![]() A series of long-term studies of more than 2000 Finnish men has shown that frequent traditional sauna use (3-7 times per week) is associated with reduced risk of sudden cardiac death, fatal coronary heart disease, fatal cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality.Let’s break down the available research on both types of saunas across these areas of health. Here’s a quick summary of what the research shows. Instead, we’ll briefly compare the studied benefits of both for heart disease, longevity, brain function, mental health, fatigue, and chronic pain. Most studies have only looked at only traditional or infrared saunas, so we can’t determine whether or not one type offers more powerful benefits. Infrared sauna use is getting a lot of hype, so we looked at the research to see if the benefits of infrared saunas are better than or different from the benefits of traditional saunas.Ī 2018 systematic review of 40 studies involving more than 3,800 participants stated that, based on the available evidence, no conclusions could be drawn comparing the benefits of traditional and infrared saunas. Beyond these physiological effects, the very act of sitting still in a sauna for 20-30 minutes may be relaxing or even meditative.Īre Infrared Saunas Better Than Traditional Saunas? Sauna therapy leads to the release of feel-good chemicals like endorphins, which may contribute to improved mood or feelings of wellbeing after a session. A few small clinical trials have seen positive results with sauna use for fatigue and chronic pain associated with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Sauna use may help to reduce the risk of developing psychotic disorders and improve symptoms of depression. Sauna use has been shown to have a number of effects on hormone levels and hormone balance, including increasing growth hormone (which stimulates cell reproduction and regeneration), decreasing fasting blood glucose, and raising ghrelin (a “hunger hormone”). Sauna use has been associated with improved cardiovascular health, reduced risk of heart disease, improvements in markers of chronic heart failure, and reduced risk of all-cause death. Heart rate and cardiac output (the amount of blood your heart pumps) increase, blood pressure decreases, and blood flow improves. Heat exposure from sauna use has numerous effects on the cardiovascular system. This may help the body to detoxify from heavy metals, chemicals, and other toxins. With extreme heat exposure, more than half of the body’s blood flow is redistributed to the skin to allow for sweating. One of the most well-known effects of sauna use is increased sweating. ![]() Sauna use, especially when frequent, has been associated with a reduced risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. With regular sauna use, your body is also thought to become better able to tolerate future stressors, including but not limited to extreme heat. ![]() Your body responds to the stress of the heat by initiating an antioxidant and cellular repair response with widespread benefits. Short-term and controlled exposure to extreme heat (or cold) may offer a number of health and wellness benefits through a stress adaptation response known as hormesis. Here are some of the greatest benefits of general sauna use: In fact, sauna use and exercise have many similar physiological effects and benefits. Some people compare the way they feel after infrared sauna sessions to the way they feel after a moderate exercise session.
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