When a person is inside a steam room, their heart rate increases. Using a steam room after exercise can help prolong an elevated heart rate.
What are the benefits of a steam room?
Using a steam room can improve circulation, reduce sinus congestion, and aid muscular recovery from exercise.
A steam room is a heated room that people use to relax and relieve some medical conditions. Gyms or spas often have a steam room. A steam room is created when a water-filled generator pumps steam into an enclosed space, creating moisture in the air.
The temperature inside a steam room is generally around 100–110°F with a high humidity level.
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Steam rooms have several health benefits.
Improves circulation
Sitting in a steam room has been shown to benefit the cardiovascular system, particularly in older people.
A 2012 study found that moist heat, such as that provided by a steam room, can improve circulation by dilating the small blood vessels or capillaries. This allows blood to flow more easily and transport oxygen around the body.
Steam room therapy can also help reduce blood pressure, keep the heart healthier, and help repair broken skin tissue caused by wounds, such as ulcers.
Skin health
Both steam rooms and saunas will make a person sweat due to the heat. The sweating opens up the pores and helps cleanse the outer skin.
Warm condensation will help rinse away dirt and dead skin and may help treat acne.
However, unlike a sauna, a steam room also helps remove the toxins trapped below the skin.
Workout recovery
A person’s muscles will often feel sore after a workout. This pain is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It is important to relax the muscles after exercise to promote a quick and problem-free recovery.
A 2013 study showed that the immediate application of moist heat after a workout helped reduce pain and preserve muscle strength. The heat soothes nerve endings and relaxes the muscles.
Loosens stiff joints
Using a steam room before a workout can help loosen up the joints and increase flexibility, just as a pre-workout warm-up does.
A 2013 study showed that applying moist heat to a joint had healing benefits similar to using dry heat, but the application time was much shorter.
Steam rooms can also help reduce joint pain.
Reduces stress
The heat of a steam room can make the body release endorphins. They are known as ‘feel good’ hormones because they help reduce stress in the body.
Relaxing in a steam room can also decrease cortisol levels, which is a hormone the body releases in response to stress. When the cortisol level drops, people can feel more in control, relaxed, and rejuvenated.
Opens up sinuses
The heat from a steam room opens up the mucous membranes around the body, allowing deeper, easier breathing.
The steam from a steam room can break up the congestion in the sinuses and lungs and, therefore, might help treat colds, unblock sinuses, and aid breathing.
Burns calories
When a person is inside a steam room, their heart rate increases. Using a steam room after exercise can help prolong an elevated heart rate.
Experts have found that when used alongside a suitable exercise program, the heat generated by the steam room and the sweating it causes can stimulate the body and increase wellness.
There is no scientific evidence to support the belief that using a steam room aids weight loss.
Any weight reduction after using a steam room is typically due to water loss, and people must replace this deficit by drinking water afterward to avoid dehydration.
However, alongside a balanced, nutritious diet and exercise plan, using a steam room can help burn calories.
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