The days are getting shorter and the first autumn winds are cooler, leaves are falling off the trees and it is time to get the immune system fit and in shape ready for the coming season. More and more scientific findings suggest that regular sauna visits can effectively strengthen the immune system. Additional applications such as dry salt inhalation can intensify the health-promoting effects, for example by clearing the respiratory tract of viruses and bacteria. Around 30 million people in Germany alone regularly treat themselves to a soothing sauna much in the spirit of Finnish tradition. As the world market leader for sauna, wellness and spa, KLAFS knows why: saunas have even more to offer besides the relaxing effect.
More than a wellness ritual: activate your own defence mechanisms fully with hot-cold stimulus
Our health depends on how strong our immune systems are. Strengthening and supporting it can successfully fight off diseases and infections and is therefore particularly important especially when the cold season is fast approaching. An extremely enjoyable and effective option is to take a sauna that is both relaxing and health-promoting for body and mind.
Let’s take a look at the biological process, which takes place in the body during sauna bathing. The intense heat raises the body's core temperature by one to two degrees Celsius. This artificial fever-like state triggers many processes. For example, immune cells, including T-cells and antibodies, are trained to produce defence substances – these cells are our body's first lines of defence against pathogens. "After 6 months of regular sauna bathing, susceptibility to colds can drop by 50%," says Prof. Dr. Resch, Head of the German Institute for Health Research in Hof/Saale.
At the same time, the body reacts to high temperatures by producing special messenger substances such as "free radicals" and "heat shock proteins". These molecules act as sparring partners for our immune system. They accelerate a variety of metabolic processes and increase the efficiency of our body.
Sauna and dry salt mist prevent viral infections
Taking a sauna also has the advantage that it opens the airways and loosens mucus. The warmth of the sauna ensures that the mucous membranes are moistened and provides better blood supply. Inhalation of dry salt mist has been proven to additionally support the immune system and clear the airways down to the finest alveoli. KLAFS offers the patented Microsalt SaltProX for this purpose: This distributes a particularly fine dry salt mist evenly in the cabin, which has a disinfecting and anti-inflammatory effect when inhaled and can loosen stuck secretions in the airways more easily. It stimulates blood circulation in the lungs and cleanses them as well as the entire respiratory tract of viruses and bacteria, but also allergens. "This makes the body much better able to fight off invading pathogens," clarifies Prof. Dr. Resch. Coronaviruses, which are generally quite sensitive to heat, typically multiply first in the nasopharynx – just like flu viruses. The virus particles contained in droplets dock with special "arms" to the cells of the mucous membrane in a sophisticated way. It is therefore quite conceivable that viruses in the upper respiratory tract are deactivated with every breath taken in the sauna.
Less freezing through regular sauna bathing
Another positive effect: regular alternating warm and cold baths help the body to react more easily to large differences between outside and inside temperatures and to regulate the body's temperature. When it is cold, i.e. when cooling down after a hot sauna bath, the body must try to counteract the threat of cooling down. Humans have largely lost the ability to do this in the course of their evolution, which is also due to the increasing use of insulating clothing. The body first tries to compensate for the loss of heat by reducing the blood flow to the skin. If this is not enough, shivering follows as an expression of increased muscle activity.
Regular sauna sessions can make the cold autumn and winter days much more bearable and help the body regulate its own temperature more efficiently and adapt more quickly to low outside temperatures. In short: sauna users feel the cold less and look forward to the coming winter in a more relaxed manner.
Sauna for every season – and for every room
In order to benefit from the long-term immune-boosting advantages, it is recommended to integrate sauna regularly into one's lifestyle. More and more people are therefore opting for a home sauna. For this, KLAFS has created oases of relaxation for every location. With their homely character and different dimensional variants, they blend harmoniously into the ambience – from the spacious design sauna to the compact retractable S1 SAUNA, which can be collapsed to a cabinet depth of just 60 cm. Thanks to the S1 Zoom principle, the minimalist-design sauna unfolds its full potential in just 20 seconds at the touch of a button. Whether in a study, hallway or guest room, in a large house or small flat – the S1 offers perfect sauna enjoyment even in just a few square metres.
Photos: ©KLAFS GmbH
About KLAFS:
KLAFS has been creating places of relaxation for body and soul since 1928. Time and again, the company manages to surprise with groundbreaking innovations – such as the space-saving sauna KLAFS S1, which transforms from the size of a wall cabinet to a fully functional sauna within 20 seconds at the push of a button. Thanks to this innovative strength, KLAFS advanced from what was once a small family business to a global industry leader. Today, more than 800 employees work to meet - and exceed - the ever-increasing demands of customers. From small private sauna rooms to luxurious hotel spas. And they do this all over the world, with expert advice from carefully trained technical consultants and on-site service from experienced teams. As a trendsetter in the sauna, pool and spa industry, KLAFS continuously invests in research and development, for example to further increase the energy efficiency of its products.