There are many reasons people enjoy sauna therapy, however I think the main one is because it helps our mental well-being. And yes, I know what you’re thinking – I build and sell bespoke saunas – so of course I’m going to say this. But an increasing volume of research is beginning to show that sauna can improve the symptoms of many different mental health issues.
I got into sauna therapy as I found it made such a difference to my mental well-being. If you’d like to learn a little more about why I founded The Cedar Sauna Company, it starts with me looking to find natural solutions to help my ADHD and Autism (you can read more here). However, you don’t need to be diagnosed with a mental disorder to know that any enhancements to our mental state can only be great for us, our family and our work life.
The Science Behind Mental Well-being
Our bodies naturally create an abundance of hormones which regulate our mental states, when we don’t have the right balance our natural mental state becomes out of sync with ourselves. This is largely due to an increase of the hormone cortisol – also known as the stress hormone.
Normally cortisol helps with a variety of functions including:
- Blood sugar level regulation
- Metabolism regulation
- Memory formulation
- Inflammation reduction
We need cortisol to help our bodies work efficiently, however if we start to produce too much it can cause numerous problems often related to stress and anxiety symptoms including:
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Difficulty in concentrating
- Weight gain
- Severe fatigue
- High blood pressure
- Muscle weakness
When we experience stress, our body releases a mixture of hormones and neurotransmitters which in turn makes our adrenal gland release cortisol and adrenaline. They make our heart rate and energy levels rise and in an emergency situation, cortisol and adrenaline can help save our lives. Our fight or flight response, or acute stress response, kicks in to prepare our body to either deal with a threat or run to safety. Once the problem is over, the hormones subside, and our bodies return to a hormonal baseline.
When you experience constant low-level stress, your system for mediating the response (called the HPA axis) becomes dysfunctional which can lead to chronic anxiety and the development of depression. Oxidative stress in your body wreaks havoc on pretty much every area and is one of the most potent accelerators of ageing; encouraging diseases such as cancer and dementia.
Long term exposure to cortisol production leads to depression, anxiety, a difficulty to process situations, obesity and heart disease.
How Sauna Therapy Helps With Mental Well-being
Sauna therapy relies on us exposing our bodies to passive, short term heat. This produces mild hyperthermia (an increase in our core body temperature). The body tries to cool itself through sweating and increasing blood flow: our blood vessels dilate, and our heart rate increases.
The increase in core body temperature activates a set of cell protectants called heat shock proteins, which are called into action to protect our cells. The beneficial service to our cells is long-lasting and underlies many of the health benefits from which sauna is recognised.
Our heart responds by working harder as our body requires 60 -70% more oxygen and begins to beat faster. Beta-endorphins (the feel-good peptides – there’s other endorphins which mediate our feeling of discomfort) act on the opioid system and function as a painkiller, preventing us from reacting adversely to the heat or cold. Essentially, we trick our bodies into releasing homemade morphine into our systems. As a result, dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin —the hormones linked to happiness — are released.
These hormones also counterbalance the effects of cortisol in times of stress. If people are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and stress, finding ways to naturally stimulate our ‘happy hormones’ is an effective method of counteracting stress and helping to restore balance to our mental and physical state.
People diagnosed with ADHD and Autism spectrum disorder may find sauna therapy helps their well-being. ADHD is linked with the way certain chemicals in our brain, in particular dopamine and noradrenaline, work. The main problem is thought that not enough of these chemicals tend to be released, or they are released and reloaded too quickly.
Noradrenaline (also called norepinephrine) and dopamine are released during the sauna experience. Noradrenaline is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter (sending signals between nerve cells) and has been shown to help people with their concentration levels and moods.
Low levels of Noradrenaline have been linked with conditions such as ADHD, depression and very low blood pressure. In medicine, use of selective serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors are being used in the treatment of autism and are shown to have variable effectiveness in treating the effects of the condition.
When we practice sauna, take a cold bath or do intense exercise, we naturally release noradrenalin, which helps balance the other brain chemicals, making us more neurotypical in its effects.
Sauna practice is also community based; people come together to talk and relax. This sense of intimacy helps forge friendships and support networks. The connectivity that sauna therapy provides plays just as strong a part in helping restore people’s sense of well-being as the neurological effects involved in sauna therapy. The combined results lead to a greater sense of overall happiness and contentment.
If you are interested in discovering more of how sauna practice can help you improve your mental well-being please call. We’ll be more than happy to advise on the practice and how it can restore a greater sense of balance, health and well-being in your life.
Brown, T. E., 2020. In the Shadow of a Stereotype: New Facts About ADHD. [online] ADDitude. Available at: https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/facts-about-adhd/ [Accessed 14 February 2022]
Nanjappa, M.S., Voyiaziakis, E., and Thippaiah, S.M., 2020. Use of selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comorbid psychiatric disorders and ASD-associated symptoms: a clinical review. [online] Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cns-spectrums/article/abs/use-of-selective-serotonin-and-norepinephrine-reuptake-inhibitors-snris-in-the-treatment-of-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd-comorbid-psychiatric-disorders-and-asdassociated-symptoms-a-clinical-review/B5EC731F9A679DE0EC882E4C184615FF [Accessed 14 February 2022]
Patrick, R., Sauna [online]. Available at: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/sauna [Accessed 14 February 2022]
