Thermal shock sauna – how does the hot air act when taking a bath in the sauna
Every summer, when the air temperature reaches 30’C and more, we hear that people are falling under the influence of heat. We have never heard anything like it when it comes to a sauna that is used by millions of people. Why is it like that? The decisive factor is that we use the sauna naked. Nothing, except for the thin air coat surrounding our skin, does not interfere with evaporation, evaporation of sweat on the skin. As a result, the body is cooled.
Cooling the body by evaporation of sweat is not enough; the temperature on the skin and inside the body increases. One of the reasons that there is no collapse or thermal shock is, of course, that the overheating period is short, only takes a few minutes. If the user in the sauna behaves in a way that is recommended, calmly and with relaxation of the muscles, the body itself will defend itself against heat.
When some unfortunate incidents in the sauna were reported in the press, they were, according to our research, caused by a different behavior that could be called sauna abuse. We often hear about the case of English jockey, who stayed in the sauna for two and a half hours instead of 10 to 15 minutes to lose weight, and worse, he did after removing large amounts of water from the body using drainage means. Halotherapy. The fact that he has suffered a heart attack shortly before makes one think that it could end badly.
Even in Finland, we sometimes meet people who can not warm up enough and therefore remain in the sauna for an hour or more without interruption. We do not have to be surprised if the incident was caused by alcohol consumption while using the sauna, which is often stated. In such circumstances, the press should not be questioned as to the legitimacy of German recommendations for the proper use of the sauna. We are able to say that nearly one hundred million guests register during the year in German saunas. Only one unfortunate accident has been described in the press for such a number of guests. This should not change the opinion about the sauna