Just thinking about having a hot sauna after workout sessions is relieving some anxiety for me right now. I love that deep warmth that permeates your whole body as you lie there, eyes closed, in a room that smells like dry cedar.

Turns out, doing this post workout relieves tension, and is super good for overall health. Let’s check out the top five reasons incorporating a hot sauna after workout could be a game-changer in your health and wellness routine.

Using heat as a tool to relax your muscles and relieve tension is smart and efficient. Further, it will help to prevent injury and even lower your anxiety.

A study in 2015 found that subjects who spent time in a sauna before rehabilitating wrist exercises felt less pain during the exercises. Because of this, they increased their chance of improved function and recovery.

After you workout, it’s common to experience soreness in your muscles from lactic acid buildup. The process of lifting weights, burning and sweating on cardio machines, and even stretching can create sore muscles. While it’s a good sign (and can even feel good!) to have sore muscles, it’s never fun to have a hard time walking because you ‘smashed your glutes’ at the gym.

Further, sore muscles can delay your progress. If you’re too sore, you won’t want to workout. We all know how much our motivation lowers when we’re in pain, or just… not into it.

Saunas increase circulation. Because of this, your blood carries more oxygen to your muscles, hence helping them heal faster.

Sweating is one of the main ways that your body eliminates toxins. Other ways are through your breath, and of course through digestion and elimination.

Adding a good sweat in after a workout session can really help you to boost your immune system and decrease your toxic load. The longer you stay in, the more you sweat. However, make sure that you’re hydrating really well so you can get the full range of benefits without depleting your system of valuable water!

Even just taking a deep breath in a dry sauna can help to reduce your stress levels because of the relaxing effect of smelling cedar. If you’ve ever lied on a nice soft towel and been able to just close your eyes and absorb the heat, you know what we’re talking about.

In addition to the smell and general relaxing nature of the sauna, you can also get the benefits from a steam-sauna too. The very act of sweating and getting in the warmth (when done in moderation) can help you to reduce anxiety and lower toxic stress.

We all want to have a healthy heart. So many of us get to the gym to do our cardio and keep our hearts healthy, but being in a sauna can also serve to improve cardiovascular strength.

The researchers who did the study to confirm this found that users saw a drop in blood pressure right away after being in the heat. Further, the heat caused a slight increase in heart rate, which they found to be similar in effect to moderate exercise.

In addition to this, the study also found that there was a reduction in arterial stiffness immediately after the sauna experience! Because the heat generates sweating, it also acts like a natural diuretic, which can lower blood pressure and decrease the workload of the heart. Sign me up!

Sometimes it can be tempting to veg in a sauna for hours, but that’s not what we’re getting at. This is not a case of more = better.

15 to 20 minutes is the recommended time to stay in a sauna, so please keep that in mind. If you have any medical conditions at all, check in with your doctor to make sure your sauna time won’t have any negative impact on your health.

Further, if you’re sweating a lot, make sure to drink lots of water, and get plenty of electrolytes to replenish any you’re losing in your glorious sauna.

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