Sweat It Out – Can Sitting In A Sauna Help Keep Your Heart Healthy?

We're all well aware that sweating it out is good for you, when it comes to exercising at least. Now, new research from Finland suggests that sweating up a storm can be beneficial even when there is no hard graft required. A recent study from the Nordic country lends weight to the argument that saunas have health benefits. Researchers collected health data from more than 2,300 men who used the sauna between 1984 and 1985, following up with participants in 2011. The results, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, showed that higher frequency and longer duration of sauna use correlated with less risk for cardiovascular conditions and lower incidents of mortality. Study author Jari Laukkanen said: “It seems that with more than four sauna sessions per week had a lowest risk, but also those with two to three sauna sessions may get some benefits.” Sauna use is very commonplace in Finland, with only 12 of 2,327 men initially canvassed saying they do not use a sauna at all. “Sauna bathing is very common habit related to our culture,” Laukkanen said. “In Finland saunas are not luxury items, almost everyone has access to a sauna,” sometimes a private one inside the home. “We think that results would be very similar in different populations including women,” he said. “However, further studies are needed to show the effects of sauna among women and different age groups.”