weight loss

How Saunas Help You Live Longer and Maintain Heart Health

Hey Angels and Alphas,

Have you ever been to a sauna, be it for weight loss or just to try it out? Most likely, you have, seeing that almost every gym is equipped with one now. If you have been to a sauna, you know that just a few minutes of basking in that dry heat can help you relax your muscles, open up your lungs, and do wonders for your stress levels.

Because of these well-researched benefits, countless health enthusiasts are adding the sauna to their regular health and wellness regimen.

Not to mention, residents of Finland are way ahead of the game, with Finland being a country that has more saunas per capita than any other in the world… about one sauna per household! As it turns out… they’re really onto something.

The many health benefits of saunas!

There was a long-term study done by the University of Eastern Finland that basically looked at the impact that saunas have on cardiovascular incidents and overall mortality. What they did is they analyzed the frequency of sauna use among people who were middle-aged (about 2,300 people,) over the course of about 20 years.

They broke these people down into groups based on how often they used saunas:

  • One sauna per week.
  • 2-3 saunas per week.
  • 4-7 saunas per week.

What they found is that the more saunas they used, the better it was for their health.

A higher frequency of sauna use and sauna bathing was directly linked to a reduced risk of sudden cardiac death, fatal cardiovascular disease, fatal coronary heart disease, and pretty much all-cause mortality (which is absolutely huge.) Now that’s what we call compelling data.

Now, before you get the urge to move to Finland, or at least install a sauna in your house, there’s more we should talk about.

Building on this piece of research, there is a scientific review that looked at all the available trials and studies on saunas and their effects on cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular outcomes.

What they found was pretty similar to the research we talked about before. It furthered the case for adding a sauna to your health and wellness regimen.

The researchers, who were based in the UK and in Finland, noted that there is an emerging amount of evidence suggesting that bathing in a sauna had numerous health benefits, most notable of which was the reduction in the risk associated to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and countless neurocognitive diseases.

This research also showed that bathing in a sauna had numerous health benefits for conditions such as the common cold, and not to mention, certain skin conditions, headaches, and even rheumatic diseases.

But the most mind-boggling of all the findings was perhaps the fact that sauna bathing caused a reduction in all-cause mortality among participants.

Saunas… are basically kind of like a form of exercise.

Sure, sitting still in a very, very hot room isn’t the same as running a 5K or jumping on the treadmill for a couple of HIIT sprints. But luckily, sitting in all that steam might be doing way more than you believe.

That same scientific review that we talked about basically found that the physiological responses that bathing in a sauna generates somewhat correspond to those produced by moderate physical activity such as walking.

And once more, that’s some BIG data when it comes to health and wellness. But unless you believe that there’s a reason to stop exercising, the scientists have noted that exercise combined with saunas is such a powerful one-two punch for your cardiovascular health. When you’re keeping your fitness levels in a great overall medium, courtesy of strength training and aerobic exercise, bathing in a sauna can help you further by allowing you to leverage those numerous health benefits.

Saunas can be an added level of protection against the risk of cardiovascular disease… and pretty much all-cause mortality! If your local gym has a sauna, or you have one in your home, it might be an excellent idea to include it in your wellness regimen.

If you’re already exercising, make sure to keep it up. If you’re not exercising, do your best to start. But regardless of which step you’re at in your wellness journey, there is growing evidence that sauna sessions translate to big health benefits… make sure to use that to your advantage.

Leave a Comment

Our Affiliates