Life can seem like a continuous hustle and bustle. From working a 9-5 job, raising families, being a full-time student, or learning new skills and hobbies, it can be hard to stay focused on the present moment. Especially when it comes to listening to your body when it needs rest. We all have heard of the different methods of practicing relaxation and mindfulness: exercise, yoga, meditation, and so on. Incorporating these into life can be difficult if you are new to them or are feeling overwhelmed by everything else you are experiencing. After all, they all require some level of physical and mental exertion.
Nordic Night Sauna and its founder Nicole understand that, and she brings a service to benefit your physical and mental health that is accessible to the whole community. The best parts? You don’t need any special equipment, you sit the entire time, and, at most, you see peak benefits from just four 19 minute sessions of saunaing a week. Seems too good to be true? I thought so too until I experienced sauna bathing with Nordic Night myself.
In my eyes, saunas were only available in expensive, private gyms and considered a luxury. I also didn’t understand why anyone would want to sit in a 170 degree F (or higher) room. So I was very apprehensive when Trevor told me we were having a work meeting in a sauna with Nicole Terrill, a licensed physical therapist and founder of Nordic Night. Going in, I held onto my bias towards saunas, that they were a posh “wellness” tool that promised to cure health ailments. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Saunas have existed for hundreds of years, and are still an incredibly important part of Finnish culture. Finns largely use saunas as a way to relieve mental and emotional stress. There has been research done that determined there are mental health benefits to saunas. Nicole reiterates this because saunaing requires you to be present in the moment, so you pay attention to how you are feeling while in the extreme heat. To paraphrase Nicole, you shouldn’t reach a point in the sauna where you feel nauseous, faint, or sick, but should push through discomfort. Encouraging people to pay attention to their different physical sensations not only helps them monitor their body, but also forces their mind to slow down and not think about the past, future, or ‘what ifs.’ Another potential reason people experience elevations in their mood is from the release of endorphins (Mayo Clinic) during and after sauna use. I went into the sauna feeling like my brain was trapped in fog, and by the time I left my mind felt more clear. (To read why this may be, follow this link about the brain-derived neurotrophic factor.)
What I found most fascinating about the benefits of sauna bathing is the changes it does to your body. Research and studies show that your body in a sauna mimics the stress your body feels under moderate intensity exercise due to an increase in internal body temperature. Those physical changes include an increase in heart rate, blood volume, and plasma levels. Although a sauna isn’t a replacement for all the health benefits of exercise, it is a good alternative due to the similar physiological changes. More so, when we’re sick or as we age, our body’s cells can undergo a disorganized breakdown, which has the potential to form plaques in the heart and the brain. Like exercise, sitting in a sauna increases your body’s production of heat shock proteins, which help prevent that dysfunctional cell breakdown. These changes in the body are likely the reason that research has shown sauna use is positively associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease.
Nicole is intentional in promoting services that bring meaningful benefits. She guides you through your sauna session, makes sure you stay hydrated, and will further elaborate on the history and research of saunas. One of the most comforting things she shared with us is that there is no ‘right’ way to sauna. While a typical round during a session lasts about 5-15 minutes, everyone has different levels of tolerance that may make them need to leave the sauna sooner. She makes it incredibly clear that participants should do what is best for themselves, regardless of how long others in the group are staying. According to Nicole,
"Many people who have had poor experiences with saunas stayed in the sauna for far too long, which is why it's important to know that sauna is practiced in "rounds." The full Nordic cycle includes time in the heat, then in the cold, then resting, and then repeating. So while a full experience with Nordic Night sauna might last up to 90 minutes, "rounds" in the sauna are only for a period of 5-15 minutes at a time."
If you are new to saunaing, you can build a tolerance for it over time. According to Nicole, acclimation to the sauna conditions start to improve between three to six sessions. Some people feel a higher tolerance after a few rounds in one session. (A sauna round is going into and out of the sauna repeatedly). People who are regularly physically active acclimate faster than those who don’t. Learning to push through the discomfort (which is different than if you feel sick or nauseous) is one way to learn how to regulate your fight or flight response. In my third session, I actually left earlier because of nerves. Nicole later emphasized that she wants to work with those bathing to help feel safe in her space and build confidence during the session.
So, you have learned about the new sauna service coming to Point and Farmshed Union lot surrounded by a flower garden. (Yes, the sauna’s view is going to be a flower garden!) So how many times do you need to sauna to feel the full benefits? Well, benefits are dose-dependent. Simply put, the more you sauna, the more likely you’ll see significant health benefits. Research done with people who saunaed four times a week for 19 minutes showed significant reduction in cardiovascular disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's. Even if you don’t sauna that often, your body is still responding to the intense heat in each session which contributes to decreased depression, improved cognitive function, reducing inflammation, minimizing pain, improving immune response, and maintaining muscle mass. However, going into the sauna once a week is enough to feel meaningful change, whether that is in your mood or acute physical relief. Nicole acknowledges that in a community setting, which her sauna will be in, is much more focused on being an accessible relaxation tool and social engagement opportunity.
Nordic Night will be renting space on Farmshed’s Union lot starting in the late spring to the end of summer to offer us space of healing and community synergy. You may wonder why Farmshed is hosting a portable sauna service (I did too). Nicole is an innovative, new business owner who is looking to make her service a shared community space, centrally located, and accessible. Farmshed exists to serve not just local farms, but local business owners, especially those whose work is centered on community health enhancement. We are excited to have her at Farmshed and hopefully will see you saunaing with her soon!
To learn more about Nordic Night, visit their website or instagram page, or reach out to Nicole at info@nordicnightsauna.com or at 715-489-5361.