Differences Between Sauna and Steam Room

You know that sauna and steam rooms are very beneficial to human health but you don't know which one to choose. Although the benefits they provide are quite similar, there are some differences between them. Then which one is more suitable for you?

Today, many gyms offer a sauna or steam room. And some people are lucky enough to have one of these in their homes. People who don’t have a sauna or steam room in their home or gym they go have to go to the spa centers to receive these services. But why? Most common idea about sauna and steam rooms is ‘relaxing’. Of course they are relaxing but beside relaxation they offer you a lot of healthy benefits. Until now we always mentioned sauna and steam rooms together. What is the difference between them? Before deciding which one to choose we should examine the differences of these treatment procedures.

Heat type

The most essential difference between sauna and steam room is the type of heat. While steam rooms have moist air saunas have dry air. Saunas have a temperature over 38ᵒC but moisture rate is lower than steam rooms. Steam rooms have a moisture rate almost %100 and the temperature is under 38ᵒC. Although temperatures are quite different, many people cannot feel the temperature difference due to the moisture factor.

If the body feels a difference, the time we spend in the sauna or steam rooms may vary due to temperature or humidity.

Relaxation

Both saunas and steam rooms relax us mentally and physically. Temperature fastens the blood flow, by this way circulation increase and we can observe reduction in chronic pains. Regardless of this principle, sauna is a powerful painkiller due to its high temperature. Some conditions that cause inflammation, such as calcification, can be controlled much more easily with the development of circulation. Both saunas and steam rooms are pretty effective about loosening muscles. They also become helpful for relaxing joints. Saunas and steam rooms are also useful for injuries due to the benefits to joints and muscles.

People with chronic headaches can minimize their discomforts with sauna and steam rooms. Sauna and steam rooms can also help to reduce the level of stress in humans as they cause endorphin secretion. Steam rooms open the airways and make us more calm and more controlled. Also due to high temperature it causes melatonin secretion which ensures you a good sleep. In conclusion, sauna is better to get through pains but both of them are mostly same for relaxing muscles and decreasing stress level.

Cleanness

Sweating is common result of saunas and steam rooms. By sweating, pores get opened and skin gets cleaned. Cleaning of skin is actually refreshing of skin itself. Especially people who suffer from acnes can take the advantage of this situation. There is something more steam rooms provide: It softens the skin. Disposal of toxins in the body by opening the pores may be a slightly exaggerated discourse. It is not possible to take out all toxins in our organs but still we get rid of some harmful liquid and toxins.

If you get alcohol before the day of sauna or steam room session, with sweating you are going to get rid of some of this liquid but you can not get rid of it completely. Generally both saunas and steam rooms are very useful fur skin but steam room is slightly more powerful for refreshing and cleaning the skin.

Respiratory System

If you have difficulty in breathing, you are probably going to throw yourself into a steam room. The dry air in saunas is not going to be helpful for your respiratory system. Sinus pressure reduction is particularly useful for patients with asthma, sinus infection, colds and bronchitis. Also high moisture will be useful for dry and irritated throats. Pressure in sinus causes headaches for some people. For these people steam room are also good for inhibiting headaches.

Weight Loss

The main reason people use sauna or steam rooms is that they think that they help weight loss. Actually this situation differs due to where you look. There is no proven research into sauna and steam rooms helping you lose weight but if you get weighed before and after your sessions you are going to see the difference in weigher. The reason for this is the loss of fluid in the body. Due to protecting your body temperature you must sweat.

This kind of loss of weight is not permanent. After the session, when you get the liquid you lost back, your weight is going to be same again. If you are in a rivalry and want to lose some weight immediately, the sauna and steam rooms can be what you're looking for.

Risks

Everything which is beneficial comes with a risk. One of the most important risks of sauna and steam rooms is dehydration. Dehydration is loss of a lot of water and it might be very dangerous. A high degree of thirsty or too strong heartbeats are the main symptoms of dehydration. In a situation like that you should get some water immediately. Another risk you may encounter is the microbes. In steam rooms high moisture may cause mushrooms to reproduce easily. You should be sure that the center you visit must meets the standards of cleanliness.