Heart conditions are growing as the leading cause of death. There are natural ways to combat conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease. A study conducted by Masuda et. al confirmed that regular sauna sessions (which is typically 15 minutes per day) has been shown to decrease blood pressure.
Even if you don’t have access to a sauna daily, studies show heart health benefits beginning at one sauna session per week. The greatest benefits however come with increased frequency of sessions with each session lasting a minimum of 15-20 minutes.
How does a Sauna help your heart?
The high temperatures of a traditional or infrared saunas heats the skin and allows your core body temperature to rise. In response to these increased heat levels, the blood vessels near the skin dilate and circulation of blood increases.
In fact, everyone who enters a sauna will experience an increase in their circulation. Your heart rate can rise from 60-70 bpm (beats per minute) to 110-120 bpm in the sauna (140-150 bpm with more intensive bathing), and can often sink to below normal after the cooling off stage.
It’s believed that the sauna emulates the effect of moderate exercise. When you use one, your heart rate increases and circulation improves. Because of this, the cells in the heart function better as more blood is being pumped to them.
The Long Term Effects
A study in Finland (the birthplace of the Sauna) followed men over 20 years, to see how they reacted to cardiovascular disease and other similar issues. As part of that study, it kept track of how often these men used a sauna in a given week.
The study concluded that men who used a sauna at least once a week were significantly less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, or sudden cardiac death. The data determined that the more they used a sauna, the less chance they had of suffering these illnesses.
Circulation: Not Just For The Heart
Better circulation isn’t just to improve heart function! It can help with muscle soreness, which athletes and anyone who works out regularly could benefit from. Further, it can improve joint function, helps with arthritis, decreases pain and increases mobility. It’s surprising how much improving your circulation can do.
While a sauna shouldn’t be used in place of a healthy exercise regime, it certainly can supplement it and keep the risk of cardiovascular disease down.
Saunas are growing in popularity in the United States. More people are seeing the benefits of having access to a sauna daily for their health. Now more than ever are saunas affordable. We offer payment plans and guarantee our saunas will be an amazing addition to your home and your life. Saunas come in all shapes and sizes. We have outdoor and indoor saunas in all shapes and sizes.
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