Finnish researchers have been studying the health benefits of sauna bathing for years. A study published several years ago in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings reviewed the evidence for cardiovascular and other health benefits. More recently, researchers ran a mouse study that suggests sauna bathing might be beneficial for women going through menopause.
Could Sauna Bathing Prevent Menopausal Weight Gain?
Metabolism changes at menopause, and many women gain as much as a pound a year during menopause. Insulin resistance may increase as well, raising the risk for type 2 diabetes in later years.
Scientists suggest that a daily sauna might help prevent these developments (American Society for Nutrition, June 29-July 2, Chicago, IL). To test this possibility, they fed older female mice (some with and some without ovaries) a Western style diet. For three months, half the mice spent half an hour daily in a heat therapy chamber at 40 degrees C.
Heat-treated mice gained less weight, had less visceral fat accumulation and maintained insulin sensitivity. Heat activates the sensing molecule TRPV1, which triggers higher energy expenditure despite no additional muscle movement. Mouse metabolism often differs from human metabolism in some respects, so we’ll need research on humans to confirm that sauna bathing can help prevent menopausal metabolic disruption.
What Are the Benefits of Sauna Bathing?
The authors note that sitting in a hot wooden room has been a tradition in Finland for thousands of years. Many people find sauna bathing a relaxing and pleasurable activity, but new research suggests it may also offer numerous health benefits (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, August, 2018). These include improvements in circulation and a reduction in cardiovascular risk factors.
People with high blood pressure see a reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after sauna bathing. Studies also indicate that this practice may reduce the risk of dementia, lung disease, mental disorders and pain. Perhaps the rest of the world should pay attention to this ancient Finnish tradition. Some Americans who have tried it are enthusiastic.
Sauna Bathing for Heart Health:
Earlier studies have demonstrated that sauna bathing benefits cardiovascular health. A twenty-year study of more than 2,000 men in Finland found that frequent sauna bathing was associated with a lower risk of sudden cardiac death (JAMA Internal Medicine, April 2015).
When the men volunteered for the study in the 1980s, they filled out questionnaires about whether they visited the sauna two or three times a week, every day, or only once a week. Only 12 men in this study never went to the sauna.
Follow-up showed that 10 percent of those using the sauna weekly died of sudden cardiac death during the study, compared to only 5 percent of those who went every day. The pattern held up for death from other cardiovascular causes, and daily sauna bathers were also less likely to die from any cause during the study time frame.
Finnish saunas use dry heat, so the results might not hold for steam baths. In Finland, saunas are common and readily accessible, so there were no significant socioeconomic differences between the men who visited the sauna frequently and those who went rarely.
Living in Finland:
Q. My husband and I lived in Finland for a year. We took a sauna regularly in the university recreation center across the street from our apartment.
Our first sauna bath (in the sauna in the apartment building of Finnish friends, years previously) had felt very odd or even dangerous. We’d stayed in because we saw that our friends were not toasting to death or fainting. After a couple of times, we got addicted to it, and love the feeling of sitting quietly in the dry heat and sweating for about 10 or 15 minutes followed by a dip in a cool lake or swimming pool.
We really miss it now that we’re back in the States. Saunas in the U.S. tend not to be as nice as those in Finland. They are rarely accompanied by the possibility of cool bathing–just cold showers, which are not so pleasant! Please remind us again of the health benefits of saunas.
A. A recent review in the journal Experimental Gerontology (Aug. 5, 2021) listed many health benefits associated with regular sauna bathing. It promotes cardiovascular health relaxing blood vessels, lowering blood pressure, increasing heart rate, reducing premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), lowering cholesterol and improving blood flow through peripheral arteries.
In addition, regular sauna bathers appear less likely to suffer from depression or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, older people or those with chronic health conditions should check with their doctors before spending time in a hot sauna.
Other Readers Share Their Experience:
Meryl noted on our website:
“Anyone visiting a sauna that often is someone who knows how to relax. The ability to relax more easily all by itself (sauna or no) may very well be the cause.”
EBM responded:
“Sauna’s benefits go beyond relaxing. Scandinavians use it also to detoxify the body. Toxins are sweat out through the pores of the skin, our largest organ. Therefore the body stays healthier.”
Exercise Plus Sauna Bathing Is Better Than Either One Alone:
Research indicates that sauna bathing is synergistic with exercise, which is known to boost cardiovascular health. One reader loves the sauna more than the exercise.
Q. My primary reason for joining any health spa always has been because of the sauna. I was thinking I was a lazy sort. Now I read that sitting in the sauna is as good as the workout itself.
I do think most Americans are in too much of a hurry to enjoy a sauna bath. It’s unfortunate that we all spend too much time working and stressed out doing everything we are supposed to do.
Sauna Bathing Is Good But So Is Exercising!
A. Evidence keeps mounting that sauna bathing has health benefits. Spending 15 minutes a day in a Finnish-type sauna has been shown to reduce the risk of strokes (Neurology, online, May 2, 2018).
Other benefits may include lower blood pressure and reduced risk for dementia (American Journal of Hypertension, Nov. 1, 2017; Age and Ageing, March 1, 2017).
It’s a good idea to exercise as well as enjoy sauna bathing. Researchers have found that fitness due to aerobic exercise combined with frequent sauna bathing offers better health benefits than either alone (Annals of Medicine, March, 2018).
Stories of Sauna Bathing:
O. G. in South Carolina relates:
“I lived in Germany for years, where they have real saunas (not the little pseudo-sauna boxes with electric heaters you find at some ‘health’ clubs here) and loved going every week. I always felt rested, relaxed and renewed when I went home. Generally, I followed it with a massage.
“But the whole process is time-consuming. Sauna, rinse, repeat however many times — and not one for which a lot of Americans would have patience. In Germany it isn’t a place for chatting, either, as it is in many American saunas. The almost religious air of quiet (except for very brief greetings) was, to me, one of the sauna’s relaxing benefits.
“So a very enthusiastic yes to saunas: if I had room, and could afford it, I’d have one at home. I miss saunas. Just writing about them makes me seriously nostalgic.”
Heather in Texas shares this sentiment:
“I love doing saunas! I wish I could do them more frequently. We go to a Korean spa that has all sorts of different saunas. I feel so incredible after I’m there. Many people we meet there go multiple times a week and have even said that it cured them of certain ailments. Again, wish I could do it more regularly.”
What Is Your Sauna Story?
Please share your own sauna bathing experience below in the comment section below. Here are a few comments from other readers:
Scott reminisced:
“I grew up in Buffalo and we had a cottage in northern Ontario. We went up for the summers and every weekend. We’d get up there late and immediately light the sauna. We went through the ritual of many sweats and rinses. At the end we would thrash each other with birch leaves. After an hour or more we’d go to cottage and be so refreshed we’d stay up and play cards. How I miss those days.”
Beth remarked:
“I take a barre class twice a week and always sauna after. The best part of my routine! I’ve never been sore after a workout.”
Marie was much less positive about sauna bathing:
“OH! The dreaded sauna! My parents were both from Finland, and we had a real sauna on the farm. I hated it. My mother loved to make it as hot as possible. I thought I’d die, or melt for sure. I’ve never had the desire to have a sauna after I grew up.”
Let us know how you feel about saunas by adding your comment below. You may also wish to listen to our interview with cardiology researcher Dr. Jari Laukkanen. It is Show 1134: Can You Control Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs?
