Finland was once again voted the happiest country in the world, for the fifth year in a row. There are many factors that attribute to this but I want to focus on just one today…sauna.
Sauna is a regular part of Finnish culture. In fact, most Finns own a sauna and use them regularly if not daily. There are even annual traditions built around the use of sauna. My favorite is the Christmas sauna. It is basically the official transition from work to holiday. Get in there, sweat out the work from every cell in your body, and then get on with enjoying Christmas.
Benefits of Sauna Bathing
- Improved Cardiovascular Health– The benefits of sauna bathing are impressive. Starting with a dose-dependent reduction in Sudden Cardiac, Stroke, and Heart Disease. This benefit is thought to be due to the mimicking effect of moderate aerobic exercise, such as elevated heart rate and core body temperature. It is also a routine time to relax and unwind. Finns who used sauna 4-7 times per week had a 63% lower chance of dying from cardiovascular issues. Additionally, the benefits continue after leaving the sauna with lowered blood pressure and resting heart rate.
- Reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia– What’s good for the heart is good for the brain. Sauna use improved brain function and blood flow to the brain. This was also dose-dependent. People using sauna 2-3 times per week had 20% less incidence of dementia, and those people using it more, as in 4-7 times per week, showed a 60-66% reduction of incidence.
- Reduction in All-Cause Mortality- As if cardio and dementia reduction wasn’t enough, somehow people who use sauna have a 40% lower risk of dying of all causes of death. This could include accidents as well as cancers. This means sauna can actually extend one’s “healthspan”- the healthy years and quality of life.
- Increased endurance and fitness– A notable study of 6 elite runners evaluated the impact of the men who ran for 15 minutes to exhaustion on a treadmill followed by 30 minutes in a super hot sauna (194F) 4 days a week, for 3 weeks. The results were an increased time to exhaustion of over 32%. This is thought to be due to the increase in blood volume that occurred from post-exercise heat exposure. For serious athletes, this might be a “legal hack” to explore. For me, that’s just too hot!
- Reduction in Clinical Depression– When we are uncomfortably hot the body releases dynorphin to help cool the body but it is an unpleasant dysphoric feeling. When we get out of the sauna, the dynorphins actually prime the receptors so that endorphins (the feel good, runner’s high hormones) are felt more intensely for a nice mood boost. In studies, whole-body hyperthermia to an internal temperature of 101 F using an infrared heating device was associated with significant reductions in clinical depression. This study is currently being conducted using the sauna device affectionately called the “pizza oven” by many of my friends, because, well, you feel like a pizza being cooked in a wood fire pizza oven! So if regular treatments for depression are not working, elevating your core body temp 1-2% can have a robust antidepressant effect lasting up to 6 weeks!
- Heavy metal detox- Phthalates and BPA are more predominantly excreted through urine but heavy metals like Cadmium (commonly found in chocolate) and Aluminum are heavily excreted through sweat. So if you like chocolate, this is an easy way to clear some of the unhealthy metals we inadvertently take in.
So there you have 6 strong reasons to consider adding sauna to your daily routine. The Finns use dry saunas with higher heat temperatures than Infrared Saunas. Most of the studies on the health benefits have been done with dry saunas in Finnish studies. However, Infrared Saunas are easier to come by and significantly less expensive. So if you only have access to one type of sauna, I say, any sauna is better than no sauna.
Stay hot people!
