Run, jump, fly, dive, fall, get up…and keep going! Recognizable? We all know that stress is bad for us. Yet it seems almost impossible to escape in a society full of ambitions, possibilities and social pressure.
With a visit to the sauna you can literally withdraw from your daily role patterns; not that caring mother, cooperative colleague, loving partner or ideal daughter, but just you in your purest form.
Physical effects of the sauna
In the sauna, your body receives a kind of intensive training:the heat causes your blood vessels to widen, which constrict again during the cooling phase, making you less sensitive to temperature differences. In addition, your body is 'rinsed clean' in the sauna, as it were, whereby waste products are removed and fluid reserves can be refreshed. The result; better resistance and a good dose of fresh energy.
Mental effects of the sauna
Besides the physical benefits of the sauna, it also gives a boost to the psyche:
• The production of endorphins is promoted. This natural feel-good substance is also responsible for the blissful sauna flow after your sauna visit;
• The intense (alternating) physical sensations will ensure that the thinking mode makes way for the feeling variant;
• The intense muscle relaxation ensures that you release tension;
• You are completely cut off from the hectic outside world due to the lack of telephone, laptop and TV;
• Experiencing (the nowadays so scarce ) silence in an environment without stimuli.
Relax!
It is therefore not surprising that sauna visitors cite stress reduction as one of the main reasons for their day of relaxation. As they sometimes say in Finland; Step into a sauna and close the door to the world. Well, those Finns aren't that crazy after all.
Handy SaunaGuide
Start your day in the sauna really relaxed:visit SaunaGids.nl for great promotions, tips &need-to-knows in the field of sauna and wellness.
Text by Lenneke Timmermans
Image:Shutterstock
