For Russians, bath procedures have long ceased to be just a way to cleanse the body. Today they are perceived more as a combination of measures to improve the body, elevate mood, improve skin condition, and also as a pleasant pastime. Many consider going to the bath one of the best options for relaxation.
At the same time, there are few real connoisseurs of bath procedures. Most people steam incorrectly, at best, nullifying the benefits of the bath, and at worst, even harming their own health. The reason is the widespread misconceptions about the Russian bath. Consider the most famous of them.
1. The higher the temperature in the steam room, the more useful 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 with sweat. At higher temperatures there is a risk of burning the respiratory tract.
2. The longer you steam, the better
The perception of bathing heat is different for everyone. It is worth bathing only if the procedure does not cause discomfort. Trying to endure discomfort and compete with more resilient people in this regard is unwise and unsafe for health.
The maximum allowable period of stay in the steam room depends on the age of the person, the presence of chronic diseases, the characteristics of well-being and other individual factors. An adult who decides to visit a bath for the first time is recommended to limit himself to one visit to the steam room for no more than 7 minutes. With normal tolerance, each subsequent call can be increased by 1 minute. Experienced vapers eventually accustom themselves to two or three visits with a total duration of 15 to 35 minutes.
3. Before going to the bath, you need to eat a hearty meal
In fact, steaming on a full stomach is very harmful. The break between eating and going to the bath should be at least 3 hours. It is better to include vegetable and fruit dishes, sour-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.
Before going to the steam room, forget about carbonated drinks, legumes, and foods rich in flavors and containing animal fats. Their processing, combined with the temperature effect on the body, overloads the liver, which leads to disruption of the digestive system.
4. You need to go to the bath 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 bathe 2-3 times a week do not notice any negative consequences.
5. Bath procedures are dangerous for pregnant women
In Russia, future mothers visited the bathhouse without restrictions. Women not only steamed until the very birth, but often even gave birth in steam rooms. Babies were taken to the bath from the first months of life. The bath will not hurt pregnant women in the modern world. It is only important to observe reasonable moderation: do not overheat and do not take excessively long procedures that can become stressful for the body.
6. You need to hit the skin with a bath broom
Brooms in the bath are used for two purposes: firstly, with their help they “adjust” hot air to the skin and gently massage its surface, and secondly, they get water extracts of biologically active substances, which are then sprinkled on hot stones to create healing steam. For soaring, brooms are usually used from branches of deciduous trees: birch, oak, linden, eucalyptus, aspen, as well as medicinal herbs. For inhalations, brooms from coniferous plants are also steamed.
It is completely useless to whip the body with a broom, and it is not safe, since you can injure the surface layer of the skin, softened by heat.
7. To quench your thirst in the bath is better with cold water
A visit to the bath 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 bath. Warm boiled water is also suitable.
It is not advisable to use carbonated drinks (including sweet ones), as well as industrially produced fruit juices, to quench your thirst.
8. It is useful to drink beer in the bath
Drinking alcohol in a bathhouse is very dangerous. This doubles the stress experienced by the cardiovascular system, with the existing predisposition increasing the risk of 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 claim that it is healthy, because supposedly the foamy drink quenches thirst well, and there is little alcohol in it.
In fact, you should not consume any product containing alcohol in the bathhouse. Energy drinks and stimulants are considered especially dangerous in this regard; strong drinks, wine and beer should also be included in the prohibited list.
9. Nourishing skin masks should be applied between visits to the steam room
The basis of almost all nourishing masks is fat. They create a film on the skin that closes the pores, so it is impossible to apply masks on 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 with warm water in the shower and wipe the skin dry with a towel. In the steam room, you can use only peeling products to facilitate exfoliation of dead skin particles. The process can be enhanced with the help of honey: it has not only cleansing, but also nourishing properties. The rest of the cosmetics can be applied to the face and body only after the end of the bath procedures.
10. Red spots on the skin after a steam bath – a sign of good vascular condition
The skin of a healthy person after the steam room acquires an even pink tint. When uneven red spots appear in some places, you should be wary: their appearance indicates either a violation of peripheral circulation or severe overheating. The last 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.
11. You can cool the body in the pool after each soar
Contrasting bath procedures (immersions in cold water or snow rubdowns, alternating with visits to the steam room) are very useful for the nervous system: they perfectly relieve stress. However, for other purposes, they may be redundant. If the meaning of the procedures is to restore strength after an illness, you should abandon temperature contrasts and take a hot shower between visits to the steam room.
But even when contrast procedures are indicated, experts recommend dipping into cold water only after the third soar, when the body is already evenly warmed up.
12. When cooling after a steam bath, the hair must be kept dry
This is a very common and harmful misconception. After the steam room, you must definitely plunge with your head.
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 leads to their instant narrowing. When the vessels of the head remain dilated, pressure can rise sharply in them, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences: lethargy, drowsiness, and difficulty with speech are the most common. Some consider such sensations to be evidence of the qualitative effects of bath procedures, but in fact these are symptoms of a deterioration in cerebral circulation.
13. It is enough to take one broom to the bath
Experienced steamers never do this. They usually have 2 or 3 brooms made 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 sweating and improve skin condition, a juniper broom is used for a gentle massage that improves blood circulation and creates healing steam with a wonderful pine aroma.
Any bath broom needs pre-treatment. Experts recommend steaming the branches in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then keeping them for the same amount in cold water.
14. In the bath you need to wash with soap
Soap removes the protective fatty layer from the surface of the skin, thereby drying it greatly. It is undesirable to combine a similar effect with intense heating. It is better to wash with soap the day before visiting the bath, and use only a hot shower and exfoliating products in it. By the way, it is not at all necessary to use industrial scrubs and peels: masks made from clay, cornmeal or oatmeal, as well as bee products, are suitable for cleansing the skin.
15. 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 a 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. Steaming in the 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 to avoid possible complications and get the most out of this pleasant activity.
Source: neboleem.net
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