Key 2: Slow Down and Heat Up
Key Points:
1. Using heat for its various health benefits is a practice that has been going on for centuries.
2. Today, we can harness the benefits of heat by regularly using traditional or infrared saunas - research suggests that more frequent sauna use is generally associated with better health outcomes.
3. The benefits of heat include: improving cardiovascular health, reducing inflammation, decreasing the risk of neuro-degenerative disorders (like Alzheimer’s), and enhancing athletic performance.
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
Using heat to speed healing is a practice that spans centuries and cultures. When we expose ourselves to heat by way of traditional saunas or infrared saunas, a number of physiological changes have been reported, including increased bioavailability of nitric oxide that improves the flexibility of the walls of your blood vessels (the vascular endothelium), heat shock proteins (powerful proteins in the body that have a host of beneficial effects when activated), immune and hormonal pathway alterations, and enhanced excretions of toxicants through increased sweating. Below are just some of the benefits of heat on the body and brain:
Cardiovascular health. A study by Dr. Jari Laukkanen of the University of Eastern Finland suggests that people who engaged in frequent sauna use had reduced risks of fatal cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. The researchers also reported that people who took 2 to 3 saunas per week had better outcomes than those who took only 1 per week, and that 4 to 7 saunas per week had the highest association with survival and longevity. Similar results were found when it came to time spent per sauna use: longer exposures of 20 minutes or more appeared to be more protective.
Decreased inflammation. In addition to the cardiovascular benefits there may be positive health effects for people with inflammatory conditions. A recent review that summarized research on traditional Finnish and infrared saunas reported on the many benefits of heat exposure for people with rheumatic diseases such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, as well as patients with chronic fatigue and pain syndromes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and allergic rhinitis. When people with these health challenges took regular saunas (30 minutes at 73°C in 10 to 20% humidity), beneficial changes in blood, arterial stiffness, and cardiovascular system markers were all observed to improve.
Brain. There also appear to be powerful benefits for the brain. Research indicates that repeated sauna exposure also seems to decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. New research also shows that once the body has returned to baseline temperature after taking a sauna that some networks of neurons in the brain were more relaxed and some cognitive processes could be performed more efficiently. A lot more research is needed to tease out the effects of heat exposure on the brain, but these early results are interesting and exciting.
Athletic performance. Heat exposure also helps with adaptation that improves athletic performance. Think of it as training while you sit and relax in a really hot room! Benefits include increased growth hormone levels, muscle regrowth after training, increased blood volume, and increased overall endurance. So if you are into sports or training for an athletic event like a run, triathlon, or any other event, saunas and heat exposure should be something that you consider adding to your routine.
Note that although sauna bathing is safe for most people, there are risks. Contraindications to sauna bathing include unstable angina pectoris, recent myocardial infarction, and severe aortic stenosis. Check with your doctor to make sure saunas are safe for you. Also, alcohol consumption during sauna bathing increases the risk of hypotension, arrhythmia, and sudden death, so if you take a sauna, don’t drink any alcohol!
A Simple Heat Protocol to Help You Regenerate Better
In a perfect world a daily practice would be great, but just add what you can to your week. Remember: There is a dose-response effect with heat exposure. Even one session per week has shown benefits.
In terms of time, consider what you can build into your busy life and stick with consistently. Benefits have been shown with sessions that last less than 10 minutes, but there appears to be increased benefits at 11 to 19 minutes and even more at 20 to 29 minutes. Note that 30 minutes is the longest duration that I recommend mainly for safety reasons.
When it comes to temperature, most conventional sauna heaters warm the air to between 70° and 100°C, with an optimal temperature around 80°C at head level. Steam in saunas makes it harder to move heat out of the body and should be enjoyed at a lower temperature ranging from 60° to 70°C. Infrared saunas operate at even lower temperatures than traditional saunas, typically ranging from 45° to 60°C.
Today’s Call to Action: Time Shifts - I Have an Hour to Recharge
Refer again to the Time Shifts on page 27 in your Rest, Refocus, Recharge Workbook for some ideas on how enter into Theta brainwaves when you have an hour to recharge. Were you able to try out any of these ideas? Choose one that you can incorporate into your life this week. Or write down your own ideas in the Notes section on page 28 of the Rest, Refocus, Recharge Workbook. Good luck!
Today’s Bonus Video
Check out this video of Dr. Rhonda Patrick discussing how sauna can boost longevity.
The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.