Steam Your Way to the Sleep of Your Dreams

Don't you cherish a good night’s sleep? Like so many people, the stresses of life may not always allow you to get the quality of sleep you need. According to the National Institutes of Health, long-term stress or high levels of stress can lead to mental and physical health problems (that tension headache didn’t start the day with you). While ignoring your day-to-day responsibilities isn’t an option, there are ways to reduce stress and improve relaxation time with steam.

The Potential sleep benefits of steam

The potential benefits of steam are plentiful, and a daily session in your steam shower can be a key part of a healthy lifestyle, and possibly benefit your heart, weight, mind and more, as well as your sleep.

Steam and sleep

Steam may help...

• Promote deep, restful sleep, even if you only have time for a few hours!

• Increase the length of your REM cycles during sleep. REM sleep is important because it is the restorative part of our sleep cycle.

• Relieve stress, resulting in a more relaxed mind and body to help you fall into a deeper sleep for longer each night.  Like REM sleep, deep sleep is crucial for physical renewal, hormonal regulation and growth.

Pair these advantages with the added wellness benefits of AromaTherapy, ChromaTherapy and MusicTherapy may provide you, and you’re steps closer to the sleep of your dreams.

The key to relaxation? A 20-minute steam shower should do the trick

After a stressful or active day, it’s always a smart decision to take a steam. You know the feeling of going to bed with too much on your mind. It can cause you to spend the night tossing and turning, rehashing the events and conversations of the day.

Apart from numerous potential health benefits, including skin vitality and detoxification, steam may be an ideal way to help relieve your stress.

Just 20 minutes in a steam shower could help soothe an overactive mind and tired body. When you release stress (and toxins), your body is able to relax and fall into a deeper sleep.

>> Read more about steam benefits at The 40 Benefits of Steam Bathing

Speaking of deep sleep...

Steam and your REM cycle

Your body goes through different sleep cycles, and one of the most important is the REM cycle.

Comprising about 25 percent of your sleep, the REM cycle is the time during which your mind and body become re-energized. The REM cycle is also thought to be involved in the process of storing memories, learning and balancing your mood.

A steam shower may help promote deeper sleep, lengthening your REM cycle throughout the night, and resulting in a more refreshed start to the day.

>> SteamTherapy and Sleep

Light, sound, scent, steam and sleep

So many different environmental factors can contribute to a good night’s sleep. Light, scent and sound can enhance your steam sessions to promote relaxation and a restful sleep, especially when combined with steam.

ChromaTherapy is a light system designed to suit your mood and promote feelings such as vitality and relaxation. Blue and white light have a calming effect on the body which, as we’ve discussed on this blog, can help promote a deeper sleep. Less stress equals more sleep, resulting in a happier YOU!

You may already be familiar with the calming effects of music. Listening to certain types of music, like classical or smooth jazz, can bring serenity to a space and therefore calm our minds. MrSteam’s AudioSteam3 music system and MusicTherapy speakers bring music into the steam shower, so while the warm steam envelops you, you can queue up your most relaxing music to send your mind into full Zen mode.

>> See Why Music and SteamTherapy Belong Together

Last but not least, AromaTherapy. With essential oils, your steam shower can be infused with aromas shown to help promote sleep. Lavender oil, one of the most popular essential oils, is said to help decrease anxiety and stress; thus helping with insomnia and promoting a deeper rest. Infuse lavender in your warm steam shower and you’re practically ready to hit the sheets.

>> See Bring The Scent of Spring Into Your Home Spa

We can all benefit from more restful sleep. Whether you’re working 9 to 5, running a household, on vacation or anything in between, sleep allows us to function and thrive in our daily lives.

Do your mind and body a favor: take steam showers, relax, de-stress and get some quality shut eye!