Saunas and hot showers both promote relaxation and can help improve sleep quality, but they do so in slightly different ways.
The key to their sleep-inducing benefits lies in the body’s response to heat and the subsequent cooling process.
Hot showers directly warm the body and can quickly be followed by a cooling environment, which helps to lower the body’s core temperature.
This cooling effect after the shower mimics the natural drop in body temperature that signals the brain it’s time to sleep, thereby potentially making it easier to fall asleep.
Saunas, on the other hand, provide a more intense and prolonged exposure to heat, leading to increased body heating, dilating the blood vessels and aiding blood flow, and even helping alleviate muscle soreness.
This can also initiate the body’s natural cooling process, similar to a hot shower, but it might be more pronounced due to the higher temperatures experienced in a sauna.
While both can be beneficial for sleep, the sauna’s more intense heat exposure can lead to a more significant relaxation response, which some might find particularly effective for inducing sleep.
However, timing is crucial - it’s recommended to allow sufficient time for the body to cool down after a sauna before attempting to sleep.