Asthmatic Individuals May Be Positively Affected Sauna Use

Roughly 300 million people worldwide live with asthma, and there is no known cure. Most treatment plans require a diverse management plan that optimizes both lifestyle adjustments as well as pharmacological measures. (1) Environmental toxins can be a major factor in determining the severity of the expression of certain asthma cases. In addition, some cases of asthma are directly related to genetic make-up.

There are many instances when neither environmental nor genetics can be altered to improve individual cases of asthma. For example, some individuals living with asthma may be forced to remain in areas with poor air quality for work or family. Still others are unable to alter their genetic make-up to improve their asthmatic condition. With this in mind bio-medical researchers have leaned heavily into the field of research that involves lifestyle modifications for the asthmatic patient.

When looking at possible lifestyle adjustments high on the list are nutritional changes, increased exercise, weight loss, meditation, yoga, and other means to find states of relaxation where breath may flow more easily. In addition, research has determined that directly after sauna use those suffering from lung diseases have greater pulmonary capacity. Among the correlative benefits of sauna use for asthma sufferers are weight loss, exercise simulation, and the ability to find deep states of relaxation. neither nutrition nor saunas can necessarily cure asthma; however, creating a lifestyle management routine may optimize lunge function in conjunction with pharmaceutical therapy as needed.

Find out what asthma is at its core, how saunas can directly improve this condition, as well as other correlative benefits that may drastically improve the quality of life of the asthma sufferer.

What Is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic condition that restricts the airways due to intensive inflammation. This causes the muscles in the airways to contract which results in excessive production of mucus and difficulty breathing. Symptoms can vary from wheezing, to coughing with chest tightness. Unfortunately, asthma can be deadly in some cases, and can dramatically alter the quality of life for those living with asthma. (1)

World asthma day is celebrated every year on May 6th, and this year is no different. The Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention has declared that their mission is to make corticosteroid inhalers available to as many low income countries as possible. This is an attempt to prevent some of the 450,000 deaths that are caused by asthma every year. (2)

Their mission is simple: “Make Inhaled Treatments Accessible for ALL” (2).

While this initiative by the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention is admirable, it is also important to consider some lifestyle changes that individuals living with asthma can make in addition to pharmacological treatments.

A significant paper was published by the National Library of Medicine entitled ‘Evidence for lifestyle interventions in asthma’ which examines a multitude of lifestyle adjustments that can be made to improve the overall quality of life for the asthmatic.

“There is no cure for asthma; consequently, the aim of management is to achieve good control of symptoms, maintain normal activity levels and minimise future risk of exacerbations” (1)

It is important that as many individuals who require inhalers have access to them wherever they may be in the world and regardless of their economic status. If you would like to get involved with the Global Initiative for Asthma then you can find a link to their website in article two of ‘Sources Cited’ below.

If you are interested in finding out more about lifestyle changes to help ease the symptoms of asthma then read on for more details.

How Can Sauna Use Directly Help Individuals With Asthma

Some individuals may be under the false belief that saunas are contraindicated for individuals diagnosed with asthma. In fact the reality is that the data demonstrates a clear improvement of pulmonary function directly after a sauna session is taken.

A study that investigated the effects of sauna on 12 patients with severe pulmonary diseases found that saunas provide significant relief for these patients directly after sauna use. This peer reviewed study is published in the National Library of Medicine and is entitled: “Sauna to transiently improve pulmonary function in patients with obstructive lung disease” (3) Here is what they write concerning their findings.

“Despite the fact that body cooling and changes in osmolality of bronchial liquid can induce bronchoconstriction, we measured a significant improvement of the lung function parameters: FVC values were 3.22 +/- 0.89 and 3.6 +/- 0.99 before and after the sauna program, respectively.” (1)

The pulmonary function improvement did not last for many days preceding the sauna session. However, the findings suggest that if sauna is incorporated into a daily, or every other day practice for the asthmatic, that they will have greater pulmonary capacity for several hours after each sauna session culminating in improved overall lung capacity.

This same study concludes with these remarks:

“It is concluded that patients with an obstructive pulmonary disease can take part in sauna programs without eliciting bronchoconstriction; sauna even causes transient improvement of the lung function.” (3)

Not only does it appear to be safe for asthma sufferers to use saunas, but that saunas can directly improve pulmonary function after a single session.

In addition to a direct relationship between sauna use and lung function, there are many secondary benefits of sauna use for the asthma sufferer. These include exercise simulation, weight loss, decreased inflammation, and relaxation.

Saunas, nor any other lifestyle modification, are a replacement for pharmacological inhalers. Please remember that asthma can be deadly and it is always best to work alongside a medical professional before engaging in new activities. Please do not stop taking your inhalers without the guidance of a trained medical professional.

What Correlative Benefits Are Associated With Sauna Use and Patients Living With Asthma

Exercise Simulation
Weight Loss
Decrease Corporal Inflammation
Improved Relaxation

While there may not be a cure for asthma, there does appear to be significant lifestyle changes, or activities that can dramatically improve the symptoms for asthma patients.

Abstracted from the article mentioned previously ‘Evidence for lifestyle interventions in asthma’ the authors write.

“Lifestyle interventions also hold great promise for asthma sufferers as they are accessible, low cost and have minimal side-effects, thus making adherence more likely.” (1)

In this article four primary lifestyle factors are addressed. The first is nutrition. While this is very promising it is best to work with a trained nutritionist, and the experience of eating is far outside the realm of sauna use. The other three factors outlined in this paper include the following (all of which are positively affected by regular sauna use).

“Regular physical activity should be promoted for people with asthma, as it can improve quality of life and lung function, as well as general health.

In obese asthmatic patients, weight loss should be recommended, as it leads to numerous health benefits, including improvements in asthma. Even small amounts of weight loss in adults (5–10% body weight) have been shown to improve asthma quality of life and asthma control in the majority of people with asthma.
There is some evidence of benefit of meditation, yoga and breathing exercises for adults with asthma, while massage therapy shows promise in children with asthma.” (1)

Exercise Simulation

It is recommended by the authors that asthma sufferers engage in regular cardiovascular based exercise. This unfortunately can be inaccessible for some individuals. So, if you are injured, overweight, or if exercise flares your asthma up, then consider sauna use instead of exercise.

Due to the thermoregulatory system of humans, when the body begins to heat up due excessive heat as experienced in the sauna, the cardiovascular system is engaged to begin the cooling process. This requires an increased heart rate and results in perspiration as well as several other mechanisms. This means that a single sauna session of 20-25 is equivalent to moderate exercise lasting the same amount of time. (4)

Therefore even if exercise is currently unavailable to you for any reason at all, it is still possible to benefit from moderate exercise via the sauna.

Weight Loss

Even small amounts of weight loss in obese asthmatics (5%-10% of body mass) improves symptoms of asthma. (1) For anyone carrying excessive body weight exercise can seem very difficult to access for a variety of physiological and psychological reasons.

Saunas are an effective way to reach an ideal body weight. This is not due to water loss from sweat (a common myth), but rather the required cardiovascular engagement necessary to regulate internal temperature.

The study entitled ‘Sauna-Induced Body Mass Loss in Young Sedentary Women and Men’ demonstrates how effective saunas are as a weight loss tool. Without making any dietary or exercise adjustments individuals using a sauna for 20 minutes 3-4 times per week were able to successfully reduce their BMI (body mass index). Heat stress is an effective means of weight loss. (5)

By sitting down and relaxing in a sauna it is possible to lose excess weight and therefore improve symptoms of asthma in obese patients.

Decrease Corporal Inflammation

The underlying cause of asthma is inflammation of the airways. It can be hypothesized that if inflammation is reduced so will asthmatic symptoms. The use of cortisol inhalers aims to reduce inflammation of the airways as their treatment method.

Saunas are able to improve circulation through the mechanism of thermoregulation in response to heat stress. This helps blood to flow more efficiently to all portions of the body. (6)

Exposure to heat in the sauna actually activates anti-inflammatory signifiers that then go out into the body to cause anti-inflammatory reactions in all portions of the body. (6)

Where there exists positive circulation and anti-inflammatory markers, inflammation will be reduced. It is not known if sauna use can directly reduce inflammation of the lungs, but sauna use is able to reduce inflammation in other portions of the body. Perhaps, as seen in the earlier study that demonstrated improved pulmonary function after a sauna was taken, the reason for this was a reduction in inflammation, and therefore an opening of airways.

Improved Relaxation

Finally, it has been shown that activities such as yoga, meditation, and massage help to improve asthmatic symptoms. (1) The likely reason for this is the ability of each of the aforementioned activities to initiate states of relaxation within the body.

Saunas are also able to work with the central nervous system to coax the body out of states of stress response, or sympathetic dominance, back into states of relaxation, or parasympathetic dominance. While saunas initially stress the body with heat, this only serves as a gateway back into states of relaxation.

When the body is relaxed, breath slows down. This may help the asthmatic open airways for more accessible breathing.

While saunas address many of the lifestyle changes suggested by this study ‘Evidence for lifestyle interventions in asthma’, they are not the only way. Nutrition can alter the body’s makeup significantly in ways that a sauna cannot; however, saunas can address other factors that worsen symptoms of asthma. Examples of indirect benefits from sauna use include weight loss, exercise simulation, reduced inflammation, and relaxation of the nervous system.

Saunas Can Help Both Directly and Indirectly to Reduce Symptoms Caused by Asthma

You do not want to go and throw your inhalers out, but rather find a lifestyle that optimizes the use and necessity of pharmacological care for asthma in conjunction with other treatments.

According to relevant and peer reviewed studies, saunas show a promising capacity to improve respiratory function directly after a sauna session, as well as other correlative factors to improve overall symptom expression of asthmatics. The sum total of this is to help improve the overall quality of life for asthma sufferers, and reduce mortality rates.

Before making any changes to your pharmacological routine, please consult with your medical practitioner about the possibility of incorporating saunas into your lifestyle. Asthma is a serious condition and must be treated as such. It appears that the research now indicates that lifestyle changes, that may include sauna use, in conjunction with corticosteroids are the optimal approach.

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