Everyone is familiar with the health benefits of exercise, especially as it relates to cardiovascular health. Exercise helps reduce your risk of chronic disease and cuts downs on cardiovascular risk factors, which in turn lowers your risk of heart disease.
What many people don’t know is that regular sauna usage can mimic the beneficial effects of exercise when it comes to cardiovascular disease.
This effect has been shown in a number of long-term studies, including one that followed up on its subjects after 20 years.
“When your heart rate gets up to 150 beats per minute in a sauna, that tells you something is going on. The cardiac output necessary to do that, presumably from the standpoint of a cooling need and or a metabolic need, that’s pretty significant for an adult,” said longevity expert Peter Attia, M.D. in a discussion about the health benefits of a regular sauna routine.
While exercise has benefits that go beyond cardiovascular health, especially when it comes to strength training, a regular sauna habit is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to add to their exercise routine, or for people who can’t exercise due to injury or other health conditions.
Regular Sauna Visits Improve Longevity
Dr. Susanna Søberg is an expert in cold and heat therapy with a PhD in metabolism from The University of Copenhagen. The focus of her research is the effect of both cold and heat exposure on human health.
In a conversation with Dhru Purohit, Dr. Søberg discussed the long-term study published in JAMA in 2015. The study took place in Finland, where sauna bathing is an integral part of the culture. In fact, in Finland, the sauna is a sacred space, a “church of nature.” It’s been used in Finnish culture for thousands of years for not just relaxation and leisure, but also wellness.
“Good long cohort studies from Finland show nice long term results on what happens to your body on health outcomes after 20 years going into a sauna,” Dr. Søberg said on the podcast.
Dr. Søberg said the study found that people who went into the sauna two to three times a week lowered their risk of premature death by 27 percent.
“If you go every day, so four to seven times per week, you will decrease it by 40 percent,” she said.
Dr. Søberg said that sitting in a sauna mimics a training session in the gym.
“If you are not able for some reason to go to the gym, then you will also get this cardiovascular workout by going into the heat,” she said.
A 2023 review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings took a look at the existing science surrounding sauna bathing and found similar results. In fact, they found that the effects of sauna on the body are similar to moderate and high intensity physical activity.
“Regular heat therapy (including Finnish saunas) produces blood pressure reductions that are similar to levels after physical activity or aerobic exercise training,” the review concluded.
Benefits of Sauna and Cold Plunge
Overview People have known about the benefits of sauna and cold plunge for centuries. Contrast therapy – the practice of alternating betwe...
Read MoreHow Sauna Exposure Helps the Heart
When it comes to heart health, it appears that time in a sauna lowers blood pressure and reduces inflammation. A study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology showed improvement in different parameters of arterial stiffness, including blood pressure. Similar to other research on the topic, this study of 2,277 men found that the positive effects of heat exposure mimicked those of regular aerobic exercise.
Even more impressive, the study followed up with the subjects after 26 years and found that cardiorespiratory fitness and frequency of sauna bathing are both associated with a reduced mortality risk, concluding that “a combination of good cardiovascular fitness and frequent sauna bathing may confer additional survival benefits.”
The benefits of sauna go beyond cardiovascular fitness. Studies show regularly sitting in a sauna can boost the immune system and increase the production of norepinephrine, which helps the brain handle stress more effectively. Since stress is a contributing factor to many diseases, a regular sauna bathing habit can help keep you healthy as well as keeping you calm.
Sauna Best Practices to Improve Heart Health
If you want to start a sauna habit, what’s the best approach?
Dr. Søberg says more is not necessarily better, that the ideal results come when sitting in the sauna for 19 to 30 minutes a session. This is why Revivery switches between sauna and cold plunge at regular intervals, instead of spending an hour in the sauna.
“It is the micro-stressing, the short amount of stress that you put on your body, that is going to make your cells more resilient, make the cells live longer, because you increase the heat shock proteins in the cells which will repair the cells that repair the proteins in your cells to live longer. When you overdo it you exhaust cells,” Dr. Søberg told Dhru Purohit.
The benefit of sessions at Revivery is that you’re getting the benefits of sauna bathing as well as cold plunge. On top of that, the hour-long group sessions guided by Revivery leaders create connections and community with your fellow members. Building community and forging social connections has incredible health benefits, and it’s something that you won’t find by going to a sauna by yourself.
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BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBERWhat’s more, as with exercise, the key to sauna bathing is establishing a regular routine. Just like you can’t exercise once and be done, you can’t go into a sauna annually and expect to get cardiovascular benefits.
The magic is in the repetition, in establishing a habit you can maintain for months and years at a time. With Revivery, building a habit is easy because leaders incorporate breathwork, meditation, and healthy living tips into the sessions, all while facilitating meaningful conversation.
