The Many Benefits of Sauna Use

Sauna treatment is a growing trend a long with ice baths and other forms of cold exposure. It seems we are so comfortable with our lives now that we are purposely seeking discomfort.

It first became popular in Nordic countries such as Finland and Sweden and now used in many cultures and has been used to benefit us both physically and mentally over the years. The heat stress of Sauna’s produces a response from the body in search of homeostasis. Bringing the bodies temperature back to regular levels.

More recently, Sauna treatment has been strongly linked and backed up with study groups, many of which are from Finland to show a lower risk of heart disease in particular, but also, all-cause mortality as well as cardiovascular improvements and the benefits of increase production in heat shock proteins. ?

There is so much more to learned on this topic but I didn’t want to ramble on for too longer so here are the key points that I wanted to highlight and found interesting.?

Humidity

Saunas can either me wet or dry. In a Dry Sauna the relative humidity is low, around 10-20 percent. People will often throw water on the heated rocks to increase the humidity levels.

Wet Saunas have a humidity greater than 50% and refer to a steam sauna where the moisture in the air will not only feel hotter but also prevent sweat from evaporating. This causes further rise to the core body temperature.

Health Benefits

THE KIHD findings showed that men who used the Sauna two or three times per week were 27 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular related causes than men who didn’t use the sauna.

These were also found to be dose dependent. Men who used the sauna twice as much got nearly twice the benefits. Frequent sauna users were found to be 40% less likely to die from all causes of premature death. These findings held true when considering age, activity levels and lifestyle factors that could affect health.

Cardiovascular and neurological disease

Frequent Sauna users reduce the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Men who used the Sauna 4-7x a week were at 66% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to men who used the sauna once per week.

Heat exposure has protective benefits against biological processes that drive cardiovascular diseases. Some of these responses are very similar to that during exercises. Heart rate usually increase in excess of 100 bpm and 130+ during hotter sessions. This is very similar to low intensity cardio exercise or zone 2 training. (Low – moderate intensity cardio)

Heart rate and blood pressure drastically increase during sauna sessions, however after sessions they can drop below baseline levels. Like Exercise, regular sauna use will reduce blood pressure and inflammation over the long term.

Inflammation

Inflammation is an essential part to our body’s immune response. Acute inflammation occurs after minor injuries or infections and is shown as redness or swelling. Chronic inflammation is often invisible and occurs in the cells in response to toxins and other stressors. This his how many chronic diseases such as diabetes form.

C- reactive protein or CRP is one of several proteins found in the blood and is associated with inflammation. Elevated CRP can change the structure of arteries and its elasticity and can be a reason for atherosclerosis. (Hardening or thickening of the artery walls) Sauna use however, reduces levels of CRP. A study of more than 2000 men were linked with lower levels of CRP when linked with a greater frequency of sessions.

Temperature and duration

Most of the benefits we are talking about typically occur from sauna sessions at least 20 minutes long and temperatures of at least 78C which is on the warmer side. Finish practice usually involves multiple bouts of 20 minutes or longer and often include rolling in the snow or cold dipping just for a laugh.

Physiological response to heat stress.

Exposure to high temperatures, stress the body having a rapid and healthy response. Skin and core body temperatures increase causing your body to sweat in a number of minutes. Core body temperatures rise slowly from 37 degrees to 38 and then rapidly to 39C.

Cardiac output increases by 60-70 percent. This is the amount of work the heart performs in response to the bodies need for oxygen. Heat rate increases although stroke volume stays the same. This is the amount of blood pumped by the heart. Blood is redirected from the core to the skin to help with sweating. You lose approximately 0.5kg of sweat during a sauna session. Plasma production increases to make up for this lost fluid and cool the body down further.

The physiological response is very similar to that of moderate to high intensity exercise. In fact, it is even prescribed if you’re unable to engage in physical exercise due to limitations or chronic disease.

Repeated sauna use acclimates the body to heat exposure due to hormesis, a defense response to a mild stressors. Hormesis triggers protective mechanisms that repair damaged cells and provide protection for future stressors.

Heat Shock proteins

HSP are present in all cells and play a role in many cell functions such as immune protection and cell signalling.

In regular conditions HSP maintain a constant level and cells will fold, export or turnover as part of a regular function. However, regular metabolic functions create byproducts that damage proteins and change their structure.

Disordered proteins are a common feature in cardiovascular diseases and neurological disease. Increased levels of HSP prevent protein disorder and repair proteins that have been damaged and can offer protection against neurodegenerative diseases as well.

Exposure to stress on the form of extreme heat, certain cells in the body then increase production of HSP to stabalise unfolded proteins and repair damaged cells. This is known as the heat shock protein response.

Detoxification

Sweating allows for the removal or certain toxicants that can build up in the muscles, fat tissue and organs. Because of the amount you sweat while in a 20-minute session, (0.5kg) this allows for the removal of waste products to leave the body while sauna bathing.

Negatives

Male Fertility

Heat exposure has notable but reversible effects on male sperm. A Study showed that men who used the sauna twice per week every week for 3 months experienced reduced sperm count and motility. However, within 6 months of not using the Sauna, levels returned back to normal.

Children

Children struggle to deal with temperature change as well as adults do due to their physiology and make up. This makes extreme heat harder to deal with particularly because of lower sweat rates. They are less efficient at cooling there body down.

My Thoughts

I would love to own a Sauna and also have the time to use one consistently! Unfortunately, this isn’t likely to happen any time soon so my sperm are safe for another year.

It was interesting to look at just how many benefits there are with Sauna use how it can help people with their physical health, mental health and lower their risk of almost all-cause mortality which is insane.

I think this could really help people who are less physically active or simply unable to exercise do something as easy as ?sit in a hot box to increase their health and reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases.

This was fun to a bit of research and look in to another topic that I find interesting. Looking these up and putting them down on to paper helps me learn and I hope you find it interesting!