ARE STEAM ROOMS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR YOU?
Steam rooms can actually be very good for your health, provided that you use them correctly, as they offer many health benefits. The steam room benefits that steam therapy can provide are:
INCREASED BLOOD CIRCULATION
Moist heat is known to improve blood circulation, as it encourages your body to produce aldosterone, the hormone in charge of blood pressure regulation.
Using a steam room also promotes vasodilation, which is a process that causes your blood vessels to dilate. This improves blood flow and circulation and, therefore, lowers your blood pressure.
ENCOURAGES BETTER SKIN HEALTH
Steam rooms are extremely hot and humid, which causes your pores to open up in order for you to be able to sweat. This profuse sweating can unclog your pores and help remove any oil or dirt that has become trapped.
Using a steam room can, therefore, help you to eliminate blackheads and stop acne breakouts if they are the result of clogged pores.
CLEARS CONGESTED NASAL PASSAGES
One of the other health benefits that steam rooms offer is that they can help clear your sinuses if they are blocked. Any phlegm that you have in your throat or sinuses will become loose, so it might be a good idea to bring something to wipe your face with.
It will not be very healthy for you to use a steam room if you have a fever, as this could cause your body even more stress. It is, therefore, best to use a steam room if you only have nasal congestion and no fever.
WORKOUT RECOVERY IMPROVEMENTS
One of the most common reasons people use steam rooms and saunas is to help them recover from intense workouts.
A tough workout can cause Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness the day after you exercise; however, a steam room session can loosen your muscle tissue, which will significantly reduce the amount of pain you experience the next day.
REDUCES STRESS
People often feel extremely relaxed using a steam room, and this is not just a misconception, as the moist heat can help reduce the amount of cortisol in your body.
Cortisol is a hormone that your body releases when stressed, and getting rid of it will make you feel much more relaxed and less tense.
Steam therapy can also release feel-good hormones called endorphins, which are known to make you feel happy and less stressed.
BURNS CALORIES
A steam room can help you burn calories, as the heat causes your heart rate to increase. It will not necessarily burn any fat, but it might help you burn some extra calories after a workout.
BOOSTS IMMUNE SYSTEM
Steam rooms can improve the strength of your immune system by stimulating your leukocytes. Warm condensation is known to encourage your body to produce leukocytes, which are the cells dedicated to fighting unwanted foreign bodies like bacteria.
Regular steam room use will improve your immune system, but it is not recommended that you use a steam room while you are still sick as this could cause you other complications.
CAN YOU GO IN A STEAM ROOM WITH EYELASH EXTENSIONS?
You should generally avoid both the sauna and steam rooms if you have had eyelash extensions within the last 72 hours.
The steam and extreme heat will cause the glue on your eyelash extensions to melt. Steam is usually used to remove the glue from eyelash extensions, so going to a steam room a few days after an eyelash extension won’t be a good idea.
After this period, you will be able to go to saunas and steam rooms; however, you should limit the frequency of your visits and your time spent in the heated rooms, as it will cause the glue to deteriorate faster than it normally would.
CAN YOU USE A STEAM ROOM WHILE PREGNANT?
Generally, pregnant women should avoid jacuzzis, steam rooms, and saunas, as the extreme heat could cause issues for both the pregnant woman and her unborn child.
Your body temperature increases dramatically when using steam therapy, which causes the blood vessels on the outer layer of your skin to dilate to help you sweat.
While this is good for skin blood flow and blood pressure, pregnant women’s hearts and circulatory systems already work much harder than normal to keep their foetus healthy and to help it develop.
Going to a steam room can put a strain on your cardiovascular health and could cause issues with your unborn child.
HOW LONG SHOULD YOU SIT IN A STEAM ROOM?
You should generally not spend longer than 15 to 20 minutes in a steam room at a time, and you should make sure to be well hydrated before entering one.
If you stay in a steam room for too long, you could become dehydrated and start feeling light-headed and dizzy.
In extreme cases, if you spend far too long in a steam room, you could experience heat exhaustion, heatstroke, or even death. You should, therefore, also always consult a doctor or other wellness professionals before deciding to use a steam room.
IS A STEAM ROOM BETTER THAN A SAUNA?
Steam rooms are not necessarily better than saunas, as both of them are heated rooms, yet they each use different forms of heat therapy.
Saunas make use of dry heat, while steam rooms make use of moist heat. Steam rooms cause your body temperature to climb much higher than saunas normally would, as steam rooms dampen your sweating response to the heat.
There is no evidence to support that either heat therapy method is better than the other, so it will come down to personal preference.
HOW HOT ARE STEAM ROOMS?
Steam rooms are normally kept at 45 degrees celsius, while some can be as hot as 50 degrees celsius, whereas a traditional sauna is normally kept between 65 and 90 degrees celsius.
DO STEAM ROOMS HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
A steam room will help you lose weight, but it will not help you burn any fat. You will burn calories in a steam room, but this will not cause you to lose any weight without supplemental exercise.
Any weight you lose in a steam room will return once you have rehydrated, as this will only be water weight.
WILL A STEAM ROOM HELP MY SORE THROAT?
Breathing in the steam in a steam room can help ease the pain and swelling of a sore throat.
Steam therapy should be good for your sore throat; however, you should not use a steam room if you also have a fever, as the extreme heat could put your body under extra stress.
CONCLUSION
Steam rooms are a great way to reap many health benefits; however, you should always consult a doctor before opting to use one in case you have any health conditions that could cause you harm.
If you’re interested in some of the benefits listed above, why not book your session with us today?
