Sauna Enhances Health and Longevity

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We often hear about sauna, but it is not that common in Hong Kong or Asia, especially not many ladies or young people do sauna, let alone the elderly. It's actually just a wooden room with an inside temperature raised to between 70 and 100 degrees Celsius.

Finnish saunas use stones to provide dry heat, while Turkish saunas use steam to raise the temperature, resulting in higher humidity. There are also saunas that raise the temperature with infrared rays. Western Studies Let's look at some western research data. According to the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factors (KIHD) research project, a health study of more than 2,300 middle-aged men from Eastern Finland revealed that men who used a sauna two to three times a week died from cardiovascular disease and other age-related diseases were 27 percent less likely than middle-aged men who did not use a sauna. And the effect was linked to frequency of use, i.e. middle-aged men who used the sauna about four to seven times a week were 50% less likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes!

The study also found that sauna use reduced the risk of two age-related cognitive diseases: dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and the degree of risk reduction was also proportional to the frequency of sauna use. Men who used the sauna two to three times a week had a 66% lower risk of dementia and a 65% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease compared to men who used the sauna only once a week! Additionally, frequent sauna users were 40 percent less likely to die prematurely from all causes than non-users. These findings hold true even after accounting for other different factors, such as age, activity level and lifestyle, that may affect men's health. Human response Expert doctor Rhonda Patrick explains the effects of sauna on the human body: sauna exposes your body to extreme heat, causing a rapid, powerful response, a marked increase in skin and core body temperature, sweating, and then an exercise-like effect Will appear. Your heart rate (beats per minute) increases, and cardiac output (stroke volume, the amount of blood pumped out with each heart beat) increases by 60 to 70 percent. The body steps in to regulate it and approximately 50 to 70 percent of blood flow is diverted from the core of the body to the skin to facilitate perspiration.

The average person loses about 0.5 kilograms (about 1 pound) of sweat in a sauna. Therefore, the body plasma volume (plasma, the liquid component in the blood, which usually accounts for 55% of the blood volume) will increase to compensate for the decrease in core blood volume, providing a reserve fluid for sweating, preventing the core body temperature from rising rapidly, promoting heat therapy and improving thermal endurance. The body's "invisible" response to heat stress occurs at the cellular and molecular levels, possibly through a physiological phenomenon called hormesis. This stimulant response is an excessive defensive response that occurs after exposure to a mild stressor, disproportionate to the magnitude of the stressor, and often results in triggering multiple protective responses in the body, causing long-term adaptation, cellular damage repairing effects and providing protection from subsequent exposure to more damaging stressors.

Effects on the heart and brain The human brain is particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of aging. The thermal response to sauna can protect the brain, including an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which promotes the growth of new neurons.

It can also improve blood flow to the brain, promote the clearance of beta-amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease, and prevent or reduce symptoms of depression. According to research reports, sauna bathing also increases the production of beta-endorphins (part of the body's natural pain relief system) in the body, increases the production of norepinephrine, which improves focus and concentration; increases the production of prolactin yield, supports the growth of myelin, a key feature in repairing nerve cell damage. People who use saunas on a long-term basis typically experience improvements in several areas of cardiovascular health, including: lowering blood pressure, improving endothelial function, improving left ventricular function, reducing inflammatory markers, and more. Saunas can help ensure that the heart and blood circulation remain healthy and improve muscle and joint recovery. This is due to the release of endorphins in the brain, which can reduce the pain experienced by people with arthritis or physical stress in the sauna. A higher blood circulation rate can also speed up the body's recovery from exercise or injury.

Life prolonging Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes in human cells that maintain the integrity of chromosomes and control the cycle of cell division. Telomeres shorten with the number of cell divisions and age. Once the telomeres are exhausted, the cell will immediately initiate apoptosis. Therefore, telomeres are generally considered to have a clear relationship with cellular senescence. The longer the telomeres, the younger they are and the longer they live. Studies have pointed out that sauna can increase the length of telomere, so it can prolong life. In addition to the above, sauna can also help the body to remove toxins, enhance immunity and improve sleep, making people healthier. Reminder to friends There are two sides to everything, so in addition to the benefits, we also have to pay attention to the risks associated with using a sauna.

The Harvard Medical Press reports that saunas appear to be safe for most people. However, people with high blood pressure and heart disease or certain medical conditions should consult a doctor before using a sauna. We also recommend that mature adults consult a doctor before starting a sauna trial. Older adults should remember to avoid alcohol and drugs before and after the sauna, which may stop sweating and cause your body to overheat. In addition, the duration of each stay should not exceed 15 minutes. During this period, pay attention to the danger of burns, and cool down gradually. Do not immediately soak in a cold bath or cold shower. After each sauna, drink two to four glasses of cold water. If you feel unwell during the sauna, stop immediately. Hygiene-wise, it's best to put on flip-flops, sit on a towel, use and rinse off with a warm shower. EGA lifestyle!