What is it:
Sauna or sauna bathing is a type of heat therapy that has long been a tradition in many cultures, from Roman to Turkish to Finnish. It is a room that uses a heating element to help you sweat. There are typically three types of saunas:
Dry saunas are the traditional Finnish-style saunas. A wood-burning or electric stove heats the rooms as you occasionally pour water on the rocks above the stove to create steam and moisture. The temperatures are quite high, ranging from 160 to 210F, and the humidity ranges between 10-20% depending on how much water you pour on the rocks.
Wet saunas are steam rooms where the moisture is created by a steam generator boiling water and releasing it into the air. While the humidity is 100%, the temperature is around 110-120F.
Infrared saunas use infrared heaters that deliver radiant heat directly onto the skin's surface, penetrating deep into the body to raise the core temperature. There is no humidity, and the temperature is around 120-140F.
Purported claims:
Traditionally saunas have been used for therapeutic, social, and relaxation purposes, but there are now numerous scientifically proven health benefits of regular sauna use:
Increases cardiovascular health and longevity
Improved insulin sensitivity and glucose control
Helps pain management
Decrease cognitive decline and depression
Improve athletic performance
Boost immunity
Help detoxify from harmful chemicals
Improve sleep
What the science says:
Although you might feel more relaxed in a sauna, exposure to high temperature stresses the body eliciting a rapid, robust reaction called heat shock response (HSR). Inside your cells are heat shock proteins, which are vital in repairing damaged proteins and protecting you from subsequent exposures to more devastating stressors. Heat therapy will increase the production of these proteins.
Multiple studies show that regular sauna has substantial cardiovascular health benefits from lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, decreasing risk of sudden cardiac death, fatal coronary heart disease, and stroke. According to a study from Finland, sauna bathing 2 to 3 times per week was associated with a 24 percent lower risk and 4 to 7 times per week with a 40 percent reduction in risk for all-cause mortality compared to only one sauna session per week. Studies also indicate that sauna has a positive effect on lipid profiles.
Heat therapy, such as sauna, may offer another way to regulate Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Researchers have found that blood sugar values significantly decreased after seven 15-minute sauna sessions. Another study indicated that several infrared sauna sessions significantly reduced blood sugar levels in participants.
Relaxation has always been one of the biggest draws of sauna, and it's no surprise since it enhances the release of beta-endorphins, a powerful pain suppressant, and helps you relax. Sauna has been shown to decrease the amount of C-reactive protein, a leading blood marker of systemic inflammation. This makes sauna a promising treatment for chronic pain conditions from muscle and joint soreness to arthritis, fibromyalgia, and even chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Sauna can help decrease cognitive decline and the risk of Alzheimer's disease. This is because heat exposure increases the production of BDNF, a protein that acts on neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems and promotes the growth of new neurons. Mild depression has also been shown to ease with regular sauna sessions.
For athletes and people looking for positive cardiovascular changes, sauna has many significant advantages. The heat increases your heart rate to 120-150 bpm mimicking a moderate exercise session. It also makes plasma and red-cell volumes increase. According to a small study with male runners, the run time to exhaustion increased by 32% following a 3-week sauna period. Sauna is a great way to acclimate for heat when an athlete is getting ready for an event in a warm climate by lowering heart rate, core, and skin temperature and even increasing VO2Max and speed. It can reduce muscle glycogen use by 40 to 50% compared to before heat acclimation, presumably due to increased blood flow to the muscles. Sauna can also be used as a legal ergogenic aid to elevate growth hormone levels and maintain muscle mass.
When your body is fighting a fever, it will kick your immune system into overdrive to fight the disease. Sauna has a similar effect on your immune system, and sauna bathing has been shown to increase the number of white blood cells, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and basophil counts. Remarkably, sauna may decrease your risk of getting a cold or influenza by 30%. Remember not to use it if you're already sick, as it may unnecessarily burden your system.
Deep sweating, which happens in a sauna, can help your body get rid of heavy metals and toxins in your body. Modern society and our food systems are full of chemicals that aren't supposed to end up in our bodies, increasing the risk of many chronic and autoimmune diseases.
If you have trouble getting a good night's sleep, an evening sauna session could be just what the doctor ordered. After you get out of the sauna, your body works hard to cool itself, and this rapid decrease in temperature triggers the production of melatonin that induces sleep. Of course, the secretion of feel-good hormones such as endorphins and serotonin doesn't hurt your sleep either!
Our take:
Sauna has many health benefits, from cardiovascular and mental health to increased athletic performance and stress release. Although sauna can give you a great cardiovascular workout, it won’t work your muscles, tendons, and joints the way exercise does. The most significant health benefits will come from combining regular sauna use with regular exercise.
When it comes to the type of sauna to use (dry, wet, infrared), it depends on your preferences and the space you have available (indoors/outdoors). Wet saunas or steam rooms might work well for people with congestion or sinus issues and those who prefer more gentle temperatures. Infrared saunas seem to have similar health benefits to dry saunas, and some studies indicate that they could be better for pain management since the heat penetrates more deeply into the body.
Most health studies on saunas have been done on the traditional dry saunas, so they are certainly a great choice, and they can be placed indoors or outdoors. If you have a pool or live next to a lake or an ocean, an outdoor sauna is a wonderful way to expose yourself to positive thermal stress that the combined heat/cold therapy can offer, especially in winter.
Will this benefit you?
The list of sauna’s health benefits is long and indisputable. Depending on your current lifestyle, health goals, and challenges, there seems to be something any of us could gain from using a sauna. Whether you’re looking to increase your cardio health and longevity, release sore muscles or boost your immunity, it may be done with 20-30 minutes of sauna bathing once a week or more often if you have the time and opportunity to do so.
Since sauna can be viewed as an alternative to exercise training, there is one health hack to consider with sauna use. People who are injured or physically impaired for significant aerobic activity could use a sauna to enhance their cardiac output. And if nothing else, sauna is a wonderful way to manage stress and disconnect from the hustle and bustle of today’s busy life!
Still curious to try it? If you do, here is what to keep an eye on:
Sauna is generally considered safe for healthy adults. If you have a severe cardiovascular disease, complicated pregnancy, or use medication, you should consult with a physician before sauna use. An average person loses approximately 0.5 kg of fluid as sweat during a single sauna session, so proper hydration and electrolyte balance during and after sauna is critical. Avoid alcohol as it increases dehydration.
References and additional reading:
https://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/sauna-use-associated-with-reduced-risk-of-cardiac-all-cause-mortality/# https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20682487/
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