No, this doesn’t just apply to you – suddenly everyone is really into saunas. Where the touted health benefits of saunas were once frowned upon, formal science has come out forcefully in favor of this, er, hot trend.
The sauna, a mainstay in hotel spas, gyms and your super-rich uncle’s house, has now gone mainstream. These days, it’s not uncommon to sign up for a sauna session, heated yoga or Pilates. And of course you’ve seen the mobile saunas on the beaches from Cape Town to Cape St. Francis. For everything from socializing to contrast therapy, saunas are hailed as wellness tools. But what health benefits do these heated rooms have? WH uses science.
Benefits of Heat Therapy
Saunas help improve muscle recovery
Fresh from a hard workout that threatens DOMS, a post-workout dip in the sauna is an excellent idea. According to research, sauna sessions increase blood flow and therefore blood flow to stressed muscles. This reduces inflammation and accelerates muscle regeneration.
Heat therapy relieves chronic pain
Saunas are also great for people with chronic pain like fibromyalgia or arthritis. Studies have found that a session in the heat minimizes stiffness and pain, especially with infrared sauna therapy.
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They play a role in longevity
Heat therapies such as saunas, hammam spas and infrared saunas are on the rise and have the potential to extend healthy lives. For example, one study found that daily hot baths can reduce the incidence of heart disease by up to 23-46%. Science has shown that regular sauna sessions reduce heart disease, mortality risk, stroke rates and even psychotic disorders.
Saunas help improve lung health
Saunas have been shown to relieve respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis. The healing factor is believed to be related to the fact that the hot room has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which then improves immune function and blood circulation.
Heat therapy can help with insulin resistance
While there aren’t many studies looking at the effects of saunas on diabetes, there is a small study that looked at insulin absorption in eight sauna goers. They found that using the sauna twice for 25 minutes (at 85°C) accelerated insulin absorption by a whopping 110% compared to people at room temperature.
In a 2019 study, women with PCOS were given hour-long hot tub sessions (lavish!) 30 times over a period of 8-10 weeks. After the 10 weeks, the researchers found that the fasting glucose levels of the women suffering from obesity and PCOS (now called PMOS) had decreased.
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Saunas could promote brain health
There are not many studies on this specific topic – but they are still promising. One study followed 13,994 men and women who were between 30 and 69 years old at the start. All were free of dementia. They found that frequent sauna bathing (defined as 9 to 12 times per month) was associated with a 53% reduced risk of developing dementia during the first 20 years of follow-up. And the risk of dementia over the entire 39-year follow-up period was 19% lower among those who bathed frequently than among those who did so less than four times a month.
They could improve mental health
For many enthusiasts, saunas boost mood almost immediately, and now studies are starting to take hold. A 2016 study of about 30 participants showed that a single whole-body hyperthermia session can result in a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, especially compared to those in a control group that received a placebo treatment.
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A note on what the sauna can’t do for you…
Can the sauna detoxify your body?
Bad news: No, sauna therapy will not “toxicate” or detoxify your body. According to sources, you lose about half a liter of sweat in one session, which goes a long way in boosting your skin’s radiance and opening up pores. But all that sweat isn’t filled with toxins, fat, or anything else.
Can sauna help with fat loss?
Short answer: no. Any shift in the scale number immediately after a sauna session is water loss caused by sweat. (On that note: replenish lost electrolytes after every session!) There’s good news, however: sauna sessions can slightly increase your heart rate, which increases your calorie burn, but not by a significant amount. For serious calorie burn, it’s better to try HIIT workout.
