Staying healthy during the cold seasons: regular saunas and dry salt inhalation

Strengthen long-term immune system with KLAFS; clear respiratory tract of viruses and bacteria.

The leaves are falling from the trees, the days are getting shorter and the autumn weather is getting cooler and stormier - time to get the immune system fit and in shape for the autumn and winter season. More and more scientific findings suggest that regular visits to the sauna can effectively strengthen the immune system. Additional applications such as inhalation of dry salt can intensify the health-promoting effects, for example by clearing the airways of viruses and bacteria. Around the world, millions of people regularly pamper themselves with a beneficial sauna, entirely in the spirit of Finnish tradition. As the world market leader in sauna, wellness and spa, KLAFS knows why: saunas have much more to offer besides their relaxing effect.

More than a wellness ritual: fully activate your own defence mechanisms with a hot-cold boost

Our health depends on how strong our immune system is. Strengthening and supporting it can successfully fight diseases and infections and is therefore especially important when the cold season approaches. A very enjoyable and effective option is to take a sauna, which is both relaxing and health-promoting for the body and mind.

Let's look at the biological process that takes place in the body during sauna bathing. The intense heat raises the body's core temperature by one to two degrees Celsius. This artificial feverish state triggers many processes. For instance, immune cells, including T cells and antibodies, are trained to produce antibodies - these cells are our body's first lines of defence against pathogens. "After six months of regular sauna bathing, susceptibility to colds can decrease with 50%," says Prof Dr Resch, head of the German Institute for Health Research in Hof/Saale. At the same time, the body reacts to high temperatures by producing special messenger substances such as 'free radicals' and 'heat shock proteins'. These molecules act as sparring partners for our immune system. They speed up various metabolic processes and increase our body's efficiency.

Sauna and dry salt spray prevent viral infections

Taking a sauna also has the benefit of opening the airways and loosening mucus. The heat of the sauna improves blood flow and moisturises the mucous membranes. It has been proven that inhaling dry salt spray additionally supports the immune system and clears the airways down to the finest alveoli. KLAFS offers the patented Microsalt SaltProX for this purpose: it evenly distributes a particularly fine, dry salt mist in the cabin, which, when inhaled, has a disinfecting and anti-inflammatory effect and can loosen stuck secretions in the airways more easily. It stimulates blood circulation in the lungs and cleans them and the airways of viruses and bacteria, as well as allergens. "As a result, the body is much better able to repel invading pathogens," Prof Dr Resch clarifies. Coronaviruses, which are generally very sensitive to heat, like flu viruses, usually multiply first in the nasopharynx and throat. The virus particles contained in droplets adhere to the cells of the mucous membrane in a sophisticated way with special 'arms'. It is therefore quite conceivable that with every breath in the sauna, viruses are deactivated in the upper respiratory tract.

Less chilling by regular sauna bathing

Another positive effect of sauna baths: regular alternation of hot and cold baths helps the body regulate body temperature and react more easily to large differences between outdoor and indoor temperatures. When it is cold, i.e. when cooling down after a hot sauna bath, the body must try to counteract the impending cooling. Humans have largely lost this ability over the course of their evolution, which is also due to the increasing use of insulating clothing. The body first tries to compensate for heat loss by reducing the blood supply to the skin. If this is not enough, shivering follows as a manifestation of increased muscle activity.

Regular sauna visits can make the cold autumn and winter days much more bearable and help the body regulate its own temperature more efficiently and adapt more quickly to low outside temperatures. In short, sauna users suffer less from the cold and face the coming winter more relaxed.

Sauna for every season and every room

To reap long-term immune-boosting benefits, it is advisable to incorporate sauna into your lifestyle on a regular basis. More and more people are therefore opting for a home sauna. For this purpose, KLAFS has created oases of relaxation for every room. With their homely character and different size variants, they fit harmoniously into any ambience - from a generous design sauna to a compact, retractable S1 SAUNA, which can be retracted to a cabinet depth of just 60 cm. Thanks to the S1 Zoom principle, the minimalist-design sauna unfolds its full potential in just 20 seconds at the touch of a button. Whether it stands in a study, hallway or guest room, in a large house or a small flat - the S1 offers perfect sauna enjoyment even in just a few square metres.

More information on KLAFS can be found at: www.klafs.nl