Health Benefits

Sauna bathing has been used for thousands of years across a variety of cultures. In many locations it is a well loved social venue, but it is also recognized in many cultures as a tool to improve health and wellness.

Athletes have found sauna as an important tool in training, particularly heat acclimatization. There is growing literature to suggest additional benefits to both general health and endurance that can be gained from sauna.

 Literature

  • Studies have shown the following effects of sauna use:

    —Increased plasma volume (Scoon 2007, Stanley 2015)

    —Increased hemoglobin concentration in the blood (Zinchuk 2012)

    —Increased run time to exhaustion (Scoon 2007)

  • During a heat tolerance test sauna users had a lower core temperature, lower skin temperature and lower heart rate than controls. Sauna users also showed an increased VO2Max an speed compared to the non-sauna group. (Kirby et al. 2021)

  • Sauna as a therapy for medical conditions is being studied. Early studies in heart failue patients show a strong possibility of:

    —Improved heart function as measured by left ventricular ejection fraction (Miyata et al. 2008)

    —Improved exercise tolerance (Sobajima et al. 2013, Umehara et al. 2008, Tei et al. 2016)

    —Decreased blood pressure ( Umehara et al. 2008, Miyata et al. 2008 Pilch et al. 2007)

    Studies of 2,315 Finnish males followed for 20.7 years found those subjects who used sauna bathing 4-7x per week had a 66% risk reduction of dementia or Alzheimers and a 40% reduction in all-cause mortality. (Laukkanen et al. 2015, 2016)

  • —Activates the autonomic and sympathetic nervous system increasing heart rate, skin blood flow, cardiac output, & sweating

    —Increases nitric oxide which dilates blood vessels

    —Increases insulin sensitivity

    —Reduces oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways (Hussain et al. 2018)

    —Decreases hemoglobin affinity for oxygen in venous blood increasing oxygen transport to tissues (Zinchuk 2012)

  • “Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review.” Hussain J, Cohen M. 2018

    “Does the Combination of Finnish Sauna Bathing and Other Lifestyle Factors Confer Additional Health Benefits? A Review of the Evidence.” Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen JA. 2023.

References

  1. Hussain J, Cohen M. Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Apr 24;2018:1857413. doi: 10.1155/2018/1857413. PMID: 29849692; PMCID: PMC5941775.

  2. Kirby NV, Lucas SJE, Armstrong OJ, Weaver SR, Lucas RAI. Intermittent post-exercise sauna bathing improves markers of exercise capacity in hot and temperate conditions in trained middle-distance runners. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2021 Feb;121(2):621-635.

  3. Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen JA. Does the Combination of Finnish Sauna Bathing and Other Lifestyle Factors Confer Additional Health Benefits? A Review of the Evidence. Mayo Clin Proc. 2023 Jun;98(6):915-926. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2023.01.008. PMID: 37270272.

  4. Laukkanen T, Kunutsor S, Kauhanen J, Laukkanen JA. Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men. Age Ageing. 2017 Mar 1;46(2):245-249. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afw212. PMID: 27932366.

  5. Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Intern Med. 2015 Apr;175(4):542-8. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187. PMID: 25705824.

  6. Miyata M, Kihara T, Kubozono T, Ikeda Y, Shinsato T, Izumi T, Matsuzaki M, Yamaguchi T, Kasanuki H, Daida H, Nagayama M, Nishigami K, Hirata K, Kihara K, Tei C. Beneficial effects of Waon therapy on patients with chronic heart failure: results of a prospective multicenter study. J Cardiol. 2008 Oct;52(2):79-85. doi: 10.1016/j.jjcc.2008.07.009. Epub 2008 Aug 27. PMID: 18922381.

  7. Pilch W, Torii M, Szyguła Z. Effect of the sauna-induced thermal stimuli of various intensity on the thermal and hormonal metabolism in women. Biology of Sport. 2007;24:357–373.

  8. Scoon GS, Hopkins WG, Mayhew S, Cotter JD. Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners. J Sci Med Sport. 2007 Aug;10(4):259-62.

  9. Sobajima M, Nozawa T, Ihori H, Shida T, Ohori T, Suzuki T, Matsuki A, Yasumura S, Inoue H. Repeated sauna therapy improves myocardial perfusion in patients with chronically occluded coronary artery-related ischemia. Int J Cardiol. 2013 Jul 15;167(1):237-43. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2011.12.064. Epub 2012 Jan 13. PMID: 22244482.

  10. Stanley J., Halliday A., D’Auria S., Buchheit M., Leicht A. S. Effect of sauna-based heat acclimation on plasma volume and heart rate variability. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2015;115(4):785–794. 

  11. Tei C, Imamura T, Kinugawa K, Inoue T, Masuyama T, Inoue H, Noike H, Muramatsu T, Takeishi Y, Saku K, Harada K, Daida H, Kobayashi Y, Hagiwara N, Nagayama M, Momomura S, Yonezawa K, Ito H, Gojo S, Akaishi M, Miyata M, Ohishi M; WAON-CHF Study Investigators. Waon Therapy for Managing Chronic Heart Failure　- Results From a Multicenter Prospective Randomized WAON-CHF Study. Circ J. 2016;80(4):827-34. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-16-0051. Epub 2016 Mar 18. PMID: 27001189.

  12. Umehara M, Yamaguchi A, Itakura S, Suenaga M, Sakaki Y, Nakashiki K, Miyata M, Tei C. Repeated waon therapy improves pulmonary hypertension during exercise in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Cardiol. 2008 Apr;51(2):106-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jjcc.2008.01.004. PMID: 18522783.

  13. Zinchuk, V.V., Zhadko, D.D. The effect of a sauna on blood oxygen transport and the prooxidant-antioxidant balance in untrained subjects. Hum Physiol 38, 548–554 (2012). 

Ennadai Saunas makes no guarantee of specific health or endurance benefits. We encourage anyone with any medical conditions to consult with a physician prior to engaging in sauna use. Certain populations especially young children or the elderly are more susceptible to the effects of heat and should use with caution. The use of alcohol or other mind-altering substances should be avoided during sauna use as these can enhance the effects of heat and reduce awareness of one’s body’s response.