15 myths about the Russian bath
For Russians, bath procedures have long ceased to be just a way to cleanse the body. Today, they are perceived rather as a combination of measures to improve the health of the body, raise mood, improve skin condition, and also as a pleasant pastime. Many people consider going to the bathhouse to be one of the best leisure options.
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At the same time, there are few real connoisseurs of bath procedures. Most are steaming incorrectly, at best reducing the benefits of the bath to nothing, and at worst - even harming their own health. The reason is the widespread misconceptions about the Russian bath. Let's consider the most famous of them.
The higher the temperature in the steam room, the more beneficial the procedure
For bath procedures, the optimum temperature is about 60 ° C at 60% humidity. It is this microclimate of the steam room that allows the body to warm up evenly, gradually removing toxins from sweat. At higher temperatures there is a risk of respiratory tract burns.
The longer you steam, the better
The perception of the sauna heat is different for all people. It is worth taking a steam bath only if the procedure does not cause unpleasant sensations. Trying to endure the discomfort and compete with more resilient people in this regard is unreasonable and unsafe for health.
The maximum allowable length of stay in the steam room depends on the person's age, the presence of chronic diseases, the characteristics of health and other individual factors. An adult who first decides to visit the bath is recommended to limit himself to one visit to the steam room for no more than 7 minutes. With normal tolerance, each subsequent run can be increased by 1 minute. Experienced bathers gradually accustom themselves to two or three passes, with a total duration of 15 to 35 minutes.
Before going to the bath, you need to eat a good meal
In fact, steaming on a full stomach is very harmful. The break between eating and going to the bathhouse should be at least 3 hours. It is better to include vegetable and fruit dishes, fermented milk and cereal products, as well as some fish and eggs in the meal before the bath. It is not recommended to eat meat, smoked meats, canned food and fast food. Avoid sodas, legumes, and flavored foods containing animal fats before going to the steam room. Their processing in combination with the temperature effect on the body overloads the liver, which leads to disruptions in the digestive system.
You need to go to the bathhouse once a week
Experts believe that going to the bathhouse once a week provides the minimum necessary therapeutic and cosmetic effect on the body, but no one says that this should not be done more often. Bath lovers who take a steam bath 2-3 times a week do not notice any negative consequences.
Bath procedures are dangerous for pregnant women
In Russia, expectant mothers attended the bathhouse without restrictions. Women not only bathed until the very birth, but even often gave birth in steam rooms. Babies were carried to the bathhouse from the first months of life. Bathrooms for pregnant women will not hurt in the modern world. It is only important to observe reasonable moderation: not to overheat and not to take excessively long procedures that can become stressful for the body.
You need to hit the skin with a bath broom
Brooms in the bathhouse are used for two purposes: firstly, they use them to "drive" hot air to the skin and gently massage its surface, and secondly, they obtain aqueous extracts of biologically active substances, which are then sprayed on hot stones to create a healing steam … For steaming, brooms made from branches of deciduous trees are usually used: birch, oak, linden, eucalyptus, aspen, as well as medicinal herbs. For inhalation, brooms from conifers are also steamed.
It is completely useless to whip a broom over the body with force, and even unsafe, since you can injure the surface layer of the skin, softened by heat.
It is better to quench thirst in a bath with cold water
A visit to the bathhouse is accompanied by strong sweating. It is necessary to replenish the loss of fluid, but cold water is not suitable for this purpose. It is good to drink herbal teas, berry fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes in the sauna. Warm boiled water will do. It is undesirable to use carbonated drinks (including sugary ones) and industrial fruit juices to quench thirst.
It is good to drink beer in the bath
Drinking alcohol in the sauna is very dangerous. This doubles the stress experienced by the cardiovascular system, with the existing predisposition increases the risk of developing a stroke or myocardial infarction. Unfortunately, many Russians, realizing this, still do not deny themselves the pleasure of drinking a couple of glasses of beer and even argue that this is useful, because supposedly the foamy drink quenches thirst well, and there is not much alcohol in it.
In fact, no product containing alcohol should be consumed in the bath. Energy and stimulants are considered especially dangerous in this respect; spirits, wine and beer must also be on the prohibited list.
Nourishing skin masks should be applied between steam baths
The basis of almost all nutritious masks is fat. They create a film on the skin that closes the pores, therefore, you cannot apply masks to the body and face before visiting the steam room: sweating is disturbed. In addition, cosmetics of this kind contain aromatic substances that create extraneous odors in the steam room.
Before taking bath procedures, you need to rinse yourself with warm water in the shower and wipe your skin dry with a towel. In the steam room, you can only use peeling products to facilitate the exfoliation of dead skin particles. The process can be enhanced with honey: it has not only cleansing but also nourishing properties. The rest of the cosmetics can be applied to the face and body only at the end of the bath procedures.
Red spots on the skin after a steam room are a sign of a good state of blood vessels
The skin of a healthy person after a steam room acquires an even pink tint. When uneven red spots appear in some places, one should be wary: their appearance indicates either a violation of peripheral circulation, or about severe overheating. The latter circumstance is easy to check: it is enough to measure the pulse after a visit to the steam room. If it is 140 beats per minute or more, then you need to steam at a more moderate temperature.
You can cool your body in the pool after every soaring
Contrasting bath procedures (immersion in cold water or snow rubdowns, alternating with visits to the steam room) are very beneficial for the nervous system: they are excellent stress relievers. However, for other purposes, they may be superfluous. If the meaning of the procedures is to recuperate after an illness, it is worth abandoning temperature contrasts and taking a hot shower between visits to the steam room.
But even when contrasting procedures are shown, experts recommend plunging into cold water only after the third steaming, when the body is already evenly warmed up.
When cooling after steam, the hair must be kept dry
This is a very common and harmful misconception. After the steam room, you must definitely plunge headlong.
As a result of strong heating in the steam room, the vessels of the head and body are in an expanded state. Immersion in cold water causes them to instantly constrict. When the vessels of the head remain dilated, pressure can increase sharply in them, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences: the most common are lethargy, drowsiness, and difficulty speaking. Some consider such sensations to be evidence of the qualitative effect of bath procedures, but in fact these are symptoms of a deterioration in cerebral circulation.
It is enough to take one broom to the bathhouse
Experienced vapers never do this. They usually have two or three brooms from different plants. For example, the following combination is very popular: birch, oak and juniper. A birch broom is used at the beginning of steaming to open pores, an oak broom is used to increase perspiration and improve skin condition, a juniper broom is used for a gentle massage that improves blood circulation and creates a healing steam with a wonderful pine scent.
Any bath broom needs pre-treatment. Experts recommend steaming the branches in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then keeping them in cold water for the same amount.
It is necessary to wash in the bath with soap
The soap removes the protective fat layer from the skin surface, thereby dramatically drying it out. It is undesirable to combine this effect with intense heating. It is better to wash with soap and water a day before visiting the bath, and use only a hot shower and exfoliating agents in it. By the way, it is not at all necessary to use industrial scrubs and peels: masks made of clay, corn flour or oatmeal, as well as bee products, are suitable for cleansing the skin.
You can have sex in the bath
Men are more likely to suffer from the consequences of this delusion. For a person who has just taken bath procedures, sex can be dangerous. The fact is that after the steam room, blood circulation is activated, the load on the vessels increases. The release of a large amount of sex hormones into the blood against such a background can lead to a heart attack and hypertensive crisis.
The bathing tradition in Russia has a long history. The rules for visiting the steam room were formed a long time ago, they have been tested by many generations of our ancestors. Taking a steam bath, neglecting these rules, is not only pointless, but also dangerous. In addition, visiting the bath has a number of medical restrictions, which are also useful to familiarize yourself with. A competent approach will help you avoid possible complications and get the most out of this enjoyable activity.
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Maria Kulkes Medical journalist About the author
Education: First Moscow State Medical University named after I. M. Sechenov, specialty "General Medicine".
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