| LINDSEY WILSON

The Benefits of Cryotherapy and Sauna

Let’s talk about some of the fundamentals of self-care: hot and cold therapy.
When was the last time you dipped into a sauna? Or (if ever) immersed yourself for just a few minutes in an cryotherapy chamber?
If it’s way been too long, or never at all, here’s a few amazing facts about hot and cold therapies that will take your health and fitness to the next level.

    1. Saunas make you sweat! Sweating is so good for you for SO many reasons. Toxin flush, much? You do if you sweat! Daily preferably. Most of us do not sweat nearly enough on a daily basis as we should. Deep sweating in a sauna helps reduce levels of lead, copper, zinc, nickel, mercury and chemical - all toxins that are commonly absorbed just from interacting with our daily environments!

    2. Saunas boost your immunity! As the body is exposed to the heat of a sauna and steam, it produces white blood cells more rapidly, which in turn helps to fight illnesses and kill viruses. Saunas and steams can relieve symptoms of sinus congestion from colds and allergies.
      3. Your muscles love the sauna. The body’s release of endorphins during sauna can have a mild, tranquilizing effect and can minimize the pain from arthritis and muscle soreness. As our body temperatures rise while being in the sauna, our blood vessels dilate, which increases blood circulation, which then speeds up the body’s natural process to heal. Regular sauna use may also benefit strength training through improved recovery and muscle growth through the increase in growth hormones. A significant rise in human growth hormone is also shown to occur from even single use, according to a study from the University of Iowa.
       
      4. Your heart loves the sauna even more! The heat from the sauna relaxes the body's muscles, improves circulation and stimulates the release of the body’s all-natural "feel good" chemicals. Using sauna 2-3 times per week can reduce the risk of Fatal Cardiovascular Disease by 27% and 4-7 times per week reduces risk by 50%. Regular sauna use two times per week showed reduced risk of hypertension (high blood pressure) with regular sauna use. Sauna use can also increase the heart rate to 120-150 beats per minute, similar to aerobic exercise.

      5. Saunas gives you chill vibes. Those who frequent the sauna consistently say that stress reduction is the number one benefit of sauna use. It can help the body and mind adapt to stress, thereby reducing the risk of depression and other mental disorders.

      6. Saunas know how to put you to sleep. Research has shown that a deeper, more relaxed sleep can result from sauna use. In addition to the release of endorphins, body temperatures, which become elevated in the late evening, fall at bedtime. This slow, relaxing decline in endorphins is key in facilitating sleep.

      7. Saunas detoxify your skin. When it comes to cleansing the skin, heat bathing is one of the oldest beauty and health strategies. When the body begins to produce sweat, the skin is then cleansed and dead skin cells are replaced - keeping your skin in essential working condition. The act of sweating rinses bacteria out of the epidermal layer and sweat ducts. Cleansing of the pores has been shown to improve the capillary circulation, while giving the skin a softer-looking quality.

      8. Saunas burns those calories! According to Ward Dean, M.D., "A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 grams in a sauna in a single session, consuming nearly 300 calories in the process. ”The body consumes said calories due to the acceleration of heart activity (the cardiovascular section). As heart activity increases and as these processes demand more oxygen, the body begins to convert more calories into usable energy.

      If these amazing benefits don’t have you mentally mapping out your nearest sauna, check out these hot benefits of cryotherapy.

      Benefits of Cryotherapy

      1. Cryotherapy chills out your brain. Cryotherapy can help treat migraines by cooling and numbing nerves in the neck area. It’s thought that this works by cooling the blood passing through intracranial vessels. The carotid arteries are close to the skin’s surface and accessible.

      2. Cryotherapy soothes nerve pain. Many athletes have been using cryotherapy to treat injuries for years, and one of the reasons why is that it can numb pain. The cold can actually numb an irritated nerve. Doctors will treat the affected area with a small probe inserted into the nearby tissue. This can help treat pinched nerves or neuromas, chronic pain, or even acute injuries.

      3. Cryotherapy helps treat mood disorders. The extreme cold from cryotherapy can cause physiological hormonal responses, which include the release of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and endorphins. This can have a positive effect on those experiencing mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

      4. Cryotherapy is good for your joints! Localized cryotherapy treatment isn’t the only thing effective at treating serious conditions. Whole-body cryotherapy can significantly reduce pain in people with arthritis.

      5. Cryotherapy may help treat low-risk tumors.Targeted, localized cryotherapy can be used as a cancer treatment. In this context, it’s called “cryosurgery.” It works by freezing cancer cells and surrounding them with ice crystals. It’s currently being used to treat some low-risk tumors for certain types of cancer.

      6. Can aid relieving skin conditions and irritations.
      Because cryotherapy can improve antioxidant levels in the blood and simultaneously reduce inflammation, both localized and whole-body cryotherapy can help treat certain skin conditions and irritations.

      So now that you know, it’s time to go!

      Check out Next Health for Cryotherapy and sauna. They’re offering one free session with your purchase of an OWL Cleanse! Find out more at WWW.NEXT-HEALTH.COM


      Best,
      Andre