fitness

Image by melintelinas via DeviantArt

Many of our sauna models come with built-in speakers and mp3 inputs. While it's definitely nice to listen to your favorite songs while detoxing, did you know you can use these audio features to benefit your health? It's called sound therapy, and it pairs really well with sauna use.

Check out our sauna models with built-in mp3 input.

What is Sound Therapy?

Sound therapy is the use of any kind of sound to achieve a number of different health benefits. These sounds can be songs--often classical or instrumental music is used, but mellow vocals are also suitable. Sound therapy can often use natural sounds such as rain, trickling water, bird song and so on. Lastly, sound therapy sometimes uses white noise or repetitive sounds such as beeping , chanting, or ringing noises. Regardless of the type of sounds used, it should suit the desired effect.

What are the Benefits of Sound Therapy?

The benefits of sound therapy are extensive, ranging from alleviating anxiety to losing weight to developing social skills. Here are just a few of the many ways to use sound therapy:

• Reducing anxiety
• Relieving pain -- Songs with personal meaning especially can help reduce pain. Perhaps this is one reason why we listen to music after a break up?
• Losing weight -- Listening to music while eating slows the rate at which you eat, which causes you to feel fuller while eating less. It can also make your food seem to taste better.
• Lowering blood pressure and heart rate
• Increasing blood pressure and heart rate
• Increasing endorphin levels
• Relieving muscle tension
• Improving motor skills
• Rebuilding physical patterning skills
• Improving immune function
• Sharpening mental acuity
• Assisting in relaxation
• Enhancing memory and learning
• Increasing concentration

And if that's not enough, here's an even bigger list of benefits: http://www.soundtherapyperth.com/benefits/

• http://www.nextavenue.org/article/2013-01/surprising-health-benefits-sound
• http://soundtherapyhealing.com/benefits-of-sound-therapy/

This article is Part Four of our four-part series on the extraordinary effects of hyperthermic conditioning--or heat acclimation--through sauna use on athletic performance and general health. If this series doesn't convince you that a sauna should be a regular part of your health regimen, nothing will! We believe this information is so important, that we are featuring the series on both our Saunas US and Saunas Canada sites.

This series focuses on and breaks down the information provided by Dr. Rhonda Patrick in her YouTube video "Hyperthermic Conditioning for Hypertrophy, Endurance, and Neurogenesis". See the full video pasted below. Throughout the article, we will direct you to specific points in the video so you can jump straight there.

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Hyperthermic Conditioning / Heat Acclimation Through Sauna Use

Heat acclimation--or hyperthermic conditioning--through regular sauna use can have profound effects on health and athletic performance. Specifically, in the following areas:

1. increasing endurance capacity
2. increasing muscle mass
3. improving brain function, including neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells)
4. causing the effect known as "Runner's High"

Refer to 1:08 in the video.

The Runner's High (10:11)

It's a common report among runners: they push themselves through a long and tough run, and then afterwards find that they feel really really good. Like maybe too good, as if chemically altered. This "high"--or euphoria--is sometimes mistakenly thought to be caused by endorphins, but it's not. Well, not really.

What happens is this: during a run, your body releases dynorphin, which is the opposite of endorphin. While endorphins make you feel good all over, dynorphins actually create a feeling of dysphoria. These dynorphins essentially "reboot" your system, making you more sensitive to endorphins.

You can get this "high" effect from activities a release of dynorphins, such as exercise, eating really spicy food, and--you guessed it--heat stress, such as you experience from a sauna session.

So if you'd like to experience this euphoria without having to run a marathon, have a seat in a nice hot sauna!

Be sure to check out the entire series on heat acclimation/hyperthermic conditioning:

1. Building Athletic Endurance Through Sauna Use
2. Increasing Muscle Mass Through Sauna Use
3. Improving Brain Function Through Sauna Use
4. The Runner's High Explained

This article is Part Three of our four-part series on the extraordinary effects of hyperthermic conditioning--or heat acclimation--through sauna use on athletic performance and general health. If this series doesn't convince you that a sauna should be a regular part of your health regimen, nothing will! We believe this information is so important, that we are featuring the series on both our Saunas US and Saunas Canada sites.

This series focuses on and breaks down the information provided by Dr. Rhonda Patrick in her YouTube video "Hyperthermic Conditioning for Hypertrophy, Endurance, and Neurogenesis". See the full video pasted below. Throughout the article, we will direct you to specific points in the video so you can jump straight there.

--------

Hyperthermic Conditioning / Heat Acclimation Through Sauna Use

Heat acclimation--or hyperthermic conditioning--through regular sauna use can have profound effects on health and athletic performance. Specifically, in the following areas:

1. increasing endurance capacity
2. increasing muscle mass
3. improving brain function, including neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells)
4. causing the effect known as "Runner's High"

Refer to 1:08 in the video.

The Effects of Heat Acclimation on Brain Function (8:05)

The following effects occur during hyperthermic conditioning through regular sauna use:

1. Neurogenesis is increased. Neurogenesis is the creation of new brain cells.
2. There is improvement in learning and memory. The brain's ability to learn new things and retain memories increases.
3. Focus is improved. The ability to sustain concentration during a mental task is increased.

What Happens in the Brain During Sauna Use (8:14)

Regular sauna use causes a 3-fold increase in norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is the hormone and neurotransmitter most responsible for focus and attention and other cognitive functions. The increase in norepinephrine levels means a greater ability to focus and pay attention, as well as an increased capacity for storing information for later use (memory).

Norepinephrine is often given in drug form to treat ADHD, so it is suggested that increasing the levels more naturally through regular sauna use can relieve symptoms of ADHD and similar disorders.

Levels of the hormone prolactin are also increased, by a whopping 10-fold. Prolactin encourages myelin growth. Myelination is the formation of myelin around nerve cells. This process enables faster transmission of information and allows for more complex brain functions. More prolactin = more myelin growth = faster, more complex "executive" thought processes that exhibit as improved planning, decision-making, and reasoning skills, as well as improved impulse control and self-discipline.

Read This Part--It is Extra Amazing (9:14)

The stress of the heat during sauna use increases the amount of brain-derived neurotophic factors (BDNF) released (when combined with exercise). BDNF is amazing stuff. Increased BDNF levels do the following:

1. increase the growth of brain cells
2. increase the survival rate of existing brain cells (they live longer)
3. improve learning and retention
4. reduce depression and anxiety related to early life events
5. improve the ability of muscles to repair themselves throughout the body

That's pretty amazing stuff.

Be sure to check out the entire series on heat acclimation/hyperthermic conditioning:

1. Building Athletic Endurance Through Sauna Use
2. Increasing Muscle Mass Through Sauna Use
3. Improving Brain Function Through Sauna Use
4. The Runner's High Explained

This article is Part Two of our four-part series on the extraordinary effects of hyperthermic conditioning--or heat acclimation--through sauna use on athletic performance and general health. If this series doesn't convince you that a sauna should be a regular part of your health regimen, nothing will! We believe this information is so important, that we are featuring the series on both our Saunas US and Saunas Canada sites.

This series focuses on and breaks down the information provided by Dr. Rhonda Patrick in her YouTube video "Hyperthermic Conditioning for Hypertrophy, Endurance, and Neurogenesis". See the full video pasted below. Throughout the article, we will direct you to specific points in the video so you can jump straight there.

--------

Hyperthermic Conditioning / Heat Acclimation Through Sauna Use

Heat acclimation--or hyperthermic conditioning--through regular sauna use can have profound effects on health and athletic performance. Specifically, in the following areas:

1. increasing endurance capacity
2. increasing muscle mass
3. improving brain function, including neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells)
4. causing the effect known as "Runner's High"

Refer to 1:08 in the video.

The Effects of Heat Acclimation on Muscle Building (4:40)

The following effects occur during hyperthermic conditioning through regular sauna use:

1. The production of heat shock proteins is induced. Heat shock proteins repair muscle damage, convert amino acids into muscle tissue, and increase muscle density.
2. Growth hormone levels are boosted. Growth hormone is responsible for cell growth and regeneration, and increasing muscle and bone density.
3. Insulin sensitivity is improved. Insulin is a protein critical to muscle building.

Muscle Mass Gains Through Sauna Use (6:30)

It was found that two back-to-back sauna sessions at 80 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes boosts growth hormone levels two-fold.

Two sauna sessions for one hour per day for a week cause a 16-fold increase in growth hormone levels. That's huge!

And You'll Live Longer, Too (7:38)

And if that's not enough, it was also found that heat stress, such as through sauna use, boosts lifespan by as much as 15%.

Be sure to check out the entire series on heat acclimation/hyperthermic conditioning:

1. Building Athletic Endurance Through Sauna Use
2. Increasing Muscle Mass Through Sauna Use
3. Improving Brain Function Through Sauna Use
4. The Runner's High Explained

copyright Kullez via Flickr

Do you wish you could wear your sauna? Or maybe you don't have a sauna yet and you'd like to access some of the benefits of one in a way that lets you run errands at the same time. Is a sauna suit the answer? And do they really work, or do they just look space-tastic?

Britney Spears was recently spotted sporting  a sauna suit while running around town, so there's been some renewed interest in these workout clothes. Let us lay down some knowledge on you about them:

What is a Sauna Suit?

A sauna suit looks like a spacey sweat suit. It's made of waterproof fabric such as PVC or coated nylon cloth. Typically, there's a pullover jacket and drawstring pants, and the waist, neck, wrists, and ankles are all elasticated to keep in heat and moisture.

Why Do People Wear Sauna Suits?

Sauna suits are often worn by professional or competitive athletes who have weigh-ins, such as boxers, MMA fighters, or wrestlers. These athletes often need to fall into specific weight classes, so they need to keep a strict control over their exact weight. Wearing the suits can help them shed a lot of weight very quickly.

However, these suits are becoming increasingly popular outside professional athletics. Many people use them in their workout routines to lose weight fast.

How Do Sauna Suits Work?

Sauna suits prevent sweat from evaporating. This causes your body temperature to elevate and stay elevated, which leads to additional sweating. All that lost water leads to immediate weight loss. However, it is important to note that the lost weight is water, not fat, and it will be regained soon after you rehydrate.

Are Sauna Suits Safe?

While sauna suits certainly lead to weight loss, people who use them run some serious health risks. Because the body sheds so much water, it becomes dehydrated. Dehydration can cause dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, and kidney damage--in extreme cases, it can even cause organ failure. Not allowing the body to cool naturally can also lead to heat stroke. In certain conditions, using sauna suits could even lead to death.

Sauna suits should never be used while doing extreme exercise, in hot conditions, or in a sauna. Individuals with certain medical conditions should also refrain from using them.

So Should I Use a Sauna Suit or Not?

The short answer: no. You shouldn't run the health risks of a sauna suit for the short-term weight loss it provides.

Losing weight and being healthy is not really about the numbers on your scale. A person who weighs 200 pounds but is healthy and has good muscle tone is going to look leaner and stronger than someone who weighs 200 pounds but is eating poorly and has excess body fat. Same weight, different appearance entirely. Losing water weight rapidly is not going to make you look better, feel stronger, or be healthier. It's simply going to dehydrate you, and you will gain it all back quickly.

A much better option is to focus on a healthy diet and an exercise routine that includes cardio and building muscle. Supplement such a lifestyle with weekly or bi-weekly sauna use in an actual sauna to flush toxins out of your system. Drink plenty of water. The results can be very quick with a regular routine, you won't gain it all back, and you'll be healthier.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauna_suit
• http://www.livestrong.com/article/303903-do-sauna-suits-burn-fat/