Do you feel pressured and overwhelmed most days? Is there more that needs to be done every day than there are hours in the day? Does the to-do list grow longer while sleep is shorter and harder to achieve? Like so many Americans, the chances are that you are living under chronic stress.
The causes for chronic stress are many including jobs, relationship tension or dysfunction, caring for sick family members, health issues, financial distress, low income, little community support, long commutes, and so much more. Even polluted air, consumption of microplastics, mold in the environment, disorganized living conditions, heavy metals in the body, and malnutrition can contribute to ongoing stress. These are just a few examples of causes for chronic stress. Each individual will have their own unique life circumstances that lead to chronic, and eventually toxic stress.
Humans are well adapted at handling acute stress, or a specific incidence of extreme challenge. In these instances the body summons adrenaline, acute focus, and unknown levels of energy to overcome the extreme threat. Ideally, this stress would fade away and the body would return to homeostasis. The issue with chronic stress is that it is present most days, and human biology is not designed to deal with high stress situations every day. Eventually this stress begins to erode different systems in the body. (1)
When living under stress it can feel like there is little hope for a way out, and for many individuals, diseases have already set in. One way to measure stress levels is to look at brain activity. After a single sauna session researchers found that brain activity shifted from high beta levels to low alpha, and even theta directly after a sauna session. This heralds excellent news for anyone living in chronic stress.
Even if you cannot change your lifestyle immediately, or if your health inhibits you from getting regular exercise, or if sleep eludes you due to chronic stress, then perhaps consider using a sauna to help mitigate the detrimental effects of ongoing stress.
The Autonomic Nervous System and Chronic Stress
The human body is an incredibly complex machine, and its ability to grow and self regulate, heal, as well as operate on a moment by moment basis is miraculous.The body summons its healing capacity the moment an injury as slight as a paper cut occurs, or even the moment a bone is broken. Human physiology is remarkable in its ability to heal itself and seek homeostasis. Most occurrences within the body happen without conscious awareness, and this emanates from the autonomic nervous system.
According to a publication from the National Library of Medicine entitled ‘Anatomy, Autonomic Nervous System’, the autonomic nervous system is described in this way:
“The autonomic nervous system is a component of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal. It contains three anatomically distinct divisions: sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric.” (2)
For the purposes of examining how the body responds to situations of stress, it is best to consider the autonomic nervous system as consisting of two primary branches Sympathetic and Parasympathetic.
The enteric division is responsible for the digestive tract. While this system is certainly affected by stress or relaxation it does not directly dictate the overall state that the body will be dominated by depending on threat detection. (3)
When there is a threat detected in the external, or even internal environment of the body (heavy toxic load), the entire nervous system responds by activating the sympathetic dominant branch. This evolutionary trend is responsible for the continued existence of the human species.
When there is an immediate threat to our survival, such as a home invasion, it is very good that sympathetic dominance takes over to release adrenaline, cortisol, and many other stress hormones, as well as increasing heart rate, the narrowing of attention and focus. These physiological changes will keep you alive under acute attack.
The issue today with chronic stress is that the body will detect an immediate threat to the body on a daily basis. For example, when your employer demands an unrealistic workload from you, this places you into survival mode. This means that your livelihood and the very means by which you will feed your young is being threatened.
Another example of daily stresses include, driving at 60 miles per hour down the freeway can activate the sympathetic nervous system. Eventually the burden of pressure becomes overwhelming, and the body is unable to pivot back into states of parasympathetic dominance where true healing can begin.
Without the readily available natural transfer from stress response into states of rest and relaxation many different disorders may arise. The key is to find at least one activity that you can easily do that will transfer your nervous system on a daily basis out of states of stress response back into states of relaxation.
For some, exercise is prohibitive for many reasons, for others they are already too restless to meditate, and for others getting a daily massage is too expensive in time and money. So, perhaps taking a sauna is the gateway out of states of stress response and back into states of relaxation for some.
Symptoms Of Chronic Stress
(This list is certainly not exhaustive, nor are all of the symptoms a direct response to chronic stress, but many are correlatively related.)
- Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders
- Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and strokes
- Obesity and other eating disorders
- Menstrual problems
- Skin and hair issues, such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema, and permanent hair loss
- Gastrointestinal problems, such as GERD, gastritis ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (4)
In addition to the physical signs of chronic stress there are also associated repetitive thoughts, rumination, and often obsessive thinking about the threat, or problem. These anxious thoughts are linked to beta brain waves. Instead of trying to settle the body directly into relaxation, it may be best to transfer the brain waves down to alpha and therefore relaxation. This perhaps can be achieved with a sauna session.
Find out how saunas can help change your brain waves, heal your autonomic nervous system, and ultimately mitigate the toll that chronic stress has on your health.
Saunas Can Help Your Body and Mind To Relax: A Study of Brain Wave Activity Before and After a Sauna
Saunas are effective in easing the stress load both on the mind and body. While exposure to the heat of a sauna may initially induce sympathetic dominance, once sweating begins, or just after exiting the sauna, a strong wave of relaxation will take over the body as parasympathetic dominance takes the wheel of the autonomic nervous system. Studies have demonstrated through the use of EEG technology that neural oscillation occurs just after a sauna session. Brain waves associated with high stress very quickly drop into brainwaves associated with relaxation. (7)
This is very important for anyone living in high states of stress response that includes obsessive over thinking. Here is an example of an average American coming home after a difficult day at a difficult job, with a difficult boss.
For anyone who has lived with chronic stress they know that one of the most challenging symptoms is an overactive mind. The same thoughts roam through your mind ad nauseam. If your boss yelled at you at work, and now you are sitting in traffic going over the details of the words that were said, your mind jumps to the amount of money left in your checking account, whether you will qualify for unemployment insurance, back to the mean comments that your boss made, then wondering if you have enough food in the house to feed your child. Inch forward toward a green light turning red again, and the thoughts continue. This is toxic stress affecting your thinking, and while you may not be aware of it, underlying this rapid fire obsessive thinking are a host of stress hormones running through your body giving you enough energy to fight the predator, but you can’t find the predator because we live in a civilized society, so all of these stress hormones take up residence in your body. Then you cannot sleep well and eventually you become sick. Or perhaps, you stop the cycle and take a sauna.
The person in this scenario is operating in states of high anxiety known as Beta, and there is no way that this individual will be able to settle down enough to fall asleep without the use of pharmacological aid or alcohol.
According to the National Library of Medicine’s published journal entitled: ‘A study on neural changes induced by sauna bathing: Neural basis of the “totonou” state’, writes about a very recent study that looked at the impact of saunas on brain activity, the journal describes the outcome in this way: “the effects of saunas on brain activity found that post-sauna recovery enhances brain relaxation and improves cognitive efficiency…” (5)
Here is a chart from the publication Science Direct to give you a sense of brain wave activity and their associated effects.
Frequency band Frequency Brain states:
- Gamma (γ) >35 Hz Concentration
- Beta (β) 12–35 Hz Anxiety dominant, active, external attention, relaxed
- Alpha (α) 8–12 Hz Very relaxed, passive attention
- Theta (θ) 4–8 Hz Deeply relaxed, inward focused
- Delta (δ) 0.5–4 Hz Sleep (6)
The same study mentioned earlier found that the group of individuals who took a sauna dropped in brain wave activity significantly from beta to alpha, and even theta. (5)
The assessment that saunas can affect neural oscillation is wildly compelling for anyone living in chronic states of stress. The novel use of brain wave activity to determine the effectiveness of an activity to induce states of relaxation is truly brilliant. Most individuals will notice that they are over burdened and living in stress first by their thought patterns, and later by their physicality.
By assessing stress levels based on the thought patterns and brain waves it may be possible to intervene before illness progresses in the body.
Another article published by the National Library of Medicine entitled ‘Post-sauna recovery enhances brain neural network relaxation and improves cognitive economy in oddball tasks’ (7), writes the following positive report on brain wave changes after a sauna.
“Post-sauna recovery to normothermia led to enhanced resting neural network relaxation followed by increases in cognitive processing.” (7)
Yes, you can relax your brain, mind, and body by taking a sauna at the end of each and every day.
How Can You Use a Sauna at Home To Relax Brain Wave Activity and Heal Your Nervous System
Freedom may be described as the ability to pivot from states of stress back into states of relaxation. Imagine being able to finish your day at work, and simply turn off high wired, anxious thinking so that you can enjoy your time off, and actually sleep well?
If you plan to go to a sauna for relaxation, it is best to do so in the evening or just before bed. Make sure to preheat your sauna, have plenty of towels ready for during and after your sauna. Finish all of your ‘have to’ tasks, dim the lights, and prepare to listen to calming music in your sauna. Make sure that you turn off the notifications on your phone, and silence any incoming calls.
Try to find a comfortable position in the sauna and try not to worry if your thoughts are still roaming in an anxious way. Eventually they will calm down as your nervous system begins to relax. Take a shower after your sauna, in warm water (not cold, if possible), slip into comfortable clothes and try to find a reclined resting position where you will not be disturbed.
You can use your sauna to ease your mind, and if you begin with the brain then the body will follow. Hopefully, this will help to prevent you from developing chronic diseases and conditions that are very difficult to heal.
Please be sure to drink plenty of mineral and electrolyte rich fluids throughout the day if you plan to sauna regularly. Always consult your doctor if you are unsure about using a sauna. If your stress load is very high and you have suicidal thoughts please call a help line immediately (988 Lifeline)
You may be able to prevent serious illness by enlisting the aid of a sauna to help pivot your nervous system from states of stress response back into states of relaxation where brain waves slow down and anxious thoughts dissipate.
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Sources Cited:
- https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/stress-disorder
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539845/
- http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Enteric_nervous_system
- https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-symptoms-effects_of-stress-on-the-body
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10681252/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/brain-waves
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30300030/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10681252/#pone.0294137.g003