Do modern people need a bath? How sauna affects the body

They don’t wash in the baths - they clean themselves there. And not only the body, but also the soul. This sacred ritual rids the body of harmful toxins and the head of negative thoughts.

From all over the world

People have guessed about the beneficial psychological effect of the bath for a long time. No wonder the famous ancient Roman baths looked more like palaces or temples, rather than utilitarian institutions for washing bodies. In addition to pools with water of different temperatures and massage rooms, the ancient baths had rooms for physical education, games and even music.

Almost every nation in the world has its own types of baths.

In the Turkish bath (hammam) the temperature is about the same as in the sauna - 70-100 degrees. Before the steam room, you need to visit a special room where you can warm up from the inside, treating yourself to fragrant Turkish coffee or tea. The floor in the steam room is heated to ensure an even temperature throughout the room. Part of the Turkish bath ceremony is a soap foam massage, the effect of which is not inferior to cosmetic peeling.

Japanese baths are group and individual. The first - sento - resemble large bathtubs in which several people sit at the same time. The second - ofuro - are large wooden barrels with very hot water. The barrel has a seat that allows a person to plunge into the water up to the neck. Since the Japanese like to steam hot, the sessions are quite short, taking only 5 minutes.

Finnish sauna refers to dry-air baths. Its peculiarity is the combination of high temperature (under 100 degrees) with low humidity (from 10 to 25%). For many people, breathing hot, dry air in a sauna is easier than enduring the high humidity of a Russian bath (75–100%).

The bath, in our opinion, is humid, since the air in it is mixed with steam, and the heat is more moderate (45–60 degrees). Due to this, sweat evaporation is slower. Therefore, even trained people are better off spending no more than 15 minutes in the steam room.

A traditional Russian banya is a log house with a dressing room and a steam room. The “black” bath is built with a hole in the roof and a hearth made of heated stones, on which you need to pour water, turning on the heat. Soot and soot in such a bath settles on the walls of the steam room and on the shelves, so you can get out of there blacker than it was before you washed. To steam "in white", you need a stove-heater with a chimney and a pipe. But pleasure and benefit can also be obtained from visiting the city bath.

Kind with healthy

A visit to the bath is perfectly reflected in the appearance. This procedure cleanses the skin of pathogenic bacteria and promotes effective renewal of the epidermis. Renewed skin contains up to 70% moisture, while keratinized, dead particles - only 10%. No wonder after the bath the skin is tender and soft, like a baby's. In addition, blood vessels expand in the bath, and, therefore, even a naturally pale-faced person leaves the steam room with a healthy and attractive blush.

But the steam room is worth visiting not for the sake of the cosmetic effect alone. The main purpose of the bath is to remove toxins from the body. Sweat glands on our body - from 2 to 5 million. Only on 1 cm2 of the palm - there are more than 370 of them, and on the same area of ​​​​the sole - over 360. Sweat glands remove moisture through the skin no less than the kidneys. It is estimated that in the bath a person loses from 0.5 to 1.5 liters of sweat. The bath restores the water-salt balance, improves metabolism, so regular trips to the bath are a great help for those who want to lose weight. During your stay in the steam room, not only excess fat “burns out”, but also cholesterol - the main provocateur of atherosclerosis and coronary disease hearts.

Contrasting temperatures tone the skin and strengthen blood vessels, protecting against heart disease. Bath procedures nourish tissues with oxygen, improve blood circulation, relax muscles and halve the content of lactic acid in them, which is formed during sports. Therefore, after an intense workout, it is very useful to take a steam bath - the next day the muscles will not hurt.

Sauna heat activates the work of the heart, lungs, improves blood quality: it increases hemoglobin and the number of red blood cells. Bath combined with massage is able to fill the deficit motor activity in people with sedentary occupations. And of course, a bath is an unsurpassed remedy for fatigue and stress.

Purification Ceremony

Steaming properly is not an easy task. You need to approach this matter thoroughly, without rushing. First stand under warm shower. But you should not wet your head - otherwise you can get a heat stroke in the steam room. After wiping dry the body, go to the steam room. To protect your hair from hot steam, put a cap on your head or wrap your hair with a towel.

The first entry into the steam room should not last more than 5 minutes. Go there next time not earlier than in 10-15 minutes. Now you can stay there longer, but even experienced visitors to the bath should not spend more than half an hour in the steam room, otherwise you will overload your heart. In between visits to the steam room, being in the dressing room, it is useful to drink plenty of fluids, restoring the water-salt balance.

But in no case should alcohol be taken during the bath procedure - this increases the load on the heart. By the way, you should not rush to the bath the next day after a stormy party. Under the influence of alcohol, the body already had to experience a serious strain on the heart and blood vessels, and in the bath, it is also forced to undergo temperature stress.

Steam should be lying down, and not sitting, and even more so not standing. In a horizontal position, the heat evenly affects the entire body. It is better to start steaming from the bottom shelf, then you can move higher, to where the heat is stronger.

Immediately after the steam room, it’s good to plunge into a cold font, or dive into a cool pool, or just stand under an ice shower. However, the cooling should be short-lived so as not to catch a cold. You need to wash with soap after the final entry into the steam room. It is not bad to take scrubs, anti-cellulite massagers with you to the bath. In the bath, their useful properties are tripled.

Important

It is useful to visit a steam room when a cold starts - having warmed up properly, you can prevent an impending disease. The bath is also recommended for people suffering from chronic rhinitis, bronchitis and laryngitis. The bath is necessary for problems with the joints, as well as for neurological ailments, because it is a good prevention of arthritis, radiculitis and myositis. However, at the time of exacerbation of these diseases, as well as with acute respiratory viral infections with a high temperature, a visit to the bath can only harm - increase the inflammatory process. Bath is contraindicated in violation of blood circulation and vascular insufficiency, heart disease, hypertension, acute inflammatory diseases.

By the way

Cooking a bath is not only a science, but also an art. Even about the choice of a broom, experts can talk for hours. Linden, fir, juniper, coniferous, birch, oak, eucalyptus, mountain ash, nettle ... You can't count them all! The meaning of the parka with a broom is not only in the massage effect, but also in forcing hot air to the body. There are several ways to use this important bath props. The body is stroked with a broom, whipped, whipped, rubbed, etc. Before use, it is advisable to steam the brooms so that the volatile substances contained in them can be released and better penetrate the body. If the broom is fresh, you just need to rinse it slightly, and it is ready. If dry, then first you need to rinse it, and then put it in a bowl of warm water. Steaming a broom in boiling water is harmful - the leaves will quickly fall off.

Personal opinion

Lera Kudryavtseva:

I don't like baths or saunas. After visiting them, my blood pressure rises and I feel bad. Therefore, I do without bath procedures.

Today, many fitness clubs offer their guests to use the sauna after an intense workout. The choice is striking in variety: at your service, and, and a Finnish sauna with dry steam, and a traditional Russian steam room ...

However, is exposure to high temperatures immediately after a workout really good for the body? Let's figure it out together.

What happens to the body in the sauna?

The principle of any sauna is a powerful thermal effect on the skin. For example, in a dry sauna, the temperature can reach 120°C! Burns are avoided by the low relative humidity of the air. In a humid sauna, the temperature is about 70 degrees at 90% humidity, so it can feel like a Russian bath is hotter. The least burden is created by staying in the hammam: at 100% humidity, the temperature in the Turkish bath is “only” 50 degrees.

In principle, the effect of a sauna after a workout is assessed by experts as positive. The fact is that the inevitable expansion under the influence of temperature blood vessels improves peripheral blood supply and makes the heart muscle work faster and more efficiently.

The need to maintain a constant temperature inside the body triggers the natural process of detoxification. At the same time, increased blood flow due to the expanded blood vessels helps to remove toxins from even the most inaccessible areas, such as bones and paranasal sinuses.

In addition, the accumulated is removed much faster in the sauna, which means that recovery after training occurs at an accelerated pace. blood circulation, as the body tries to maintain a constant basal body temperature. And the muscles themselves after the sauna, in the meantime, are released from the resulting stress, so that you literally feel with your skin how the tension gradually releases, giving way to the desired relaxation. By the way, after visiting the sauna and healthy sleep, most likely, you will not even feel it!

What's the catch?

Of course, a lot more can be said about the benefits of saunas and baths. ABOUT therapeutic effect steam rooms. However, there are situations when visiting the bath is contraindicated. You can read more about this in an article on our website:

Sauna contraindications

But even if you do not have any contraindications, it is worth taking into account a few useful tips about how to properly bathe after a workout.

1. During exercise, sweat is intense, so exposure to high temperatures immediately after exercise increases the risk of dehydration. Be sure to drink at least 700 ml of water before entering the steam room.
2. Do not exceed the recommended time spent in the sauna. For dry saunas, the “threshold” is 15-20 minutes; in a Turkish bath, you can stay a little longer.
3. When sitting in the sauna, be sure to use a towel. For public baths and saunas is a necessary hygiene requirement.
4. If you suddenly feel unwell, leave the steam room immediately, even if you just entered.
5. Once out of the steam room, take some time to stretch your muscles to remove the lactic acid residue and rest for a while before leaving the fitness club. Great solution will be a cup of green tea, drunk in a fitness bar. To restore the water balance, ordinary water without gas is also suitable. But alcohol after training should not be consumed.

Have a good workout!

Sweating has long been known for its useful properties. Studies by Harvard scientists have shown that the Mayan people had special buildings for thermal procedures as early as 3,000 years ago. In Finland, the tradition of steaming in the sauna goes back 1000 years. Russia is also known for its love of banya.

Why are baths and saunas so popular and do not give up their positions to this day? Despite the fact that thermal procedures have a number of limitations and even contraindications, in general, the sauna is beneficial for the body.

Sauna types

IN different countries baths and saunas are different from each other. Usually this is a room or a separate building, where the temperature rises to 70-100 degrees with the help of a wood-burning or electric stove. Body temperature can rise up to 40 degrees.

Traditional Finnish saunas- dry, and Turkish hammam and Russian bath - wet.

There are also infrared saunas, which can often be found in fitness centers or set up at home. In them, the air does not heat up, and the thermal effect is carried out on a person using infrared lamps.

Benefit for health

Regardless of the type of sauna, the effect on the body is almost the same with a few exceptions. When the body is heated, the heart rate increases, the vessels expand, blood circulation improves and blood pressure normalizes. Not only this, but also stress reduction affects the improvement of cardiac activity. The Finns have an expression "you go into the sauna and close the door to the rest of the world." Going to the sauna is like meditation. Of course, we are not talking about the Russian tradition of bathing with beer and salty snacks. You need to bathe in a calm, relaxed state, while drinking enough water, only then you can get real benefits.

A large-scale study in Finland, which lasted 20 years, showed that visiting the sauna 4-7 times a week by 63%, and 2-3 times a week by 22% reduces the risk of unexpected death from cardiovascular diseases.

Another Finnish study showed that there is an association between regular sauna use and a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia. There is no definite evidence for this yet, but statistics show that the sauna has a beneficial effect on brain health.

Pain relief

A visit to the steam room relaxes the muscles and relieves pain/discomfort in the joints. In the sauna, we release endorphins, which are natural painkillers. Improved blood circulation contributes to the rapid healing of injuries and muscle recovery. After serious physical exertion, visiting the sauna is undesirable, but taking a steam bath the next day will not only be pleasant, but also useful in order to put the muscles in order.

Slimming in the bath

Contrary to popular belief, sauna does not burn fat. But regular visits to the sauna really contribute to weight loss, as blood circulation and metabolism improve. Together with sweat, decay products are excreted, which prevent the body from functioning qualitatively. In addition, in the bath we lose a lot of fluid, and consequently, a certain number of kilograms.

Improved skin condition

If you regularly bathe, you will soon notice that the condition of the skin has improved significantly. This is facilitated by the improvement of blood circulation in general, the removal of toxins from sweat, relaxation, cleansing of the pores and the use of cosmetics intended for the bath. Before you go to steam, you should thoroughly cleanse the skin. After the first visit, you can use a peeling or scrub, and after the second - a clay-based cleansing mask. Such masks are not only for the face, but also for the body. After the sauna, do not forget to thoroughly moisturize the skin.

The Russian bath often involves a "massage" with brooms. This ritual not only improves blood circulation, but also helps to increase the movement of lymph, as well as cleanse the skin.

Safety

Studies in Finland, Canada and Japan have shown that 15 minutes in the sauna in most cases does not harm even those who have heart problems. If you can walk for 30 minutes or go up to the 3rd or 4th floor without stopping, then you can safely go steaming. But if in doubt, it is better to consult with a cardiologist.

If your pressure jumps, there is a strong arrhythmia, you have had a heart attack or heart surgery, it is better to refuse to visit the bath.

Drinking alcohol should be avoided before and during sauna visits. To avoid vascular problems, it's best not to experiment with an ice font or jumping into the snow. Many nations have these traditions, but cardiologists believe that for health of cardio-vascular system a contrast shower is better than such a sharp stress. Steam for no longer than 15-20 minutes, drink clean water or weak tea, and after the sauna, be sure to rest.

Bath is a wonderful place where many people go with great pleasure - families or friendly companies, just on a day off or to celebrate a solemn event. Why is a bath so useful that this procedure has been popular since ancient times to this day? In fact, the merits of a real Russian bath can hardly be overestimated. Taking a bath or shower will never give the same feeling of lightness, cleanliness and renewal as visiting a steam room. The bath is certainly useful for both physical and moral health, it is a great place to pay attention to yourself and your body, improve your health and improve your mood.

In order for the effect of the procedures to be maximum, it is worth visiting the bath about once a week. For hygiene purposes, you should take rubber slippers or slates, a bath mat on a bench and a personal basin with you. In order not to spoil the hair and not overheat the head, it will not be superfluous to purchase a special cap.

Note! Before entering the steam room, you should stand under a warm shower for a while or sit in the dressing room to warm up the body.

All about beneficial properties

Useful properties of the bath are in its effect on almost all organs and systems of the human body. It wonderfully restores and hardens the body, helps in improving immunity and thermoregulation.

First of all, you should visit the bathhouse at the first sign of a cold. The main thing is to sweat well in the steam room - in a well-steamed, hot bath, most of the pathogenic bacteria die, not only on the skin, but also in the internal organs. And if you splash eucalyptus, fir or birch infusion on hot stones, the rising steam will help clear your throat and nose.

Note! Bath procedures, due to the warming effect, are generally very useful for respiratory system what smokers should pay attention to.

With proper use of the bath, chronic respiratory diseases are alleviated, and in some cases even cured. In the steam room, be sure to use a broom - it pumps even more hot air, medicinal substances, evaporating from the leaves, destroy pathogenic microorganisms, and essential oils improve metabolism.

In addition, the bath is great for rheumatism, sciatica and other joint or muscle pain. Bath procedures are very useful for those who go in for sports, hard work, and experience high physical exertion. Bath as a whole improves the protective and adaptive capabilities of the body. It is useful to take a steam bath with sprains and dislocations, the bath helps the body in the regeneration of muscle tissues, dissolves salts deposited in the joints and warms up diseased bones.

The bath has a wonderful effect on the heart and blood vessels, improves physical performance. When alternating high and low temperatures, the heart muscle is strengthened, which reduces the risk of a heart attack.

Note! Heart patients should always consult a doctor before going to the bath.

Bath steam improves blood circulation, because capillaries and blood vessels begin to work better, saturating the body with oxygen and nutrients: blood stasis is eliminated and excess cholesterol is removed, settling on the walls of blood vessels.

Due to increased sweating, various toxins and slags are removed from the body in the bath, edema is reduced due to the unloading of the kidneys, and the effect lasts up to six hours after visiting the steam room. However, you should be careful - in order to avoid salt imbalance, you should not bathe after intense exercise associated with increased sweating.

Contrasting douches in the bath have a positive effect on the digestive system and intestines, and also contribute to weight loss.

A good bath is also good for the health of the psyche. Many, leaving the steam room, feel refreshed and rested, as if born again. This is due to the fact that while in a heated bath, blood flow to the brain weakens, which leads to a decrease in emotional activity and mental relaxation of the body. Headache and excessive nervousness disappear, unpleasant thoughts disappear, mood improves. That is why it is good to visit the bathhouse on the weekends - it perfectly eliminates the stress that has accumulated during the working week. It is very useful during the steam room to give an infusion of valerian, mint or motherwort on hot stones - they perfectly relieve nervous tension and promote restful sleep. However, if the procedure is carried out incorrectly, for example, if you stay in an overheated bath for too long, your health, on the contrary, may worsen - there will be a feeling of anxiety, fear, general weakness, sleep will deteriorate and appetite will decrease.

In the fight for beauty

And, of course, the bath is very useful for the skin. Cosmetics and polluted air have a very bad effect on her condition. At home, the skin is cleaned only superficially. However, in the bath, the pores open up, helping the skin to cleanse itself of toxins, old dirt and harmful substances. The rush of blood to the surface of the skin helps it recover, in addition, the work of the hair follicles improves, better. Bath heat kills pathogenic bacteria on the body. In addition, it is very good to walk on steamed skin with a broom, such as birch or oak. This will help improve the condition of inflamed skin, and with regular use, even relieve sweating. In addition, when using a broom, the entire skin is massaged, and the essential oils that are released from the leaves at this time improve metabolism and saturate the skin. useful substances, regenerate and disinfect it. With the help of a broom and hot steam, the dead layer of the skin is removed, it begins to breathe and rejuvenates from the inside, it becomes firm and elastic, regardless of skin type. For example, oily skin dries out a little, while dry skin, on the contrary, receives the nutrition and hydration it needs.

Thanks to a kind of "training" of the skin, the bath perfectly helps to fight the appearance of wrinkles and regulates the work. sebaceous glands. To strengthen the vessels after the steam room, it is good to douse with cool water. It will also have a positive effect on the scalp. Most importantly, be sure to wash yourself after visiting the steam room, otherwise everything harmful substances penetrate back into the skin. In general, while the skin is steamed, it is perfectly ready for various cosmetic procedures, which is very important for a woman. You can purchase special bath mittens, massage brushes and heel graters, apply a variety of scrubs and masks, both purchased and home cooking. By the way, anti-cellulite wraps and creams work great in the steam room. Hair, and the body, can be rinsed with water left over from steaming the broom for a better effect.

Note! Due to the improvement of metabolism, the removal of excess fluid from the body and a positive effect on gastrointestinal tract, bath procedures help to lose weight and correct the figure.

In general, visiting a steam room is useful for the female genitourinary system - a bath improves health after miscarriages and abortions, with violations of the uterus and ovaries, and other gynecological diseases. However, there are contraindications - for example, after recent operations, childbirth or in acute inflammatory processes. Before visiting the bath, be sure to consult a doctor. The bath very well alleviates the condition with menopause, removing the physical and moral disorders associated with it.

Also, the bath is useful for young girls, because with regular visits to the bath, the ligaments become more elastic, which will help during childbirth, and those who have already given birth improve lactation and relieve nervous tension. For pregnant women, a bath is useful in that it reduces swelling and improves blood circulation.

Of course, the bath is also useful for men. In addition to relieving tension and relieving pain in muscles and joints after heavy physical exertion, bath procedures perfectly help to harden and strengthen male body. Also, the bath has a positive effect on male potency, treats diseases of the genitourinary system and fights premature ejaculation. Most importantly, do not overdo it, because high temperatures negatively affect male reproductive capacity.

The bath room can be used to solve various problems that arise daily for the owner of a private house.

1. For its intended purpose: recreation, health improvement, communication with friends and relatives.

2. In summer time in the washing department you can bathe after working in the garden or garden and not bring dirt into the house.

3. It is convenient to store work clothes in the bathhouse and change clothes for seasonal work.

4. In the intervals between bath procedures (the bath is usually heated once a week), things, tools and garden equipment can be stored in the room.

5. On the terrace or in the sauna itself, you can relax during the day.

Designing a family bath

Convenient layout family bath

The bath is designed for 5 - 7 people. The size of the bath without a veranda is 3 x 6 meters, the steam room is 1.5 x 3 meters, washing department 2 x 3 meters, rest room 2.5 x 3 meters. On the image, the numbers indicate: 1 - sunbeds in the steam room on two levels, 2 - an oven for heating the steam room, 3 - a place for a shower, 4 - an electric or wood-fired water heater, 5 - a table in the relaxation room, 6 - benches, 7 - benches on the open veranda.

In the steam room, you need to place 2 sun loungers 40 - 50 centimeters wide. There should be free space around the stove, so it is safer for people and less likely to ignite wood. There is a minimum of free space, in the steam room most of the time people spend on sunbeds.

The size of the steam room depends on the way to bathe, if with brooms, then the steam room can be made larger.

The washing department is usually used by one person, so a width of 1.50 - 2 meters is enough. For washing, you can install a standard shower or make a simple shower with a sewer drain in the floor. We are planning shelves for shower accessories, bath brooms and at least one basin for steaming brooms.

We leave the maximum space for the rest room, in which we install wooden deck chairs along all free walls and a portable table. This layout allows you to relax after the steam room and use this room in between baths.

We build the foundation

Foundation for a small family bath for 5 - 7 people

The image indicates: A - the device of a separate support, B - the location of the supports relative to the walls, 1 - sand, 2 - concrete block, 3 - the approximate level of the ground, the height above the ground is about 40 centimeters.

A wooden bathhouse measuring 6 x 3 meters from a bar can be attributed to light buildings that do not require a capital strip or slab foundation. We will make the foundation for the bath from 6 supports, each of which consists of 2 concrete slabs approximately 300x300x600 mm in size. The sequence of building a foundation for a bath.

1. We mark the location of the walls of the bath on the ground, mark the corners and the middle of the long walls - this is the location of the supports.

2. In places where concrete blocks are located, we remove the top fertile soil layer, approximately 20-40 centimeters deep.

3. We make a sand cushion of 10 centimeters, it is better to use coarse river sand. Small gravel can be an alternative to sand.