34. Why Is Everyone so Obsessed With Sauna?

In this episode, Sam unpacks the advice every Healthtokker and their mother is shoving down your throat: Sauna, sauna, sauna. Not only does she uncover the truth on some big wellness myths (lactic acid, detoxification, and weight loss among them), but she also shares research-backed methodology for using the sauna as effectively as possible to unlock the best version of your mind and body. Listen to this episode if you don't sauna, if you're skeptical of your friendly neighborhood Healthtokker, or if you sauna without a goal/program (because random bits of heat here and there are not having the effect you think they are!). Key moments: 04:24 Why recovery is essential (not optional) 05:24 The cycle of muscle tear and repair 05:58 Glycogen!!! We need to understand this 06:09 Why you should not be afraid of carbs 07:28 How our bodies process glucose 08:28 Risk of injury 08:37 How recovery impacts your sleep cycle 09:19 Maintaining hormonal health and balance 10:05 Inflammation from overtraining 10:37 Lactic acid (and busting a major fitness myth!!!) 13:48 A 30-second history of sauna 16:06 Benefits of sauna 16:42 The science behind sauna and stress reduction 17:08 Vasodilation (important for many other points in this episode) 18:35 Sauna and cortisol…conflicting evidence 20:00 Super interesting fact on how sauna can help you sleep 22:27 How saunas reduce muscle stiffness and soreness 23:36 Saunas and heart/cardiovascular health 23:47 How the sauna might improve your blood pressure 25:34 Can sauna lower your cholesterol? 26:35 Cardiovascular respiratory fitness 27:30 Frequency and duration of sauna use for heart health 29:54 Respiratory (read: lungs and breathing) health 30:38 Sauna and inflammation 32:06 CLAIMED/alleged benefits of using sauna (can’t fully confirm with research yet) 32:32 Sauna and psoriasis, other skin conditions 33:19 Can a sauna improve your immune function? 34:06 Sauna’s impact on Alzheimer’s and dementia 36:26 Does sauna help with weight loss? (Mythbusterrr) 38:35 The biggest sauna myth!!! 38:48 Do saunas actually help you detox? 40:36 How to use the sauna properly 42:29 How saunas impact fertility Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening! New episodes are released every Sunday at 8 AM ET, so if you liked this episode, subscribe or follow to get notified about the next one. And please leave me a rating or review, so I can continue to improve the show. Talk soon! Follow along: Instagram: www.instagram.com/lifeincapslock TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@lifeincapslock YouTube: www.youtube.com/@lifeincapslock Threads: www.threads.net/@lifeincapslock Resources for this episode can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices