How Sauna Can Help with Burnout Prevention and Recovery

 

Hello, my name Mairi and I run a wellbeing blog called Balancing Bluebells which aims to provide people with the information and tools they need to build their own personal resilience to burnout and stress. I have recently started including sauna in my routine more regularly and this article describes the benefits I have experienced in the hope that you too will give it a try.

 

Managing your cortisol levels is a critical part of preventing burnout. Cortisol is a stress hormone released when we are  in “fight or flight” mode for an extended period of time. If you read my blog you will see that I used to be somewhat of an adrenaline junkie when it comes to work, and I have had to seek out ways to reverse this harmful habit.

When you first step into a sauna your body produces stress hormones in response to the heat but as your body adjusts, your cortisol levels fall and keep falling past your baseline level. This response can last a few hours or even days after you leave the sauna so regular saunas can result in overall lower baseline levels of cortisol, providing many health benefits including balancing hormones and helping you to manage your everyday micro-stressors.

 

Managing burnout is all about balancing your every day micro-stressors with your ability to cope with them. We can significantly improve our ability to cope with everyday stressors through ensuring we get the basics right and that includes sleep. I know from experience the havoc stress and burnout can play with your sleep patterns.

Sauna supports good sleep through the process of raising and then cooling your core body temperature. This mimics the natural drop in body temperature that occurs before sleep and signals to the brain that it’s bed time. Regular sauna sessions, particularly in the afternoon and evening, can also help to stabilise your circadian rhythm, which has a positive effect on sleep quality by leading to more consistent and undisturbed sleep patterns.

 

Sauna is known to help you detox through sweating out unwanted heavy metals and increasing your heart rate and blood flow. However, as I sat in the sauna yesterday with sweat dripping off my body, it occurred to me that this act of detoxing felt like a mini fresh start. I am always telling anyone who will listen that preventing burnout requires regular check ins – check ins with your body, your emotions, your soul and whether your actions and choices are aligning with your core values. It’s all too easy to get carried away with what other people need and want us to do and forget about ourselves. Regular saunas allow the time to reflect but for me the act of “sweating it all out” also enables me to let go of any mistakes, get myself back on track and restart a new.

 

Not all saunas are created equal when it comes to a connection with nature, but for me this is an important benefit when it comes to managing burnout. Many saunas are located by the sea or a river which provides an opportunity for a cold dip but also a chance to spend time in beautiful surroundings. If you sauna regularly throughout the year you can experience the change in seasons and because there is no bad weather for sauna you can experience every season nature has to offer. Yesterday my sauna was in the grounds of the lovely Traquair House in the Scottish Borders, the woodland was looking spectacular and I couldn’t help but come away with feelings of contentment. No two saunas are the same but the connection with nature seems to put me and my worries in my place, reminding me of what’s important.

 

A common symptom of burnout is social exclusion. When you are feeling overwhelmed going out with friends can feel like too much, but meeting people through a shared activity can feel easier, providing you with the important benefits of connection. Sometimes I sauna with a friend while other times I will book a slot in a community session, either way I usually meet someone lovely to talk to. Even this simple connection can increase endorphins, reduce stress hormones and help you put things into perspective.

 

For more tips and tricks to prevent, manage and recover from burnout, please visit Balancing Bluebells.