The lungs and our respiratory systems are very important, especially for individuals with any condition affecting respiration or taking medications known to depress respiratory. Some of us come at a high risk of lung and respiratory disease. For these people, improving lung function is incredibly beneficial. The problem is, this can be tough to do. Thankfully, in a steam room, you have a way.
A steam room can help lung function through various mechanisms. It’s been shown lung congestion decreases through a steam room. Key metrics around lung function – including capacity, tidal volume, minute ventilation, and in forcing an expiratory volume of the lungs. A steam room has also been shown to help patients with asthma and/or chronic bronchitis help breathing ability.
There was also a recent study examining the relationship between steam room heat and a user’s health over a massive 26-year period, finding that those who used a steam room 4 times or more per week had a 41% lower risk of respiratory disease. Among those who used a steam room 2-3 times per week, a 27% lower risk of respiratory disease was recorded. These are amazing results! Another study also found patients with obstructive lung disease experienced a general improvement in lung function simply by using a steam room.
Those are just the benefits of steam rooms on respiratory function but there’s a lot more advantages rumoured. For example, it’s believed the hot air in a steam room initiates a key lung tissue response resulting in stimulated cell repair and strengthening of the lung cells’ antioxidant defense systems.
Imagine being struck with an illness that affects your ability’s to breathe. This has a big effect on your ability to do things. Everything you do, you’re constantly being limited by your respiratory system. Furthermore, you almost have to plan your breaths. Some people have even explained respiratory disease as having to remind themselves that they have to breathe.
Some of the most common respiratory diseases that are known to affect North Americans include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung diseases, and pulmonary hypertension. The biggest risk factors, other than whether one smokes or not, is exposure to air pollution, occupational chemicals and dust, and whether you’ve had a previous respiratory infection in childhood. Needless to say, respiratory disease is a massive challenge to anyone’s health.
If that’s too foreign to your day-to-day, think back to your last cold or flu and the congestion you’ve felt. Any time something related to your breathing is cut down, it affects quality of life significantly. If you fit either category, a steam room is a safe way to temporarily relieve the congestion and in the long-term, improve your body’s ability to breathe.
A steam room has dozens of benefits across various systems of the body, going far beyond respiratory system and lung function. The best thing to do if you think a steam room can benefit you is to speak with a doctor to get their input. If they say it’s ok to do so, a steam room may product some of the changes in your body you’ve always wanted to see. As we continue to understand how and why a steam room is so helpful to lung function and risks of respiratory disease, we continue to advocate for more attention to be focused on heat therapy as a treatment recommendation.