Sauna vs steam room: Exploring their health benefits

If you're conflicted between choosing a sauna vs steam room to unwind you've come to the right place. As unsettling as a dewy sheen may be, working up some serious sweat can have substantial health benefits.

Aside from vigorous yoga or an aggressive workout (such as an AMRAP workout), a sauna and a steam room may improve your sweat session with no physical exertion. Athletes and health aficionados have long used heat treatment to rejuvenate and relax.

Steam rooms and saunas share many characteristics, and many people confuse them since they are sometimes known as steam saunas, steam showers, and saunas.

Still, there are major distinctions between a sauna and a steam room. High temperatures may additionally enhance circulation, relieve persistent discomfort, reduce stiffness in the joints, and even increase the immune system.

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Sauna vs steam room

1) Steam room

Classical steam rooms are moist spaces that employ generators and hot water to produce a lot of steam. This implies that they emit a lot of humidity, typically up to 100 percent, just like old Roman and Turkish bathing houses.

Sauna vs steam room (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by max)

Bath houses have been utilized by ancient civilizations to wash oneself of the dust and grime of daily life and stay healthy. However, it is unlikely that they understood the reason behind it.

The steam and warmth generated in the steam room may widen blood vessels, boosting the flow of blood across the body. Sitting in a steam room may feel like you're melting stress away from your body. The heat causes your muscles to relax, allowing you to slip into an increased calm state. Some steam rooms also incorporate essential oils to improve the soothing effect.

Sauna vs steam room (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by max)

There is some debate over the amount of time you should spend in a steam room, although the absolute maximum ought to be no more than half an hour, as dehydration remains a serious worry beyond that.

The ideal time for a steam room is usually between 15 and 20 minutes. However, beginners should consider ten to fifteen minutes. You should also be aware that if you feel uneasy or lightheaded, exit the steam room immediately, sit down, and drink a mug of water.

Sauna vs steam room (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by max)

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Sauna rooms

Saunas create dry heat and low humidity. Traditional saunas typically run at temperatures ranging from 180 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit and are heated with a sauna heater and sauna pebbles.

Water can be sprayed on the sauna rocks to generate steam that gives a steam room feeling, although the temperature will continue to be significantly higher compared to that of a real steam room.

Sauna vs steam room (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by pixabay)

Infrared sauna use has been shown in studies to significantly reduce stiffness and pain in people suffering from backaches, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

That's because being in a sauna with infrared light relaxes and dilates your blood vessels, increasing blood flow, which can help alleviate joint stress and relieve aching muscles. Saunas may also benefit people with persistent discomfort and arthritis.

Sauna vs steam room (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by yaroslav)

Sauna use improves lung function and breathing for nearly everyone. But people with asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) report feeling like they breathe better after using a sauna.

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If you are new, the primary distinction between a sauna and a steam room is the level of moisture. During a sauna, you will experience dry heat. A steamy room, as its name implies, produces steamy, damp heat. Both have similar medical advantages, so choose based on what you want.