We usually rarely think about the breathing process. But once you go to the steam room, everything changes. The heat in the bath makes a person focus on his own lungs. One breath is enough to feel how a hot wave travels throughout the body and warms it up. For experienced bath attendants, this feeling is pleasant, but for new visitors, non-standard conditions are alarming.
Why is it hard to breathe in the bath
The first reason lies in the structure of the steam room. The room is designed so that the heat and high level of humidity (if we are talking about a Russian bath) are maintained for hours. In Finnish saunas, the humidity is lower, which is compensated by the rise in temperature. In addition, sauna owners avoid frequent ventilation in order to avoid premature cooling. But this approach is wrong, since fresh air is necessary for any room.
The lack of oxygen becomes evident when hot water is poured onto the heater. The release of steam dramatically increases the humidity of the air. In a confined space, such a procedure interferes with proper breathing and often confuses beginners. To avoid suffocation in the steam room, a ventilation system is thought out that is responsible for the flow of fresh air.
The next reason for the lack of oxygen in the bath is an excess of people. The well-known adage “fewer people, more oxygen” in the steam room is felt literally. Still air makes breathing difficult on its own.
But if supplemented with a large number of visitors, the atmosphere can become unbearable. The release of carbon dioxide and intense evaporation of sweat create a stuffy atmosphere that weighs on the lungs.
How to breathe correctly in a steam room
A visit to the steam room involves observing a number of rules that preserve health. Beginning bath attendants are recommended to start their first visits to the steam room with 10 minutes at a time. Neglecting this light increases the risk of drying out the airways. Wrong "technique" of breathing in the bath leads to a quick breakdown, and sometimes - to loss of consciousness. Therefore, at first it is important to carefully monitor your condition.
To prevent hot air from harming the body, you need to breathe through your nose. Inhales and exhales are done in a measured manner, otherwise shortness of breath will occur. For this reason, physical activity is not encouraged in the steam room - it is not easy to recover from it. Breathing through the nose warms up the internal organs and ventilates the lungs. Correct breathing in a bath is comparable to an inhalation procedure that clears the airways.
Beginners often try to inhale air through their mouth - the method seems easy and convenient. But in practice, it leads to severe coughing fits. The lungs are not ready for so much scalding air. They try to get rid of the heat, which leads to an unpleasant feeling of suffocation. When breathing through the nose, the air is cooled and reaches the lungs in a comfortable state.