9 Sauna Benefits for Your Health & Wellness

Saunas have long been used for both enjoyment and health benefits by people all over the world, but especially in Finland where 99% of the population uses one at least once a week. Now, people in other countries are beginning to catch on to the benefits saunas can have for health and beauty, and are incorporating the act of “saunaing” (yes, that’s really a word!) into their lives.

What are saunas, and why would you want to try one? Saunas have been around for a long time, and there are many benefits to using one. However, there are also some disadvantages to using a sauna that you should be aware of.

What is a Sauna?

Saunas are small, wood-paneled rooms that are heated to between 150 and 195 degrees Fahrenheit. They often have temperature controls and seats or benches.

What is a Sauna Used for?

A sauna is a place where people go to warm up their bodies.

Types of Saunas

There are two main types of saunas: those that are heated by a wood-burning stove, and those that are electrically heated. The wood-burning stove type of sauna is more traditional, and the electrically heated sauna is more common in homes. The main difference between the two types of saunas is how the air feels to the person using it. In a wood-burning stove sauna, the air is more humid, while in an electrically heated sauna, the air is drier.

Wood-Burning Saunas

Wood-burning saunas are the oldest and most authentic form of dry sauna. They are also known as “savusauna” and are a Finnish type of sauna. Wood-burning saunas use an open fire to heat a pile of rocks, which have to stand up to high temperatures without cracking or becoming damaged. Rocks like peridotite, basalt, and hornblende are often used, which are unweathered, quarried rocks that can stand the pressure from the heat. As you can imagine, the design of wood-burning saunas requires a longer period of time to heat up. Nowadays, there are versions of a wood-burning sauna that uses a stove or kiuas (in Finnish) instead of rocks. My favorite part of the wood-burning sauna is its smell, which is reminiscent of a relaxing campfire in the woods.

Electrically Heated Saunas

Electric saunas are a type of sauna that use an electric stove or other similar heat sources for heating. They have several benefits, such as being clean, quick to heat, and convenient. However, a downside is that they can impact your utility bill, as they require electricity to run.

Infrared Saunas

Unlike traditional saunas that use hot air to heat up the surrounding area, infrared saunas use infrared lamps. These lamps produce electromagnetic radiation that penetrates the skin more deeply, causing the person to sweat more profusely. Infrared saunas can operate at lower temperatures than traditional saunas, typically between 120-140? F (49-60° C).

Steam Rooms

The main difference between a steam room and a dry heat sauna is that steam rooms feature a moist heat, typically operating at around 104° F (40° C). The main source of heat is steam, so if you want to make the room any hotter, you have to add more steam to it. Be careful when heating a steam room, as it can reach dangerous, scalding temperatures quickly. Moisture-rich air in a steam room can make it feel hotter on your skin than a dry heat sauna, since your sweat won’t evaporate and cool your body down.

History of Saunas

Historians have traced saunas back to Africa, where they were used as a way to rid people of infectious diseases by causing them to sweat over a fire.

Bathhouses in Ancient Rome and Greece were the first spas and saunas. These places were originally meant for cleansing and detoxifying the body, but over time they became social meeting places where important community and political decisions were made.

The Turkish Hammam was a type of communal, gender-specific bathhouse built inside intricately designed buildings. These were important for social and spiritual gatherings and became an integral part of socialization for both men and women. They were much like modern spas, offering hair removal, massages, and beauty treatments.

The Native American sweat lodge is a place to sweat, pray, and connect spiritually. It is dome-shaped and built on a frame of lashed saplings. The traditional sweat lodge is also completely dark. It is big enough to fit 10-15 people inside, including a community elder who serves as “water pourer”–the ritual position that leads the group in their ceremony.

The sauna originated in Finland and the word sauna itself is Finnish. The Finns have been using saunas for centuries for relaxation, health, and communal bonding. Given the long Scandinavian winters, it makes sense that the Finns would have an affinity for spending time in intense heat. Some Finnish women even gave birth in saunas!

The Health Benefits of Saunas

Why would someone want to sweat in a sauna? I think it’s enjoyable, but not everyone can stand the same level of heat (which will be discussed further below). According to Dr. Rhonda Patrick, the benefits of heat conditioning in a sauna include:

1. Heart Health & Blood Pressure

A review of the scientific literature on saunas shows that they offer substantial benefits for the heart, most notably in their ability to normalize blood pressure and reduce the risk of congestive heart failure. A Harvard review found that sauna use can reduce the risk of heart attack by 40% or more for those who use a sauna four to seven times per week. The more frequently and longer a person uses a sauna, the greater the benefit, and on average, the longer that person lives.

Heat conditioning or sauna use offers many benefits that are similar to those of cardiovascular exercise. These benefits include increased blood flow, sweating, and cardiovascular fitness, as well as a post-exercise euphoria characterized by feelings of relaxation and happiness, and reduced pain.

2. Sweating and Detoxification

Sweating can help detoxify the body by increasing circulation and aiding in the body’s natural process of detoxification.

The systematic review found that toxic heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury are found in sweats of people who are exposed to these harmful metals. In a case report, they found that mercury levels normalized with repeated sauna treatments.

3. Pain Relief and Muscle Recovery

Saunas can help improve our cells’ function by increasing heat shock proteins, antioxidant enzymes, and stimulating cellular cleanup (autophagy). In aging mice, an increase in heat shock proteins has been shown to delay aging and improve cognitive function.

The benefits of sauna bathing also extend to the production of anti-aging hormones, including human growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1. In particular, the latter can promote healing in the event of an injury.

Other forms of light therapy, such as red light therapy and blue light therapy can also increase energy production in cells, which can help with muscle recovery and growth. One way to increase muscle mass without weight training is by using photobiomodulation, or infrared therapy. This therapy has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect that can accelerate injury healing. Other forms of light therapy, such as red light therapy and blue light therapy, can also increase energy production in cells, which can help with muscle recovery and growth.

The sauna is a popular choice for pain relief among people including Lady Gaga.

4. Mood and Cognitive Function

Sauna use increases the levels of endorphins, opiods, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the brain, just as when you go for a run.

BDNF plays a role in the growth of new neuronal cells in the brain, as well as protecting existing neurons from damage. This BDNF function is important for cognitive function. Additionally, low or abnormal levels of BDNF may play a role in developing several mental and psychiatric diseases.

Saunas can help you relax and reduce stress by restoring balance to the stress response axis. It can lower cortisol levels, which can help alleviate stress-related health problems. Saunas also improve the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which can boost cognitive performance.

5. Weight Loss and Metabolic Health

While heat and saunas will not directly lead to burning fat, there are several indirect benefits that could lead to reducing fat. Saunas improve insulin sensitivity, increase lean muscle, and reduce fat by changing the hormonal environment. In addition, the saunas also reduce inflammation. Therefore, sauna therapies can prevent obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

According to a Japanese study, two weeks of sauna therapy can increase appetite and food intake in people of a healthy weight. However, in overweight people, combining far infrared sauna usage with a low-calorie diet can result in significant weight and body fat loss. Although this study did not compare the fat loss with a group that did not use the sauna, the reduction in body fat (4.5%) in such a short amount of time is considered to be very fast.

6. Help for Inflammation

Since saunas increase the presence of heat shock proteins, which are anti-inflammatory, they may help lower chronic inflammation. Inflammation is connected to almost every major disease, so this is a big deal!

Saunas can help lower levels of oxidative stress and c-reactive protein. In one study, participants who used saunas regularly had lower levels of oxidative stress within two weeks. Another study found that men who used the sauna 4-7 times a week had 32% lower levels of c-reactive protein.

7. Sleep

A clinical psychologist with a board certification in sleep medicine, Dr. Michael Breus, explains that the body’s steep drop in temperature at night is one of the cues it takes that it is time to sleep. This is why taking a warm bath or shower before bed can improve sleep quality. However, because a sauna typically heats the body up much hotter than a warm shower, it can take a few hours for the body to cool down enough for bed. To improve your sleep quality, consider using a sauna session in the afternoon or before dinner so that the body has time to cool down before bedtime.

An insomniac human subject and Japanese rats were both found to sleep better when exposed to far-infrared rays.

8. Skin Health

Your body eliminates heat by increasing blood flow to the skin. The skin adapts to this process, making it healthier. A German study found that the skin of regular saunas users could better hold moisture and maintain a healthy skin pH. In addition, these sauna users had less sebum on their foreheads, suggesting that they were less likely to get acne.

If you have skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis, infrared sauna can help by reducing inflammation and strengthening the skin barrier. If sweat irritates the rash, you may want to shower immediately after the sauna.

9. Saunas may be good for people undergoing cancer treatments.

The study suggested that more research needs to be done on hyperthermia and its ability to shrink tumors and promote cancer cell death.

The researchers found that hyperthermia alone raised complete overall response rates among cancer patients by 13%. The researchers found that hyperthermia, which is a fever of 104-111°F (40-44°C), when used alone, raised complete overall response rates among cancer patients by 13%.

I’m glad to hear that the cancer finding is good news, but it also makes sense to me that imitating our body’s natural defense against disease – fever – would help us fight tumors too.