Positive and negative effects of taking a sauna
Of the millions of sauna-goers in Germany, a large percentage claim to benefit from the effects of taking a sauna regularly and to be even better protected against colds or flu. The positive effects of taking a sauna are based here on the training of the human body to adapt optimally to different temperatures. Through the change from high heat to short cold, the body learns, through the rapid regulation of its superficial vessels, not to freeze as quickly.
Thus, the body is better protected against cold, as one of the major risk factors for catching flu or cold viruses, and the body’s defensive capacity against the pathogens that cause colds is increased. However, going to the sauna is not suitable as a treatment for a cold. However, if the cold viruses do strike once, the protective effect of going to the sauna can quickly turn into a damaging effect.
Every cold demands maximum performance from our body. Our immune system has to work at its best to keep the pathogens at bay and to eradicate them, as well as our cardiovascular system, which has to do much more than that of a healthy body, especially when a fever occurs. If you have a slight cold without fever, a visit to the sauna, similar to a warm bath, can be quite pleasant and help to alleviate the symptoms.
If one should have a steam sauna nearby as an alternative, it is considered less stressful for the affected mucous membranes and should be preferred to the normal sauna. Similar to inhalation, the steam can make it easier to cough up mucus and allow you to breathe freely. Caution should be exercised in the case of a severe cold or even flu, especially if fever is involved.
In this case, the load limit for our body and the cardiovascular system is almost reached without a sauna and any additional stress such as that of a sauna session should be avoided at all costs in order not to completely overload the circulation and the heart. This advice must be followed especially by people who already have cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease or even a heart attack.In the worst case, taking a sauna can even lead to another heart attack or complete circulatory failure. Instead of going to the sauna, it is advisable to take it easy with a severe cold, at least for the time of the worst symptoms, before you could carefully start going to the sauna again once the symptoms have improved.
It is important to listen to the signals of the body and not to expect too much of yourself and at best to take longer breaks after sauna sessions, during which the body can recover. The repeated alternation of heat and cold stimulates the blood vessels in the skin and mucous membrane to expand and contract. This trains the vascular musculature and thus the body’s ability to regulate heat.
In the long term, this means that the body can adapt better to changing temperature conditions and cools down less quickly in cold weather, for example. The improved blood circulation in the mucous membranes also means that immune system defense cells can be transported more quickly, so that pathogens can be fended off directly on the spot. This therefore provides secondary protection against the development of bacterial and viral colds.
However, taking a sauna regularly also has other positive effects on physical health. In general, the circulation system is trained, metabolism and kidney function are improved and blood pressure is regulated. In addition, taking a sauna has a soothing effect on muscle tension, chronic asthma and chronic bronchitis, as well as rheumatic diseases.
