Sauna Health Benefits & the Proven Science

Saunas are centuries old, and have been studied and examined by scientists for many decades. The health benefits of regular and safe sauna bathing cannot be understated. There is so much to say about this topic that we wanted to create this helpful hub for you to find details and the scientific studies to back up each of these claims. Below is our expansive content on the breadth of the health benefits that result from sauna bathing. And we're just getting started! More to come all the time...

The heat and humidity of the sauna soothes and relaxes muscles, relieves stress, and removes toxins from the body. While in the sauna, blood circulation increases, breathing increases, and the pulse rate quickens acting as mild exercise. To reap maximum benefit from your sauna, you need to keep yourself properly hydrated before, during, and after sauna.

Below are a list of just some of the benefits of using a sauna regularly

There are dozens of scientific studies over the years that detail the health benefits as well as some of the risks. Below is a selection of some of the studies we've examined and reviewed. Even though this list is long, it's not yet complete!

1. 1
   Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence - Mayo Clinic Proceedings
2. 2
   Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review - PMC - NCBI
3. 3
   Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan - ScienceDirect
4. 4
   Frequent sauna bathing may reduce the risk of pneumonia in middle-aged Caucasian men: the KIHD prospective cohort study
5. 5
   BioMed Central - Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review
6. 6
   BioMed Central - The Cardiometabolic Health Benefits of Sauna Exposure in Individuals with High-Stress Occupations. A Mechanistic Review
7. 7
   American Journal of Physiology - Effects of regular sauna bathing in conjunction with exercise on cardiovascular function: a multi-arm, randomized controlled trial
8. 8
   ScienceDirect - Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan
9. 9
   ScienceDirect - Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence
10. 10
    Laukkanen, T., et al. (2018). Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function. Scientific Reports, 8(1).
11. 11
    Kukkonen-Harjula, K., & Kauppinen, K. (1989). Health effects and risks of sauna bathing. Journal of Applied Physiology, 65(6), 2406-2412.
12. 12
    Kunutsor, S. K., et al. (2018). Frequent sauna bathing improves vascular function Taylor & Francis Online, 25(14), 1508-1516.
13. 13
    Laukkanen, T., et al. (2017). Regular sauna bathing and the incidence of hypertension: a long-term prospective cohort study. American Journal of Hypertension, 30(11), 1120-1125.
14. 14
    Laukkanen, J. A., Laukkanen, T., & Kunutsor, S. K. (2018). Cardiovascular and other health benefits of sauna bathing: a review of the evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 93(8), 1111-1121.
15. 15
    Albini, B., et al. (2014). Heavy metal removal by sauna. Toxicology and the Science of Human Health, 1:307421.
16. 16
    Kim, Y., et al. (2012). Sauna bathing reduces urinary levels of bisphenol A and its hydroxylated metabolites in adults. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(10):1408-1412.
17. 17
    Päivänen, J., et al. (2010). Sauna bathing is associated with lower serum levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Archives of Environmental Health, 65(2):93-98.
18. 18
    Effect of a Single Finnish Sauna Session on White Blood Cell Profile and Cortisol Levels in Athletes and Non-Athletes
19. 19
    The effects of a single and a series of Finnish sauna sessions on the immune response and HSP-70 levels in trained and untrained men
20. 20
    Selsby JT, Rother S, Tsuda S, Pracash O, Quindry J, Dodd SL. Intermittent hyperthermia enhances skeletal muscle regrowth and attenuates oxidative damage following reloading. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2007 Apr;102(4):1702-7. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00722.2006. Epub 2006 Nov 16. PMID: 17110516.
21. 21
    Kauppinen, K. (1989). Sauna, shower, and ice water immersion. Physiological responses to brief exposures to heat, cool, and cold. Part II. Circulation. Arctic medical research, 48(2), 64-74.
22. 22
    Leppäluoto, J. (1986). Human thermoregulation in sauna. Annals of clinical research, 18, 219-226.
23. 23
    Noble, E. G., & Milne, K. J. (2012). Heat shock proteins and exercise: A primer. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 33(5), 1050–1065.
24. 24
    Huttunen, P., Kokko, L., & Ylijukuri, V. (2004). Winter swimming improves general well-being. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 63(2), 140–144.
25. 25
    Kukkonen-Harjula, K., & Kauppinen, K. (2007). Health effects and risks of sauna bathing. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 65(3), 195–205.
26. 26
    Janssen, C. W. (2016). Whole-Body Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(8), 789.
27. 27
    Bunnell, D. E., Agnew, J. A., Horvath, S. M., Jopson, L., & Wills, M. (1988). Passive body heating and sleep: influence of proximity to sleep. Sleep, 11(2), 210–219.
28. 28
    Hannuksela, M. L., & Ellahham, S. (2001). Benefits and risks of sauna bathing. The American journal of medicine, 110(2), 118–26.
29. 29
    Black DS, O’Reilly GA, Olmstead R, Breen EC, Irwin MR. Mindfulness meditation and improvement in sleep quality and daytime impairment among older adults with sleep disturbances: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):494‐501.
30. 30
    Kredlow, M. A., Capozzoli, M. C., Hearon, B. A., Calkins, A. W., & Otto, M. W. (2015). The effects of physical activity on sleep: a meta-analytic review. Journal of behavioral medicine, 38(3), 427–449.
31. 31
    Czeisler, C. A. (2013). Perspective: Casting light on sleep deficiency. Nature, 497(7450), S13.
32. 32
    Laukkanen, T., Khan, H., Zaccardi, F., & Laukkanen, J. A. (2015). Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, 175(4), 542–548.
33. 33
    Scoon, G. S. M., Hopkins, W. G., Mayhew, S., & Cotter, J. D. (2007). Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 10(4), 259–262.
34. 34
    Nordsletten, L., & Madsen, J. E. (1992). Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 10(2), 170-174.
35. 35
    Crinnion, W. J. (2011). Alternative Medicine Review, 16(3), 215–225.
36. 36
    Young, A. J., Sawka, M. N., Epstein, Y., Decristofano, B., & Pandolf, K. B. (1987). Journal of Applied Physiology, 63(3), 1218-1223.
37. 37
    Hannuksela, M. L., & Ellahham, S. (2001). The American Journal of Medicine, 110(2), 118-126.
38. 38
    Masuda A, Miyata M, Kihara T, Minagoe S, Tei C. Repeated sauna therapy reduces urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha). Jpn Heart J. 2004 Mar;45(2):297-303. doi: 10.1536/jhj.45.297. PMID: 15090706.

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