5 Researched Benefits of a Sauna

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This month Literally Simple’s blog posts have been focusing on self care, a term I was unfamiliar with up until last year. In my minimalism quest, I’ve noticed self care making its way into a top priority of my life. Why? Because of the health benefits.

A wise woman once told me there are only two things money can’t buy: time and health. No wonder these two have become such a top priority. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can’t be bought. No, it has to be sprinkled into day to day living.

I’ve been wishing for a sauna near me in the PNW for years, and it’s finally coming into form. We don’t have the space for it, but through the years I’ve preached about the amazing benefits of a sauna and unbeknownst to me my in-laws were listening. Looking forward to enjoying some sauna self care this summer and wishing you all the same.

Enjoy this “vintage” post from last Fall on the  health benefits of a sauna. Backed by a  research review published by the Mayo Clinic.

Sauna Procedure

Let’s first begin with defining the typical sauna procedure. A sauna should include periods of cooling as well as heat. Typically you want to enter the sauna, sit, steam if you want, and then cool off. My family’s, and the Finnish way, is usually coupled with a jump in the pool or the lake.  As outlined in the Mayo Clinic research review “typical sauna sessions consist of short stays in the sauna room, which is interspersed with cooling-off periods (swim, shower, or a cooling-off period at room temperature)” (Laukkanen).

Cooling off in a lake or a pool, is exhilarating, to say the least. The cool water rushes over you and you feel a bit superhuman, as your body temp slowly falls. I like to float a bit, look up at the night time stars, watch the steam rise from my body and then just as I’m starting to cool back down, get back in the sauna.

This routine follows a few more repetitions, and then I’m ready to go to sleep. Typically, “the duration of stay in the sauna room depends on the comfort and temperature… but it usually ranges from 5 to 20 minutes” (Laukkanen). My older brothers would highly disagree with this estimate, as their saunas last much longer depending on beverages at hand.

Disclaimer: If you have health issues, don’t get in a sauna and don’t jump in a cold lake. According to Harvard Health, “heart patients should check with their doctors before using saunas…Patients with poorly controlled blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, unstable angina and advanced heart failure or heart valve disease will be advised to stay cool.”

The combination of heat and cool is practiced around the world, the Finns of course being the most famous for it. Even celebrities like Tony Robbins, motivational guru, ends his morning routine with a hot sauna and a cool plunge (Feloni).

The Business Insider article writes “When paired with the cold plunge, the sustained increased heart rate between two extremes essentially makes it an extension of time spent in the gym rather than a relaxing time at the spa. Its cardio benefits are why Robbins’ full-time personal trainer Billy Beck III recommended he adopt the practice” (Feloni). Robbins’ personal trainer explains that taking a sauna and then jumping into a cooler body of of water “improves circulation”… and the freezing plunge — regardless of any potential health effects — also “trains the mind to not hesitate but to act,” since it can be a bit scary to jump into ice cold water ” (Feloni).

Personal Benefits of a Sauna

Like stated earlier, it wasn’t until I became an adult did I start to notice the benefits of a sauna. Here are a few of my favorites.

Better Sleep

One of the best benefits of a sauna that I consistently notice  is my improved quality of sleep. You know the kind of sleep where you hit the pillow and you’re out almost immediately? That’s the benefit of an evening sauna. You might also like this post on how to improve your sleep naturally

Improved Skin

My skin is soft and smooth after having a sauna. Sauna brushes are the best way to exfoliate! If you’re in a sauna sweating, you are flushing out your body. It leaves your skin smelling of cedar, and fresh air. Maybe all those Minnesota hockey players should sit in the sauna after practice. 🙂

You might also like this post on a simple evening and morning skin care routine, or foods to eat for glowing skin.

Stress Relief

All the world’s problems are solved in the sauna. I once sat in the sauna with a good friend of mine and we discussed motherhood, religion, politics etc. I ended up coming out of that sauna with more wisdom than when I had entered! If you’re taking a sauna solo, there is no better time to focus on your breath and be in the present moment. You feel the steam opening up your pores, you breathe deeply, and your sore muscles relax with the increased heat. The physical stressors of the day evaporate. Your mind begins to relax with the soothing steam. Stress relief is another benefit of a sauna.

Check out this one way to declutter your mind too!

Vitality

I am able to relax in the sauna, but it also simultaneously wakes me up. By comparison, if I sit in a hot tub, I just end up feeling tired, but a sauna is different. I feel relaxed and alive, woken up, energized, invigorated. It’s different than just a bit of heat. Research shows that the cooling off periods actually positively affects your vascular health, which could be the reason why people feel invigorated post sauna. 

The Research on Benefits of a Sauna

Here’s the actual research to back up some of the personal claims I’ve made. In a research review study published this August, 2018 by the Mayo Clinic, cultivating a sauna habit, is not only relaxing, but great for your health. I have summarized the findings of Jari A. Laukkanen, MD, PhD, Tanjaniina Laukkanen, MSc, and Setor K. Kunutsor, MD, PhD for you, but if interested please follow this link.

Might Improve Vascular Health

One benefit of a sauna is improved vascular health. Studies found that taking a sauna has a positive effect on blood pressure (BP) modulation” (Laukkanen). Furthermore a “long-term study conducted in Finnish men reported an increase in sauna bathing habits (frequency and duration) to be associated with a reduced risk of sudden cardiac death” (Laukkanen). 

Reduced Risk of Dementia

Another benefit of a sauna is a reduced risk of dementia. Evidence in the research suggests that “sauna exposure may have protective effects on neurocognitive disease…Men who had 4 to 7 sauna sessions/wk compared with those who had 1 sauna session/wk had a 66% and 65% reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease” (Laukkanen).

Improved Respiratory Function

Want to have fewer colds? Taking a sauna was observed to “halve the incidence of common colds in the sauna group during the last 3 months of the study period.”  Also, moderate sauna frequency was “associated with a reduced risk of respiratory diseases (defined as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or pneumonia).” Taking a sauna even “improves lung function by improving vital capacity and volume, [and] ventilation” (Laukkanen).

Less Pain

Pain relief is yet another benefit of a sauna. Taking a sauna “has been linked to an improvement in pain and symptoms associated with musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia,” and even headaches (Laukkanen).

Higher Quality of Life

Want a higher quality of life? Enjoying a sauna regularly is “associated with better health-related quality of life…Physical function, vitality, social functioning, and general health were reported to be considerably better in those who were sauna users than in nonusers” (Laukkanen). 

Final Words

I’ve never entered the sauna with the intention of improving my vascular or respiratory health while simultaneously decreasing my risk of dementia. Obviously,  that’s not the reason I’ll take a sauna in the future either. Sauna to me is part of my heritage, and it has become ever more important to pass this on to my family and friends. 

Join the Discussion

What benefits have you noticed from the sauna? What’s your favorite form of self care?

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Author

-Maria Halcumb
B.A. in Secondary Education, English, and Physical Education
M.A. Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction and Reading Specialist

Sources:

Feloni, Richard. “Tony Robbins Starts Each Day by Plunging into Freezing Cold Water after an Extra-Hot Sauna – and Research Suggests It’s a Healthy Habit.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 25 Oct. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/tony-robbins-daily-sauna-cold-plunge-combo-benefits-2017-10.

Harvard Health Publishing. “Sauna Health Benefits: Are Saunas Healthy or Harmful? – Harvard Health.” Harvard Health Blog, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/saunas-and-your-health.

Laukkanen, Jari A., et al. “Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings, vol. 93, no. 8, Aug. 2018, p. 1111–1121. www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext#sec1.