds of aromatic oils with you to the steam room, do not add them to the coals, but lightly pour them over the benches and walls of the room so as not to get burned while in the steam room.
It is better to divide a trip to the sauna into three visits with breaks. When you first come in, first wash in the shower, but dry your hair so that when wet it does not cause overheating of the skin on your head.
Before entering the steam room, pat your body dry after a shower . It is very important that the steam in the steam room is dry, and the presence of moisture on your body can cause severe overheating. Also, thanks to the dry steam characteristic of a steam room, sweating occurs and toxins are eliminated.
Improved immunity
Visiting the bathhouse is recommended for those people who are often sick or whose bodies are susceptible to viral infectious diseases. But, a positive effect will be achieved if the following conditions are met:
- after the body has steamed, you need to rinse it with cold water;
- In winter, after visiting the bathhouse, you should wipe yourself with snow.
This hardening helps strengthen the immune system. But, water procedures need to be started gradually. First, pour warm water over the body, then gradually lower the temperature of the liquid. If you immediately start cold dousing, you will get the opposite effect - the person will get sick.
Rules for entering the sauna
So, let's start the first run. It should be the longest of the three, with a recommended residence time of about 15 minutes. At the same time, do not allow overheating and make sure that your head does not heat up, otherwise you will have a headache after the procedure.
If you do not visit the steam room too often, then burgundy-raspberry spots may appear on your body. There is no need to be afraid, this is a normal phenomenon for “newbies”; as soon as you remove toxins and improve your blood vessels, they will pass. The blood vessels are trained with regular trips to the sauna, alternating with a contrast shower .
When you leave the steam room, take a shower, you can exfoliate your face. During rest, you can apply the mask to your face and neck. This applies to procedures in beauty salons for women, but men should also not neglect all kinds of wellness treatments for the skin .
Drink tea or water to rehydrate your body. The rest period between runs is 10 to 15 minutes.
The second run, like the third, should last at least 10 minutes. Then, during your rest, you can again pamper yourself with peeling based on scrubs and fruit oils, as well as nourishing face masks.
When you leave the steam room for the third, also the last time, go into the shower and wash your hair with shampoo . Hair and face masks based on natural ingredients are also useful.
To better remove toxins, we recommend applying a special cream made from sea salt, honey and vegetable oil to your body after a shower, which you can make with your own hands. When entering the steam room, do not forget to wash off all creams and products that were applied during your vacation.
Over time, the number of entries into the steam room can be gradually increased up to five times. After leaving the steam room, do not forget to shower and rest . If such a service is available where you will go to the sauna, order a relaxing massage. Massage on a clean and warm body is the most effective.
Sauna before and after training
The beneficial properties of the Finnish sauna for muscles have been proven: in soothing pain and increasing their flexibility.
Athletes use the sauna for the benefit of easing muscle tension after intense workouts. The harmful effects of lactic acid accumulating in the muscles after exercise in the gym are known to every athlete: it manifests itself in pain, a feeling of heaviness and other unpleasant consequences.
In addition, increased loads affect the occurrence of morphological changes in tendons and fascia as a result of a slowdown in metabolic processes and the resulting hypoxia.
Thanks to thermal and contrast water procedures in a Finnish sauna, activated blood circulation and metabolism eliminate imbalances and restore muscle performance.
An infrared sauna is especially effective for stimulating recovery processes in the body.
In a Finnish sauna after the gym, optimal restorative benefits will come from two sessions of up to 10 minutes at temperatures up to 90 ° C and humidity up to 15%, followed by a warm shower and a relaxing massage session for 15 minutes.
Important! For professional athletes, visiting a Finnish sauna is indicated taking into account the stage of fatigue and the nature of the upcoming loads: do not visit the sauna after overwork and on the eve of intense training.
What you need to go to the sauna
Naturally, a woman’s kit for going to the sauna will be somewhat different from a men’s kit with a large number of all kinds of creams, masks and other things. It is advisable to prepare seriously for the trip and devote proper time to packing.
A basic sauna set for both men and women should look something like this:
- vitamin tea or mineral water;
- shampoo;
- towel;
- a sheet for wrapping up after leaving the steam room;
- slippers;
- sauna cap;
- aroma oil or cream.
Buying a sauna hat is not difficult - there are a huge number of them on the market and in specialized bath accessories stores. But we highly recommend purchasing felt hats that will reliably protect your head from overheating when exposed to high temperatures.
For women who are unable to tuck their hair under a felt hat, a fleece hat is suitable, completely covering the hair from heat.
You should choose sauna slippers not based on the beauty of their appearance, but make sure that they do not slip, this is their main task. To test the durability of your slippers before visiting the sauna, wear them in your bathroom at home. If they slip, then these slippers are not suitable for you.
When choosing tea for relaxation between visits to the steam room, it is better to take not just black or green from the store, but a herbal infusion . It will have a much better effect on the body when combined with honey or lemon.
Useful properties of a sauna
The benefits of the Finnish sauna lie in the contrast of temperature, which has the properties of improving adaptation to the negative effects of the environment on the body, stimulating metabolic processes, and restoring vegetative balance. The body's protective functions increase, and this is the main factor in good health.
The Finnish sauna also provides health benefits by removing large amounts of electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium, from the body through profuse sweating.
The beneficial effect of hammam is the prevention and treatment of joint diseases, the consequences of harmful salt deposits, relief from muscle tension, insomnia, and strengthening the immune system.
The benefits of a salt sauna are invaluable for saturating the body with minerals.
The deep effect of an infrared sauna allows you to remove 4 times more waste products from the body, which is subjectively manifested in feelings of deep relaxation and restoration of strength.
Sauna procedures in general and the Finnish bath, as the most popular variety in particular, stimulate the autonomic nervous system and affect the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and organs with autonomic innervation - the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, skin. There is an improvement in immunity, sleep, appetite, and normalization of the sympathetic nervous system.
For the central nervous system
The thermal effects of a sauna cause stress in the body, the beneficial properties of which are manifested in a decrease in brain activity. This happens due to an increase in blood flow in the periphery and a decrease in it in the brain. After a stay in a Finnish sauna, mental retardation is often observed, which relieves nervous tension, muscle tone and promotes general relaxation.
Massage techniques with a broom in the sauna help treat and prevent disorders of the nervous system. If a person is highly excitable, then intense influences that can cause harm in this state are reduced or eliminated: whipping, lashing; do not use brooms with a burning effect - made from nettle, spruce; warming ointments and other active stimuli.
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Finnish sauna procedures will be useful in the following cases:
- mild paralysis after exacerbation of poliomyelitis;
- inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system one year after the period of exacerbations;
- dystrophic myopathies and myotonias;
- cerebral palsy;
- childhood enuresis;
- muscle hypertonicity;
- neuroses;
- vegetative and neurocirculatory dystonia;
- sleep disorders.
The beneficial properties of the Finnish sauna are enhanced by stimulating bath cocktails made from Echinops, ginseng root, Chinese lemongrass, camphor cinnamon, wormwood, rhodiola rosea and others.
For the cardiovascular system
The benefits of a sauna are also actively manifested for the health of the cardiovascular system, since the so-called sauna stress improves blood circulation, thereby strengthening the heart and blood vessels. As you know, it is the weakening of the cardiovascular system that causes the development of stroke and heart attack. In Finland, the use of a sauna is used to treat hypertension. During the procedure, the pressure drops and then remains low an hour after leaving the steam room. If this effect does not occur, this serves as a signal of irreversible changes in the circulatory system and the need for more radical treatment.
For the respiratory system
The beneficial properties of the hot steam of a Finnish sauna help to increase oxygen consumption and the release of carbon dioxide, which accelerates gas exchange. Thanks to this intense ventilation training in the sauna, the vital capacity of the lungs increases.
Breathing quickens and becomes deep. The mucous membrane dries out, the bronchi expand and are cleared of mucus and phlegm.
Viral infections and microbes are killed by the high temperatures of the sauna: thus, the harm of respiratory diseases is eliminated. Finnish doctors have found consistent evidence of benefits in reducing colds among people who regularly visit the sauna. Normalizing breathing restores the functioning of the bronchi, eliminates coughing and possible noise present in the lungs.
Finnish sauna shown:
- with inflammation of the paranasal sinuses and nasopharyngeal mucosa;
- chronic bronchitis;
- bronchial asthma;
- pneumoconiosis;
- rehabilitation after suffering from pneumonia.
For the body's metabolic processes
The benefit of increasing blood circulation in a Finnish sauna is also manifested in the acceleration of the skin's release of metabolic products. This occurs due to the heating of the tissues and organs of the body, the activation of vegetative processes: increased heart rate, increased sweating. On the other hand, stimulation of metabolic processes in the sauna is also the body’s response to contrast cooling. Such active types of cooling as diving into a cold pool after a sauna or rubbing with snow trigger a chain of chemical reactions in the body, the benefit of which is to increase energy metabolism in the liver and muscles - the most important organs that produce heat.
The damage to the muscle corset, which develops in everyday stressful life, manifests itself in disruption of normal blood circulation in the tissues, which leads to hypoxia, or oxygen starvation. The properties of contrasting thermal loads in a Finnish bath cause the vessels to expand, and by increasing their capacity and enhancing gas exchange, hypoxia is eliminated and harmful substances are washed out of the muscle tissue.
Effect on thermoregulation
The comfort of modern life protects a person as much as possible from temperature changes, as a result of which the mechanism of thermoregulation through the work of the endocrine glands, blood vessels, and sweating atrophies. Hardening procedures in a Finnish bath with a gradual increase in temperature contrast, due to the expansion and contraction of blood vessels and capillaries, stimulate the work of the sweat glands, gradually restore the body's temperature control, and increase immunity.
For the digestive system
Under the injection of hot steam in the sauna, the acceleration of metabolic processes in the body has a beneficial effect on stimulating the functioning of the digestive system. The beneficial properties of the Finnish sauna have a beneficial effect on problems in the duodenum, gall bladder and in case of constipation.
Sauna shown:
- for stomach ulcers;
- duodenal ulcer;
- intestinal motility disorders;
- benign neoplasms;
- chronic cholecystitis without stones;
- after gall bladder surgery.
Effect on skin
The salt sauna has a special effect on the condition of the epidermis: the benefits of its effects are manifested in the enrichment of the skin with minerals in the salt composition, which helps to increase its firmness, elasticity, and firmness. The Finnish sauna also helps open pores, and increased blood circulation ensures the transport of nutrients to the subcutaneous layers and tissues on the surface of the skin: the regeneration of its cells is enhanced, cleansing and toning occurs.
Stimulating blood circulation in a Finnish sauna is beneficial in treating cellulite formations, arthritis and rheumatism. It is known that cellulite appears due to poor blood circulation. A weekly visit to the sauna and a massage using a special mitten will be useful for congestion - the scourge of modern women. Massage should be done using gentle strokes, turning into circular ones, with increasing pressure in problem areas. The procedure should be completed with zigzag rubbing and a contrast shower.
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The beneficial properties of such peeling will manifest themselves in the intensive removal of skin that has been well steamed in a bathhouse from dead cells and inflammatory processes in the subcutaneous layer.
Important! A washcloth for sauna massage should be of medium hardness.
For a good mood
The relaxing effect of a sauna also improves your emotional background. The complex of beneficial effects of a Finnish bath on the skin is also manifested in the stimulation of the peripheral autonomic endings of the nervous system, which has a positive effect on the emotional centers of the brain and gives the effect of mild euphoria during the next day, as well as a surge of vigor and even the disappearance of headaches.
To prevent certain diseases
Research has proven that the benefits of the Finnish sauna are manifested in the effect of hyperthermia, or artificial fever, which tends to stimulate immune functions and influence the increase in the formation of leukocytes and antibodies in the blood.
In addition, the beneficial effect of the Finnish bath on the elimination of muscle hypertonicity, the harmful consequences of which affects the appearance of so-called lumbago in the back - a sign of radiculitis, myositis, lumbago, has been noticed.
Due to its beneficial effect on venous flow, the Finnish bath can be a good additional treatment for discopathy and associated osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joints.
Women's sauna set
But when going to the sauna, girls often prefer to pamper themselves with all sorts of procedures. Here is an approximate list of what the fair half may need in the sauna in addition to the items listed earlier:
- shower gel;
- homemade scrubs and peels;
- shower sponge;
- brush with natural bristles for massage;
- shower cap, used when applying hair masks;
- masks for hair, body and face;
- nourishing cream after sauna;
- moisturizer or body milk.
And this is not a complete list of what young ladies may find useful when going to the sauna.
Skin renewal
A visit to the bathhouse means that the body begins to warm up, and accordingly, the blood will begin to circulate better. Accordingly, the cells will begin to renew themselves faster and the old ones will die off. This procedure helps rejuvenate and strengthen the skin. And if you take a contrast shower in the bathhouse, alternating a warm douche with a cold one, then an additional anti-cellulite effect will occur, which helps smooth the skin.
In addition, after visiting the bathhouse, it is recommended to do body wraps, peeling, masks and other cosmetic procedures. It is believed that if the product is applied specifically to a steamed body, the effect of the procedure will increase by 2 times. It is worth considering that after the session the skin will lose its natural moisture. To avoid dryness, you need to treat it with a moisturizing or nourishing cream.
Important!
Contraindications to visiting the bathhouse are any skin rashes, pregnancy, lactation period, cancer, heart and vascular diseases. You should avoid a water session for a while if your body temperature is high and if your kidneys or liver are impaired.
Negative aspects of visiting a sauna
In addition, it is often not recommended to go to the steam room for other reasons. For example, if you have certain health problems, in particular with the cardiovascular system, it is better to consult your doctor before going to the sauna. Pregnant women are not recommended to visit the bathhouse at all.
Temperatures exceeding 60 degrees can negatively affect the skin, hair, joints, respiratory organs and genitals. That is why men are highly discouraged from getting too carried away with bath procedures .
Frequent bathing procedures can provoke problems with male power and cause infertility. Thus, doctors recommend that men under 30 visit the sauna no more than once every three months, and after 30 - much less often.
There must be moderation in everything
Despite the fact that even a daily visit to the bathhouse does not pose any direct threats to health, if a person does not suffer from one or another pathology (primarily vascular), going to the bathhouse almost every day is unreasonable. At least because in this case, after a while you will simply get tired of it.
Therefore, the best option is to visit the bathhouse regularly, but without fanaticism, since exposing the body to stress and spending time monotonously is, at least, unreasonable.
Since ancient times, people have visited the bathhouse on weekends, using it both for hygiene and as a way to relax. Probably, this was the best option, and it can be considered as such to this day, since the bathhouse remains both an excellent method of hygiene and a place for complete moral relaxation and friendly communication, however, even all the best should be in moderation, because, as you know, medicine Only the dose distinguishes it from poison.
Brain Support
The main function of the steam room is to relieve fatigue. If you steam in it for 10-20 minutes after a hard day, fatigue will be relieved and strength will be restored. It is worth considering that this procedure promotes not only physical, but also spiritual relaxation. Under the influence of warm air on the body, the brain will begin to relax, and the person will get rid of the thoughts that have been bothering him throughout the day.
Based on this, it is recommended to visit the bathhouse before bed. In this case, sleep will be more productive, and the body will have time to restore its strength during rest. It is believed that the next day after the water procedure will be more productive, brain activity and active thinking will improve.
Visiting a bathhouse is not only a favorite form of relaxation for most men, but also a useful healing procedure that has a positive effect on the figure, skin condition, brain activity and health. But to achieve a positive effect, you need to visit the bathhouse every week.
