7 Benefits of Sauna Use

Saunas have been used for healing and relaxation for thousands of years, with the first written descriptions of a sauna appearing in Finland in the year 1112! In naturopathic medicine, saunas are considered a form of hydrotherapy (healing with water), and many naturopathic doctors prescribe saunas to help aid with detoxification. Naturopathic doctors love prescribing saunas because they are safe for most healthy adults and children, and they are an effective and inexpensive way to help with a wide variety of health conditions.

Regular Sauna Use Can:

1.   Ease Pain: When you sit in a sauna, the heat causes your blood vessels to widen and your heart rate to increase. This causes increased circulation of blood in the body, which can in turn reduce muscle soreness (especially delayed onset muscle soreness that often follows exercise), improve joint movement, and alleviate pain from conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and ankylosing spondylitis [1].

2.   Improve Mood: Because sitting in a sauna causes blood vessels to widen and circulation to increase, this can also promote relaxation and a sense of wellbeing [2]. There is also evidence that sauna bathing may be beneficial for people with depression. In one study, patients with mild depression underwent sauna exposure on five days weekly for two weeks [3]. Compared with the control group, fatigue, hunger and relaxation scores improved.

3.   Aid Detoxification: Optimal sauna temperature for detoxification is between 120°F-135°F. At this temperature, your body increases the rate of lipolysis of adipose tissue (break down of fat cells), which helps release toxins such as heavy metals, man-made chemicals, pesticides, pollutants, plastics that get stored there [4]. 

4.   Improve Cardiovascular Health: The reduction of stress levels when using a sauna may help improve cardiovascular (heart) health. Long-term sauna use has also been linked with reduced blood pressure and improved heart muscle function. One study found that people who use a sauna might have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, increased sauna use was linked with a reduced risk of fatal cardiovascular-related events. Participants who used the sauna two to three times a week were 22 percent less likely to experience sudden cardiac death than those who only used it once a week. Those who used a sauna four to seven times a week were 63 percent less likely to experience sudden cardiac death and 50 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who only used a sauna once a week [5].

5.  Help With Lung Conditions: People with asthma may find relief from some symptoms as saunas can help open airways, loosen phlegm, and reduce stress. One study found that men with COPD who sauna-ed were able to improve breathing test results [6]. Another study found that people who sauna regularly are more likely to fend of the common cold compared to those who don’t sauna [7]. 

6.  Improve Athletic Performance: Sauna use can improve endurance because it forces your body to adapt to working at high temperature, which happens during exercise. Sauna use also increases the release of human growth hormone, which promotes muscle growth and fat loss. Furthermore, sauna use may even protect against muscle tissue breakdown associated with overtraining [8].

7.   Reduce the Risk of Dementia: One 20-year study linked sauna use with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers found that those who used a sauna 2 to 3 times per week were 22 percent less likely to get dementia and 20 percent less likely to get Alzheimer's than those who did not use a sauna. Those who used a sauna four to seven times a week were 66 percent less likely to get dementia and 65 percent less likely to get Alzheimer's than those who used a sauna once a week [9].

Ready to add sauna use to your regular health routine? Start gradually, keeping sessions to 5-10 minutes long initially. Once you have become accustomed to sauna use you can increase to 20-minute sessions 5 days per week. If you have a strong constitution you can even follow your sauna sessions with a 1-minute cold water plunge! If you don’t want to be that hardcore, you can also follow your saunas with a tepid shower and you will still get the benefits of the hot/cold contrast hydrotherapy.

NOTE: For certain groups of people, saunas may not be safe. If you have questions about whether sauna use is right for you, ask your naturopathic doctor. 

Sources
1.    Oosterveld, F.G.J., Rasker, J.J., Floors, M. et al. Clin Rheumatol (2009) 28: 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-008-0977-y

2.    International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 2010;23(2):167–174 DOI 10.2478/v10001-010-0020-9

3.    Masuda A, Nakazato M, Kihara T, Minagoe S, Tei C. Repeated thermal therapy diminishes appetite loss and subjective complaints in mildly depressed patients. Psychosom Med 2005;67:643-647.

4.    Hanninen, O. Physiology(1986). https://doi.org/10.1152/physiologyonline.1986.1.6.179

5.   Tanjaniina Laukkanen, MSc1; Hassan Khan, MD, PhD2; Francesco Zaccardi, MD3; et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):542-548. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187

6.   Preisler B, Falkenbach A, Kläber B, Hoffmann D. Der Einfluss der finnischen Trockensauna auf Asthma bronchiale im kindesalter. Pneumologie 1990;(44):1185-1187.

7.   Ernst E, Pecho E, Wirz P, Saradeth T. Regular sauna bathing and the incidence of common colds. Ann Med 1990;22:225-227.

8.   Nath, K. A., Balla, G., Vercellotti, G. M., Balla, J., Jacob, H. S., Levitt, M. D., & Rosenberg, M. E. (1992). Induction of heme oxygenase is a rapid, protective response in rhabdomyolysis in the rat. The Journal of clinical investigation, 90(1), 267-70.

9. Tanjaniina Laukkanen, Setor Kunutsor, Jussi Kauhanen, Jari Antero Laukkanen; Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men, Age and Ageing, Volume 46, Issue 2, 1 March 2017, Pages 245–249, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afw212.