Sauna is a very popular tradition in Finland, but the ritual also has significant health benefits, as regular sauna use is known to reduce the risk of heart disease and also offer other health effects.
Many Nordic households go to the sauna on Christmas Eve because the holiday period has been considered a time of rest, eating and self-cleaning.
The sauna has been an integral part of the daily lives of many Finns for countless generations – so much so that the practice was added to the UNESCO list of intangible heritage last week.
The first, but questionable, study of the health benefits of the sauna was carried out in 1765 by a Swedish doctor Anton R.Martin, who suggested that the Nordic bath ritual increased eyelash growth and could stretch the length of the human body by an inch.
Alas Martin’s findings have since been rejected, but research on the subject has continued and evidence that frequent sauna use improves people’s well-being.
A study published by the University of Eastern Finland in early 2018 found new evidence of the positive cardiovascular effects of a sauna. Director of Research, Jari Laukkanen studied physiological mechanisms such as changes in blood pressure and blood circulation that occur in the human body as a result of sauna.
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1. Mental health, memory benefits
Regular sauna use has been shown to prevent even severe mental health and memory problems.
Laukkanen said that men who go to the sauna four to seven times a week for at least 20 minutes each time experienced psychotic symptoms up to 78 percent less than to the sauna less than once a week.
People’s memory also benefits from regular sauna use, according to a study that followed middle-aged men for about two decades, Laukkanen explained.
"The risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease was reduced by up to 66% in those who frequently used the sauna," he explained, but pointed out that how the Finnish bathing tradition affects the brain was still unclear.
2. Cardio training
According to Laukkanen, steam baths are also good for the heart.
"When you go to the sauna, your heart rate rises to 120-150 beats per minute, which corresponds to low or medium endurance in the load on the circulatory system," he said, explaining that high temperatures make the blood move more efficiently and improve vascular flexibility.
Saunas are also known to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, he noted.
3. Relieves muscle pain
Saunas are commonly found in gyms because heat is known to relieve muscle pain and tension.
In some cases, saunas are also helpful in relieving the headaches, arthritis, and chronic pain that people with fibromyalgia suffer from.
However, Laukkanen stated that there is a danger that heat can sometimes aggravate the pain of such diseases.
4. Improves immunity
Laukkanen said that in addition to the use of vitamins and hard hand washing, saunas were often a good way to keep runny nose away, and pointed out that even more serious illnesses, such as bronchitis, pneumonia and even asthma, were less common in frequent saunas – visitors.
However, it is unclear whether the sauna is the only factor in the apparent increase in influenza resistance. Laukkanen said that more research is needed on the subject.
5. Improves skin
One would think that its sweating in the sauna could cause the skin to dry out, but the opposite has been found to be true.
Although there is no evidence from the empirical evidence that saunas could help alleviate skin problems in general, Laukkanen said that psoriasis patients have received help with the sauna.
6. Relaxation and good feelings
People who have noticed a relaxed state of mind after a stop in the steam box are not alone.
"It is scientifically very difficult to assess the state of relaxation, but as the heart rate variability increases, it indirectly shows that the autonomic nervous system of the heart improves and helps the body to relax," Laukkanen said.
This state of relaxation may well be an important factor behind the health effects of many sauna visits, he explained.
Laukkanen pointed out that some people who regularly take a sauna may also experience an improvement in their quality of life, but it is unclear whether the sauna was a direct cause or consequence of such feelings.
Almost anyone, regardless of physical condition, can visit the sauna without hesitation, he said, but noted that some illnesses can be problematic.
"Chronically ill people can usually take saunas as long as their conditions are well treated. These conditions may include severe heart valve failure, low blood pressure, untreated chest pain or other serious illness." he explained, adding that people who are unsure of their ability to sauna for their health should seek medical advice.
Source: The Nordic Page