A lot of the time, when we think of saunas, we picture physical relaxation, but saunas have more benefits than just improving your physical health. Saunas are not just great for your physical health, but they also have so many excellent benefits for your mental health.
While it is essential to take care of your physical health, it is equally important to take good care of your mental health. The truth is that most of the time, we are so conscious of our physical health that we often ignore our mental health. The truth is that when your mental health is in excellent condition, maintaining your physical and emotional health becomes much easier.
But, the question remains: How do saunas benefit your mental health?
Reduces stress and anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues that many people experience. Different factors can trigger this, and if left untreated, it can evolve into something much worse. If you often experience anxiety or are stressed, a visit to the sauna will leave you feeling better than ever.
Regular sauna helps reduce cortisol levels, which, in turn, helps to relieve stress and anxiety. When you sweat excessively, your frustration level reduces, and you become more mentally relaxed. Saunas also improve your stress resistance, so the more often you use the sauna, the less likely you are to feel stressed.
Fights chronic fatigue
If you constantly experience fatigue, it could be a symptom of an underlying physical problem. However, most of the time, fatigue is often a result of mental stress. Chronic fatigue can severely affect your sleep quality, memory, and cognition.
The good news is that indoor saunas are a great way to fight chronic fatigue and boost your energy levels. Saunas can also help improve brain and muscle circulation and promote nerve and muscle function, which helps reduce fatigue symptoms. The heat shock proteins activated during sauna sessions also help prevent muscle loss.
Improves mood and reduces depression
If you’ve been feeling blue or think you may be battling depression, you should try saunas. Saunas are an excellent treatment option for people struggling with depression. Several studies have found that saunas trigger your brain to produce and release euphoric hormones, leaving you feeling euphoric, thus significantly boosting your mood.
As little as one sauna session can leave you feeling happier and optimistic – this is why more therapists are starting to recommend sauna sessions as complementary treatment options for people with anxiety, extreme mood swings, and depression. Regular sauna sessions also help increase relaxation and improve overall mental health by triggering the release of hormones that make you feel happier and content. The best part is that the effects of these euphoric hormones tend to last for a while, making saunas an effective way to treat mood swings and depression.
Improves sleep
Sleep disorders can drastically reduce the quality of your health, both mentally and physically. Whether it’s sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome, or even insomnia, saunas can help treat and improve these disorders. Sauna sessions help you relax, which is excellent for having quality sleep. When you get quality sleep, your cognition and memory improve, as well as your mood.
The bottom line is that saunas help you fall asleep quickly, so you won’t have to spend the night tossing and turning in bed.
Takeaway
So, let’s recap some of the mental health benefits of saunas:
- Reduces stress and anxiety. Saunas are an excellent way to treat anxiety and build stress resistance.
- Fights chronic fatigue. Constant fatigue can be a symptom of a mental condition such as anxiety or depression.
- Improves mood and reduces depression. If you often experience mood swings or are feeling depressed, getting a sauna session can help lift your mood and leave you feeling happier.
- Improves sleep. If you often have trouble sleeping, then you should get more sauna sessions. Saunas trigger the release of hormones that will enhance sleep quality.
Taking care of your emotional health is very important, especially if you want to maintain excellent health in every aspect. No doubt, your mental health is more delicate than your physical health. But ensuring that you are always in a perfect state is not as difficult as you imagined. A sauna session may be all you need to get your mental health to an optimal level. So, don’t hesitate to try out a sauna session today. They are not only great for your mental health but also fun.
Dennis Relojo-Howell is the managing director of Psychreg.
