Unexpected Health Benefits of Saunas
August 01/2021
Finnish saunas have been used for pleasure, relaxation, and general wellness for thousands of years. While they’re certainly a popular backyard addition for relaxing after a long day of work, did you know they offer a wealth of health benefits, too?
According to the Mayo Clinic, sauna use increases the heart rate up to 150 beats per minute, creating a similar physiological response as moderate to intense physical activity! Here are 4 other unexpected benefits of getting your sauna-on on a regular basis.
Sauna use can lower blood pressure
Recent studies show that 30-minutes of sauna use in people with a preexisting vascular disease helped reduce both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Sauna use, or sauna bathing, has also shown to improve arterial stiffness.
Sauna use and heart health
In a study by Laukkanen et al, higher frequency and duration of sauna bathing were “inversely and independently associated with risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), fatal coronary heart disease and CVD, and all-cause mortality,” as explained by the Mayo Clinic. This was a massive study of more than 2300 men, and took into account factors that may have influenced the outcome, including age, Body Mass Index, blood pressure, smoking and alcohol use, and more.
Sauna use can aid in recovery post-exercise
The heat in a sauna releases endorphins, so after moderate to high-intensity activity, sauna use can help relieve the pain and stiffness in muscles and joints. Because body temperature also rises, blood vessels dilate and circulation improves, further aiding in the recovery process.
Sauna use can help prevent or delay onset of Alzheimer's or Dementia
Beginning in the mid-1980s, a Finnish study published by the Oxford University Press of more than 2,300 healthy men aged 42-60 set out to determine if there was any relationship between heat exposure and memory diseases. The study, which lasted 20 years, found that the Hazard Ratio for Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease both decreased in direct proportion to the amount of times a week the men used the sauna.
While this was the first of it’s kind and further study is required, the outcomes clearly showed that for the men in the study, moderate to high frequency of sauna use correlated to lower risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
We all know how great we feel after a good sweat, but saunas offer so much more than just an opportunity to cleanse. In addition to the amazing benefits above, sauna use can help you get a better sleep, fight colds and flus, cleanse the skin and flush bacteria out of sweat ducts, and of course, help relieve stress. The benefits of saunas truly are endless.
If you’re interested in adding a sauna to your home, whether it’s indoor or outdoor, custom or plug-and-go, infrared or traditional - send us a message! We currently have a high inventory of Finnleo Saunas, and we’d love to help get you on the path to health and wellness with heat therapy.
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