[HN Gopher] Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan
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Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan
Author : allenleein
Score : 186 points
Date : 2021-09-11 14:50 UTC (8 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.sciencedirect.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.sciencedirect.com)
| PragmaticPulp wrote:
| Saunas are very interesting, but I think it's important to keep
| it in perspective: Many of the sauna papers theorize that the
| sauna might mimic some, though not all, of the positive effects
| of exercise:
|
| > Interestingly, many of the physiological responses to sauna use
| (described in detail below) are remarkably similar to those
| experienced during moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic
| exercise, and sauna use has been proposed as an alternative to
| aerobic exercise for people who are unable to engage in physical
| activity due to chronic disease or physical limitations
|
| If you don't have a sauna but you're looking for positive health
| benefits, some moderate intensity aerobic exercise could provide
| more health benefits anyway.
|
| Even heat shock proteins, which many people have come to
| associate with sauna use, are expressed during exercise.
|
| Of course, it's easier to sit in a sauna than to jog or run, but
| we should keep it in perspective: Saunas are currently at the
| peak of their hype cycle due to popularization on certain outlets
| like the Joe Rogan podcast. It's reminiscent of a few years ago
| when Reservatrol was all over podcasts and the news as a wonder
| supplement after popular media exaggerated the research. Exercise
| is still king.
|
| EDIT: Of course, both can be better than either one alone, but if
| you're limited on time and/or resources then don't feel left out:
| Exercise is much, much cheaper than a sauna.
| jxidjhdhdhdhfhf wrote:
| You can also go out for a run on a hot day during the summer
| and sweat your ass off. Feels bad and good at the same time.
| kiba wrote:
| It's not a dichotomy, plus you can get much hotter in a saunas
| then you can running. So it's not a completely analogous.
| newbamboo wrote:
| Both is better than just either.
| mirekrusin wrote:
| What about bikram yoga then?
| jpmattia wrote:
| Might as well skip to the end of the story and start training
| for Badwater.
|
| https://www.badwater.com/event/badwater-135/
| xriddle wrote:
| I've been wanting to build one for a while but I see so many pre-
| owned infrared saunas available on the cheap. Any consensus if
| it's just as good? The article references one study that used
| infrared that reported positive effect.
|
| https://www.cfp.ca/content/55/7/691.short
| emerongi wrote:
| If a friend were to invite me to an infrared sauna, I would not
| go.
| linux2647 wrote:
| My wife has an infrared sauna and loves it. I've used it a few
| times and it gets pretty hot. You sweat a lot, so I'm assuming
| it's getting the same effect
| frosted-flakes wrote:
| Maybe the same health effects, but definitely not the same
| experience. A traditional Finnish sauna isn't just a hot
| room; loyly (the steam that is created by throwing water on
| the hot rocks of the stove) is a core part of taking a sauna,
| and that's missing in an infrared sauna.
| sergers wrote:
| I would agree...
|
| Bought a 3 person infrared sauna (through Costco) for about
| 1600$ 12 years ago.
|
| There were periods we didn't use it but generally at least
| a couple times a week.
|
| Gets you hot, helps you sweat, can be relaxing in itself.
|
| But it's not same 'experience' as a traditional sauna.
|
| I would probably say it was one of the best purchases I
| have made based on how much we used it, still running
| strong, has definately helped us over the years.
| amelius wrote:
| Some people install them in their shower.
| botolo wrote:
| I wonder if this could be the same with hot yoga. I had a session
| yesterday for the first time, and I sweat like never before.
| moneywoes wrote:
| Where does someone find a sauna in our Covid times?
| lhorie wrote:
| Buy a portable japanese ofuro tub and heater. You can get a
| reasonable setup for less than $1000 and they are specifically
| designed to fit in small spaces (like box showers)
| ARandomerDude wrote:
| Texas or Florida.
| itronitron wrote:
| Seriously, in many part of the world during the summer you
| can just go outside. Although I wonder what the relative
| humidity is of a typical sauna and where it falls on the
| spectrum between Southeastern to Southwestern US.
| treme wrote:
| they have dinky portable ones on amazon for few hundred.
|
| It's great for sweating out, not sure about how vetted the
| build material is given that silver colored coating insides of
| fabric seems to rub off.
|
| also, can't remember the source but I believe excessive use
| (everyday, 30m+) contributes poorly to testicle health, to the
| point of making you infertile for a while. I imagine optimal
| sauna usage would involve using an icepack or alike if you did
| it everyday.
| tsukikage wrote:
| Build one in your back yard. At the end of the day, it's a shed
| with a bench, a heater and a bunch of rocks. It might be good
| for your health or it might be woo, but at least you'll have a
| sauna and that's its own reward.
| NullPrefix wrote:
| inb4 all the city folk with no back yards.
| Johnny555 wrote:
| My townhouse neighbor had one built on her back deck - it's
| small, looks like only a single person can use it at a
| time, but it fits nicely on her deck, and only needs a 120V
| outlet.
|
| You can also find portable indoor saunas:
|
| https://www.amazon.com/portable-saunas-
| home/s?k=portable+sau...
| nazgulnarsil wrote:
| I had no idea these were so cheap. One of these followed
| by a cool shower sounds amazing. Thanks for linking.
| dragonwriter wrote:
| At home, if one is rich enough.
| olyjohn wrote:
| Or if you have half a clue, and can watch YouTube, you could
| probably build one pretty cheap.
| dragonwriter wrote:
| Sure, if you have both control of property adequate to be
| allowed to build one and surplus space to build one. The
| cost of actually constructing it isn't the only thing
| wealth is relevant to.
| xwdv wrote:
| Not too rich, just have an extra bathroom you can convert or
| something.
| tluyben2 wrote:
| As it is not easy to feel the real meaning of comments over
| the internet: rich enough is very vague, but being rich to do
| this, in life, means inflexible, whether by circumstance or
| choice. On HN it is mostly choice: people say only the rich
| can afford it because they themselces choose to live
| somewhere where you have to be extremely wealthy to have
| space. With wfh, you can get nice houses with gardens, or, in
| some countries huge swats of land with a villa or multiple
| houses for 3-6 months pay at a faang. I get people don't want
| that: I thought it was for old folk until I lived in such a
| place for a 6 month sabbatical. I never left.
| dementik wrote:
| ..or a Finn. Almost every household in Finland has own sauna.
| mushishi wrote:
| Really? I doubt that. Perhaps most buildings, as storey
| buildings do often have a shared sauna. As an anecdote, I
| have lived perhaps in 6 rented apartments, and two of them
| had a sauna, and I don't think I decidedly chose non-sauna
| option.
|
| Here's some article in Finnish about the current trend that
| new apartments don't necessarily have a sauna:
| https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9393813
|
| It could be that most households have but also I've seen an
| article that people use them plainly as storage rooms.
| rebuilder wrote:
| And that YLE article about a trend change is after there
| was a recent-ish trend to _start_ building saunas in
| apartments. So older apartments don 't have saunas unless
| retrofitted, and newer ones are starting to be less
| likely to have them.
| frosted-flakes wrote:
| Yes, really.
| mushishi wrote:
| Quick search gives 1.720 million saunas in apartments
| (total 2.3). So your claim sounds about right.
|
| https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_asuminen_e
| n.h...
| fsloth wrote:
| As a Finn I can agree with this sentiment. It's a cultural
| thing. And we are not a filthy rich nation.
| ng55QPSK wrote:
| There is this story, that on the 1936 Olympics in Berlin,
| the finish athletic team arrived and started to build a
| sauna, because it was missing.
| [deleted]
| computador wrote:
| As I am sweating while writing this note, may I recommend
| Dakar/Senegal where you can have free sauna anywhere. If you
| step outside, you also get a free tanning session.
| ng55QPSK wrote:
| A reasonable sauna temperature is 80degC, a lot of people
| prefer the 90..95degC range. I have some doubts you reach
| this without tricks in Senegal.
| karottenreibe wrote:
| I bet a few concave mirrors can get the job done!
| seniorsassycat wrote:
| The spas in Seattle are open. Imo they charge a lot for a sauna
| but it's a nice occasional treat
| ecshafer wrote:
| The gym. My gym's sauna is open, I presume you have a gym with
| a sauna nearby that you can go to.
| AndrewUnmuted wrote:
| I am sure all the gym owners in the US would love to open their
| saunas up for use.
|
| They surely aren't supportive of the current situation during
| these "Covid times." It only takes our collective will and
| resolve to allow our businesses to reopen, without restrictions
| and without guilt, shame, and fear of reprisal.
| Ekaros wrote:
| Sauna itself with proper temperature 80 Celsius(353K) would
| likely be one of the most safe places for Covid
| transformation. On other hand risk around showers and
| changing rooms are likely quite a lot higher.
| ecshafer wrote:
| Where are you that the gyms aren't open? I've been going to
| my Gym's sauna for 4 months now that its been open. I am
| vaccinated, the masks are optional in the gym, and its a
| great relaxing experience after work.
| mensetmanusman wrote:
| I prefer steam rooms. If I am in there for 30 minutes I notice my
| IT bands in the legs are as loose as if I had stretched for an
| hour.
| loonster wrote:
| Its much easier to overheat in a wet sauna.
| [deleted]
| dwaltrip wrote:
| Does anyone have other good resources on what saunas do to the
| body? I just started using the one at my climbing gym and was
| pretty amazed at how I felt afterwards. It's really nice. I'm
| very curious what is happening physiologically.
| [deleted]
| sdfjkl wrote:
| Is there an energy efficient type of Sauna yet? It seems a huge
| waste of energy to heat a room to such high temperatures, using
| it for maybe an hour and then let it all puff away.
| ng55QPSK wrote:
| I remember heating a small sauna at a friends' house with wood
| (something like 3 square meters), you don't need much if the
| sauna is reasonably isolated to the outside.
| tmpz22 wrote:
| https://www.google.com/search?q=are+saunas+energy+efficient
| frosted-flakes wrote:
| The rooms are small though. Is it a waste of energy to heat an
| entire oven to bake a cake, only to let the heat all puff away?
| It would only be a waste if you heated the sauna, but then
| didn't use it.
| ng55QPSK wrote:
| We asked a finish colleague about smoke sauna (you heat with wood
| and a part of the smoke is lead inside), about details and
| reason.
|
| Answer: We don't need a reason for sauna.
| nabla9 wrote:
| Former US ambassador to Finland, Bruce Oreck had an unusual
| smoke sauna experience
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogQW27oJ3YU
|
| To be clear: The smoke comes inside only when you heat the
| sauna and goes out trough small opening in the wall. You bath
| after the fire is out, not when the sauna is full of smoke.
|
| What is left is the smell of smoke in the walls.
| emerongi wrote:
| This is correct, however you will still breathe in smoke
| "residue", which can be a bit uncomfortable and it will also
| cling to your body/hair. Even if you wash thoroughly after
| the sauna, you will notice a smoke smell on your hair.
|
| A smoke sauna is just an inferior version of the modern
| Finnish sauna. It's a bit of a hassle to prepare and I
| personally dislike the "smoke effect".
| nabla9 wrote:
| I agree.
|
| So called "aitokiuas" type stoves replicates the gentle
| heat feeling that comes from heat storing smoke sauna
| without the smoke. They can be electric or wood stoves.
|
| https://narvi.fi/en/product/aitokiuas-ak47-ak57k/
| trutannus wrote:
| Estonians also are big on saunas. I could not find a single
| property listing which did not include a sauna. Guess I'll have
| to get into saunas...
| pasiaj wrote:
| Finns rarely discuss or think about benefits or reasons for
| taking a sauna.
|
| Most Finns are accustomed to going to sauna weekly. It's such
| an ingrained part of our live that don't really think about it.
|
| We've got 5 million people and 2,5 million saunas.
|
| Sauna is free from distractions like electronics, it's free of
| associations relating to productivity and work, so it becomes a
| meditation of sorts, but we usually don't try to make it so.
|
| Sauna is sauna. Sauna's purpose is sauna. The benefit of sauna
| is sauna.
| neocodesoftware wrote:
| thats a direct quote from the miracle of mindfulness
| vanderZwan wrote:
| That is a more verbose reply than I would have expected in
| response to a question like that, and I'm not even joking
| gorkempacaci wrote:
| I take it you have't met many Finnish people.
| vanderZwan wrote:
| I live in Sweden, so I have, and most of them would have
| just given me the Finnish piercing blank stare of "why are
| you hurting my brain with stupid questions like that?"
| rebuilder wrote:
| That's not exactly what a smoke sauna is. It's a sauna with a
| big load of stone that's heated up over a long time. There's no
| chimney, so once the heating is done and the fire has died out,
| the smoke is aired out. The large thermal mass of the stone
| keeps the sauna hot.
|
| As for the reason, the design is just really old. It's how you
| heat a sauna when you don't have a chimney. As a side effect,
| the long heating, the large thermal mass, and supposedly the
| soot that collects on the walls combine to produce a reputedly
| smoother experience with the heat seeming to be more even than
| in a more modern sauna.
| ng55QPSK wrote:
| You are right, i was short on the description. But main point
| is: There is no point in asking questions.
| Ilikesauna wrote:
| Most saunas are great. I had the opportunity to restore a
| 100+ yr smoke sauna[0] some years ago. Definitely a more
| special experience in the smoke sauna imo. But im biased :)
| [0]http://www.siimut.ee/cv/gal-sauna/
| throwawaysea wrote:
| During COVID do public saunas require masks? Is that safe given
| the hot conditions? More generally what do sauna experienced
| people suggest we look for in selecting a place?
| allenleein wrote:
| Sauna saved my life in some way.
|
| I was suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for almost a
| year in 2019. I was devastated both physically and mentally.
|
| Two months before COVID, after watched Laird Hamilton's interview
| about Sauna, I started to do Sauna 20mins-25mins and practice
| meditation every day after a workout. After doing it for three
| months, I fully recovered from the IPF.
| cma wrote:
| Did it stop progressing, or did the sauna reverse the scar
| tissue?
| allenleein wrote:
| It only stops progressing. According to my doctor, the scar
| tissue is impossible to reverse. Luckily, It didn't affect my
| cardiovascular ability. I can still surf big waves like a
| normal surfer.
| keshet wrote:
| I recently saw an article about reversing fibrosis in mouse
| studies using an FDA-approved drug, e.g.: https://www.scien
| cedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210823170126.h...
|
| If I google "pulmonary fibrosis reversal" a number of
| things come up although they all appear to still be in the
| research phase. Never say never.
| iombi3 wrote:
| Sponsored by sauna businesses
| fsloth wrote:
| Actually there is lots of peer reviewed research supporting the
| idea that sauna is good for you. E.g.
|
| https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...
|
| This is by Finnish researchers. Finland has no "sauna industry"
| that would need lobbying, everyone basically has one or has
| access to one alredy.
| paulcole wrote:
| This is kind of like why in America there's no advertising
| for sodas because everyone buys them already.
| fsloth wrote:
| That's just it. In Finland sauna is something that is an
| expected utility in a house like a bedroom or toilet. So
| while there is research in how sleep or toilet behaviour
| affects health, there is no "bedroom" industry trying to
| upsell the benefit of having a distinct room for your bed,
| or a toilet industry convincing you it's a good idea to use
| the loo.
| ng55QPSK wrote:
| btw: It's only a rumor that every Nokia office has a sauna.
| cromulent wrote:
| "Rhonda P. Patrick, Ph.D. and Teresa L. Johnson receive funding
| from FoundMyFitness.com, a science journalism website."
| [deleted]
| reactspa wrote:
| Rhonda Patrick actually founded FoundMyFitness.com .
|
| Is there a name for this? ... when people try to get their
| views to look more legitimate by claiming their research
| received grants from legit-sounding institutions that they
| also happen to own? Dean Ornish and Deepak Chopra are some of
| the originators of this concept.
| ycstohley wrote:
| Rhonda IS FoundmyFitness you absolute numpty. Me cago en la
| leche de tu puta madre
| arisAlexis wrote:
| I am frequently paranoid about things that people don't think.
| One of those is inhaling microparticles from whatever
| wood/plastic combos get overheated there.
| bagacrap wrote:
| but if that were really a problem wouldn't the effect show up
| in studies
| teucris wrote:
| Did anyone else think of Jitterbug Perfume[0] when they read this
| headline?
|
| 0: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitterbug_Perfume
| SuoDuanDao wrote:
| Huh. Never heard of that novel, but now I'm wondering why
| perfume seems to feature so frequently in french-influenced
| literature.
| mastax wrote:
| From what I remember of Veritasium's video on ageing
| (https://youtu.be/QRt7LjqJ45k) there is evidence to support the
| idea that various activities which are stressful for the body are
| good at slowing or even reversing ageing. They mentioned fasting,
| aerobic exercise, and exposure to cold temperatures, so it would
| make sense to me that saunas would work similarly.
| jahnu wrote:
| Great Interview here which touches on that too
|
| https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000w9t5
| [deleted]
| sabujp wrote:
| veritasium has a video about this that basically says the same
| thing about stressing the body (e.g. expose yourself to cold, eat
| less protein, do strenuous exercise) :
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRt7LjqJ45k , extreme heat would
| probably also have the same effect
| albertzeyer wrote:
| I go to the sauna regularly for over 30 years now. My parents
| have a Finish electric dry sauna at home in Germany. Also we did
| vacation in Finland regularly. And I lived in Finland for a year.
|
| Sometime in the 90ties, saunas became quite common in Germany for
| some reason. Initially it was only some single saunas in addition
| to some fun pool. Later that expanded to more and more saunas,
| and then we got whole sauna areas with 10-20 different saunas,
| and they became very common. We have many of such places now in
| every bigger city. Those sauna areas have lots of events like
| putting water with different herbs on the hot stones every 30
| minutes in different saunas, where you also get fresh fruits,
| drinks or other things. These 10-20 saunas cover all common
| styles like Finish, Russian, Turkish, and many others.
|
| We also have a sauna at our university in Germany (probably also
| not really uncommon).
|
| It's not just very relaxing. Which by itself is already very
| nice. Esp also after some extensive sport session.
|
| But it's also a very nice social event. At the university, it's
| always nice to chat with lots of different people. When I lived
| in Finland (Erasmus), we also had a sauna at our student hostel,
| and basically every other place as well. It was always a regular
| event.
|
| It's also interesting to see the cultural differences.
|
| In Germany, everyone is naked, and the atmosphere varies a lot,
| depending where you go. Often it's quiet (more expensive public
| places), sometimes it's chatty (e.g. university), sometimes it
| can be annoying (cheap public places).
|
| In Finland, you also have public saunas, but nothing like these
| big sauna areas like in Germany. It's usually 1-3 saunas, and you
| wear swimming trunks. The student hostel sauna was probably a bit
| special due to the Erasmus students. Sometimes we went with other
| Finish students to their private saunas. They usually put lots of
| water on the hot stones.
|
| I also visited a friend once in Russia in Yekaterinburg. We also
| went to sauna a lot with other local friends of him, and also in
| our hotel. Russians put even much more water on the hot stones,
| and usually stay shorter in it (10 minutes or so), but make it
| hotter, and go more often.
|
| That was just my experience.
| awillen wrote:
| What is an infusion in this context?
| albertzeyer wrote:
| Ah that might be a bad translation from German. When you put
| water on the hot stones, to get some steam.
|
| I just checked the English Wikipedia on sauna
| (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauna) and it seems that the
| English language does not have a word for this?
| jonahbenton wrote:
| Am curious about comparatives between sauna and cryo. Extremes of
| all kinds encourage certain protective/restorative responses in
| these biological machines.
| ReptileMan wrote:
| Why not both? Usually during the winter you have access to
| extremely cold showers. Where I live it is what we do - fight
| with snowballs outside or in the pool and then in the sauna
| hkt wrote:
| ..where do you live? Sounds like a great tradition!
| bitL wrote:
| Do both in a series, e.g. 5x sauna interleaved with 5x cryo.
| That works wonders but you need to get used to it so start
| slowly.
| DeBraid wrote:
| > Heat shock proteins are produced by cells in response to
| exposure to stressful conditions (heat, cold, UV light, and
| during wound healing or tissue remodeling)
|
| > Many members of this group function to stabilize new proteins
| to ensure correct folding or by helping to refold proteins that
| were damaged by the cell stress.
|
| Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_shock_protein
| OrvalWintermute wrote:
| I have read numerous things about the benfits of sauna, and
| fairly minimal downsides if healthy, and not mixed with
| drugs/alcohol and done in moderation.
|
| Although I love cold weather, and grew up some years in a
| fairly cold area, the concern I have about varying cryo
| treatment is the difference between passive cryo, and active
| cryo therapies involving exertion. This because of the well-
| known relationship between cold and heart attacks stemming from
| exercise with cold, often seen in snow shoveling [1], [2].
|
| [1] https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/how-
| to/cold-...
|
| [2] https://www.clevelandheartlab.com/blog/the-heart-risk-
| that-c...
| throw1234651234 wrote:
| I feel like there is a balance here somewhere that the
| proponents never talk about - there is definitely a too much.
| Also, as with anything, the benefits are vastly overstated.
| Tangentially related - cold showers - when you read about them,
| it's some magic thing, when you do it, you just get used to it
| in a couple of days and it doesn't do much anything for you.
|
| Fasting for 3 days (with water). Nothing happens. You maybe
| lose half a pound of fat if you walk for 4+ hours on the last
| day.
|
| Etc.
|
| Anyway, the core point is that there is a significant shock if
| you jump from a sauna into a cold pool. Don't try it after
| reading and then get a heart attack.
| nyjah wrote:
| I sauna every single day. I started about 4 years ago. When I got
| my sauna I could only go for 2-3 minutes at time without having
| to take a break. Now I am comfortable for 15 minutes and
| struggling for last 5-7 minutes. I usually go 20-22 minutes at
| 175-195F. I enjoy it, I have no idea if there are major health
| effects. Its always rejuvenating in the moment and relaxing
| after.
|
| I bought an old school one. I ordered from
| https://almostheaven.com/ and it was a great delivery experience
| so I recommend them, but there are plenty of other sauna
| companies out there. And the infrared is just not something I am
| familiar with so I stayed away. I purchased the small 4 person
| sauna, but got the bigger heater to get it hotter quicker. I
| don't regret it, but I don't recommend it either.
| SOLAR_FIELDS wrote:
| I actually just built a 6 person one from the same vendor last
| week and am extraordinarily happy with it. There were some
| minor flaws (the packing on the pallet was undesirable and
| several of the staves were warped) but overall it is a good
| product from a reputable vendor that I feel like I will use for
| the rest of my life.
| nyjah wrote:
| Nice. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed mine.
| Some tips if you are a newbie:
|
| -when you get in: splash some water on your jewelry. -And
| bathrobes. Love a good wrap in a bathrobe after a sauna.
| criddell wrote:
| Did you have a room in your house that you used, or is an
| outdoor sauna?
|
| I thought about an outdoor sauna but I'm worried it would
| become just another insect and spider habitat that I don't want
| to go near...
| jliptzin wrote:
| I have the same unit from them, it's great. But I am worried
| about how long it will last - is yours covered or did you add
| any protective coating to the outside wood?
| nyjah wrote:
| Outside wood? Is your sauna outside? Or the wood on the
| outside of the sauna?
|
| I didn't protect mine, just put it together from the factory.
| But mine is indoors. I think the wood will need replacing
| within the next 4 years probably, but the heater seems like
| it will last forever.
| brutopia wrote:
| Just use it weekly and let the stove run hot an hour more
| after you're done if there's any hint of moistness in the
| wood. It's better to never turn the heat off immediately
| after using. I'm a finn and the thing looks very proper with
| the harvia stove and all
| nyjah wrote:
| This is such a great tip! Thank you!! I think this will
| make a big difference and I can't believe I haven't been
| doing this. I do run a dehumidifier in my basement where
| the sauna is located, but I think keeping the heat on for
| an hour after is a game changer for longevity.
|
| A couple of the things that surprised me when I got my
| sauna was how gross it is. For me, I am lucky its a
| personal sauna. I sweat everywhere. And people think of
| saunas and they think of a spa, but its a workout and
| mental challenge for me every single time.
| brutopia wrote:
| I would recommend to move it outside as there's probably
| not enough ventilation for it to dry between uses. The
| sweat should vaporize without trace almost within minutes
| when the stove is hot. It doesn't need cover outside and
| can handle rain and snow no problem. Just don't let it
| get buried in snow for extended periods of time. The
| possible electric connections need to be protected from
| water though.
| nyjah wrote:
| The sweat does vaporize, but I still think keeping it hot
| helps to clean it maybe? I also like the smell of a hot
| sauna. The main reason I don't do that and I run the
| dehumidifier is that I like to flip the power off to the
| sauna at the panel when I am done, just in case. The
| dehumidifier is heavy duty fwiw.
| hutzlibu wrote:
| Yes, it can be gross. Thats why there are rules in public
| saunas, like shower before. Use a towel. Shower after
| before jumping into the cold basin, ...
|
| But I still would prefer my personal sauna
| Geee wrote:
| Always shower beforehand, sit on a towel or a tissue,
| afterwards rinse the benches with some water. Wash the
| sauna more properly a few times a year or so.
|
| It sounds like it's too hot if it's a workout and a
| mental challenge every time. It should be mostly
| relaxing. Get out when it starts getting painful.
| MaxikCZ wrote:
| > got the bigger heater to get it hotter quicker. I don't
| regret it, but I don't recommend it either.
|
| Any speccific inconveniences with oversized heater?
| nyjah wrote:
| No. When its super hot and getting towards the end, the mind
| starts to say 'stupid me, its too much heat from the
| oversized heater' but when I am back to rational, I don't
| think thats the case. I just don't think I am saving that
| much time, so not sure if it was necessary.
| mikepurvis wrote:
| I hot tub at 100F, but the sauna is a lot hotter than that,
| wow! And I'm only in once or twice a week, definitely not
| daily.
| konart wrote:
| Google tells me 100F is just 37,8C. This is pretty damn cold
| for a tub, no? Just a bit warmer than body temperature.
| bengale wrote:
| I have my hottub at 40C which is hot when you get in but
| comfortable to sit in for a while.
| liketochill wrote:
| Me too I keep mine at 104 F
| naasking wrote:
| Have you tried walking outside in 37.8 C weather? It's
| blistering hot. Your body should be quite a bit warmer than
| the environment because we have to radiate heat away to
| preserve homeostasis. 21 C is a comfortable room
| temperature.
| Mikeb85 wrote:
| Water's specific heat capacity is such that you feel the
| temperature right away. I've been in 39 degree hot springs
| and it's almost too hot.
| Johnny555 wrote:
| I find 100F to be pretty warm for the hot tub, after 15
| minutes I'm too warm and ready to get out (or sit up on the
| top step to cool off).
|
| We usually keep it at 101F in the winter (since it feels
| nice to walk out in the cold and soak for 15 minutes) and
| 98 in the summer -- at 97 I can stay in indefinitely, but
| my wife gets cold at 15 minutes, so 98 is a compromise.
|
| I wonder if a 100 degree hot tub has a similar benefit as a
| hot sauna.
| im3w1l wrote:
| Water conducts heat better than air. It also disables cooling
| by perspiration.
| mikepurvis wrote:
| Yeah, I think most tubs are hard limited at 104 for safety
| reasons.
| ukutaht2 wrote:
| Do you live in the states? I live in Estonia and these are the
| types of Saunas you see eveywhere. These days more factories
| are popping up with more interesting/modern takes on the
| traditional sauna.
|
| Shameless plug for my brother who started building luxury
| saunas during lockdown and they ship worldwide. Check out
| https://haljas.com
| stevekemp wrote:
| I moved to Finland, and soon settled into a routine of going
| twice a week. Generally a session lasts for an hour or ninety-
| minutes:
|
| * Take a shower.
|
| * Go to the sauna, and sit there for 10-15 minutes. Temperature
| around 95-100.
|
| * Come out, drink a beer, sometimes in the lobby, sometimes on
| the balcony, sometimes outdoors wrapped in a towel. The latter
| is especially satisfying in winter when the outdoor temperature
| is -15, -20, or so.
|
| * Have a shower, and go back inside.
|
| The process repeats 2-4 times, until I'm nice and relaxed.
| Monday & Friday is my average routine, but if friends are
| coming over I might do an extra session.
| trhway wrote:
| >Temperature around 95-100.
|
| lucky bastards. Judging that such setting is everywhere here
| in US, it looks like some public standard prohibit higher
| than 160 or something like this. Playing with the temperature
| sensors (like cold toweling it) i usually can get it to only
| 180-190F at some places with 195F (90C) at best.
| olegious wrote:
| Just cover the internal thermometer with a wet towel or
| sock, that lets the temp rise beyond the low limits they
| set.
| stevekemp wrote:
| There are often mini-saunas at the local swimming pools
| which have similarly underwhelming temperatures.
|
| They're nice, but they're not as nice. (Though I suspect in
| my case at least partly because if I go to a pool I often
| have a five year old with me, and he wants to leave very
| quickly - plus I've come to associate drinking beer with
| being near a sauna!)
| Gravityloss wrote:
| 95-100 C is hot. I prefer 65-70 C. Depends on sauna,
| moisture, ventilation etc though.
| arisAlexis wrote:
| If you are drinking 3 beers during your breaks forget any
| health benefit my friend
| dharmaturtle wrote:
| I built a super cheap "traditional" dry sauna. It's basically
| an electric burner, a pot to increase surface area and
| humidity, a 25 foot roll of thermal foil, and a sleeping bag as
| the ceiling. I disassembled the burner, removed all the plastic
| pieces, and short circuited the safety cutoff. It's jank AF,
| but in the end less than 100$. AFAIK there aren't any dry
| saunas under $1000 - the heater alone is ~$200. Mine is also
| portable, so it's in the garage in summer and in the laundry
| room in winter. There are portable infrared saunas for ~$100,
| but most studies are on the "dry" type. I rubber band a block
| of ice to my phone and do my reading/social media in there, so
| the time cost is reduced.
|
| https://i.imgur.com/Lml7Vms.jpg
|
| About 1 year in and I haven't burned down the house... yet.
| koolba wrote:
| So you pull that tube over yourself and then cover the top
| with the sleeping bag? No worries about air circulation or
| passing out? Is it pitch black in there?
| dharmaturtle wrote:
| > So you pull that tube over yourself and then cover the
| top with the sleeping bag?
|
| Yep. Ghetto AF. That's why the chair is there to elevate
| the sleeping bag - otherwise I wouldn't be able to reach
| the sleeping bag from inside the tube.
|
| > No worries about air circulation or passing out?
|
| Circulation is fine. It's far from airtight - air creeps in
| from the bottom through the cracks, and I can always just
| open a small hole in the "ceiling" if needed. Never done it
| though cause it doesn't get stuffy. Haven't passed out,
| though that would be seriously dangerous since the heating
| element is exposed and I'd likely be burned.
|
| > Is it pitch black in there?
|
| Yes, so that's why there's a nightlight on an extension
| cable in the pic. Also a flashlight on my phone.
| hkt wrote:
| If the benefits come from mild hyperthermia, doesn't that mean
| they can also be achieved by having a bath that is slightly too
| hot?
| sova wrote:
| Yes, I think they would be about the same, although when you
| sweat in a sauna it goes to the floor, whereas in a bathtub it
| hangs out in the bathwater. So as far as cleansing of toxins
| goes, maybe one is better than the other. There was another
| article exploring the Japanese custom of bathing at onsen, and
| how it is also loosely linked to extended lifespan, so I
| believe you are correct with your statement.
| eli wrote:
| Toxins?
| jwiz wrote:
| They are like evil spirits.
| brianwawok wrote:
| I believe there are some heavy metals that you can only
| really get out of your body via sweating. But "granola"
| people have built up a whole story about sweating and toxin
| clearing that AFAIK has no basis in science.
| NavinF wrote:
| Citation needed for that first part. A quick google says
| there is no evidence that sweating out toxins improves
| health and the liver and kidneys remove far more toxins
| than sweat glands
| brianwawok wrote:
| Right it's right up there with getting your back cracked
| to improve digestion
|
| https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/w
| ell...
| sova wrote:
| It's probably hard to measure, but subjectively one feels
| better and thinks more clearly, so call it what you will.
| Saying that something is not affirmed by science is not
| equivalent to saying it is denied by science.
| sova wrote:
| Fresh air is usually nicer than stale, old air. And when
| one sweats out "old water" it gets replaced by the fresh
| water one intakes. I bet if we collected enough sweat from
| sauna-goers and sprinters we would find things in it that
| you would rather have not in your body. Of course, I can
| already hear the chorus of indolence cheer "there's no
| science to support this claim" and yet there is also no
| science to deny it. The body is a gigantic circulatory
| system, out with the old, in with the new, I don't see why
| it would be any different with sweat.
| MauranKilom wrote:
| > Yes, I think they would be about the same, although when
| you sweat in a sauna it goes to the floor, whereas in a
| bathtub it hangs out in the bathwater. So as far as cleansing
| of toxins goes, maybe one is better than the other.
|
| This seems nonsensical. During the activity, bathing has your
| sweat diluted by a factor of at least 100, whereas your skin
| remains covered in sweat in a sauna. Afterwards, you remove
| the sweat (rinsing and/or towel) in both cases.
| yazaddaruvala wrote:
| Dry saunas don't work this way.
|
| Your sweat in a dry sauna is a way for your body to cool
| itself, while you always "feel wet" you're actually
| constantly evaporating sweat off you.
|
| In fact, if you ever stop sweating in a dry sauna, leave.
| You are de-hydrated and it's no longer safe for you in a
| sauna.
| zkelvin wrote:
| No, it wouldn't.
|
| Health benefits from dry sauna start at a minimum of around
| 170oF, but more typically at 180oF, and often up to 195oF. A
| "slightly too hot bath" would be around maybe 110oF. Water at
| 170oF would scald you within seconds.
|
| Infrared sauna typically heats up to 150oF, but this heats you
| from the inside, and so has a similar efficacy to 180oF dry
| sauna.
| zamadatix wrote:
| The question is "did it trigger hyperthermia" not "was the
| thing that caused hyperthermia 170 degrees". A bath does not
| need to be anywhere near 170 degrees to trigger the same
| level of hyperthermia since it is able to store and deliver
| heat much more efficiently than air (hence why 170 degree
| water would severely burn you).
|
| Remember your core body temperature need only change a degree
| or two to trigger strong responses from the body. After about
| 5 degrees you're into hyperpyrexia which is life threating.
| rebuilder wrote:
| Or cold/hot showers. Although, a sauna is pleasant, cold/hot
| showers are _not_.
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