DunbarFit

Unless you have been living under a rock in a cold dark place, by now you have heard of the sauna revolution and its quest to take over the wellness world. From gyms and contrast studios to luxury spas and tribal-like sauna rituals in New York and Vegas, saunas have exploded onto the health and wellness community in recent years. But is all this hype about sweating just another wellness trend or is there something to all this high heat?

Heat based traditions, in particular saunas, have been a part of almost all cultures for as long as recorded history. Early sauna type structures date back 10,000+ years and were comprised of pits dug into the earth with heated rocks placed near the bottom. The pit was covered and water was poured over the hot stones to create steam. Whoala, sauna!

Later evolutions involved the Korean stone or clay dome heated structures to the Native American Sweat Lodge and the more classic wooden Finnish sauna. New age saunas use light therapy such as infrared to provide heat. Despite the long standing tradition of saunas, the benefits have primarily been linked to how folks felt after using the sauna and the community, social health benefits. 

However, in recent decades, research has started to unveil how our ancestors were on to more than just a good sweat with their pals. Benefits from saunas started to pile up from the east in Japan to the western world of Finland and here in the U.S. The primary benefit from all types of saunas is improved cardiovascular health. Whether it’s Waon therapy in Japan(15 minutes in a Far infrared sauna followed by time spent in thermal blankets) to high humidity steam saunas to the Finnish dry sauna, heart health has been the primary studied advantage of regular sauna usage. Whether it’s from increasing circulation to lowering blood pressure to creating a passive cardio-like exercise session by raising your heart rate, sauna users see much improved heart health the more they use the sauna. Considering heart disease is the leading cause of death in the Western World, I would say this benefit alone is worth the time spent in the sauna.

Additional benefits discovered range from reduced muscle and joint pain, improved recovery from workouts, stress reduction and better sleep, improved skin, a boosted metabolism and immune system as well as a means to further eliminate toxins via sweat. 

The Brain above all else:

Arguably, the most important aspect to sauna usage is improved brain health and a reduction in risk for Dementia. You can lecture someone all day on how important heart health is to their well being but it doesn’t always hit home. However, the fear of losing your cognitive functioning or worse, forgetting loved ones can motivate someone to change their behavior. Decades long research out of Finland, where there is one sauna per home, has shown us how much saunas can aid brain functioning and general well being. 

In fact, those who used the sauna 4 to 7 times per week experienced a 66% lower risk of dementia and a 65% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who used the sauna only once a week. Many of the brain boosting benefits are believed to stem from increased circulation to the brain, increased production of BDNF(Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), lower inflammation and heat shock proteins to protect the brain. BDNF is a protein that helps brain cells grow, repair themselves and remain healthy. Heat shock proteins help repair misfolded and damaged proteins and clear out damaged cells thus protecting the brain and body from damage.

Studies out of UCSF are focusing on how hyperthermia treatment(intentionally raising the body temperature 1-3°F) in an infrared sauna dome, can help reduce the symptoms of depression. Additional and ongoing research is focusing on what type and quantity of toxins the body sweats out, how heat and cold based therapies, contrast therapy, compound each other, immune cell mobilization and more.

With the research and social media hype actually aligning, sauna usage is becoming more and more ubiquitous from weekend warriors types to those looking for a spa day involving a good sweat. 

What makes sauna usage so easy?

I did state that this article was about the easiest way to improve your health. What makes a sauna so easy? For starters, sitting on the couch or in the office or the car, an overall sedentary lifestyle, greatly increases your risk for all-cause mortality. Move your butt from the couch to the sauna and all of a sudden, you flip the data upside down and now you are decreasing your risk for all cause mortality! The same data out of the Nordic region which showed a reduction in risk for Dementia based upon sauna frequency also showed a reduction in risk for all cause mortality based upon frequency. 2-3 sauna sessions per week cuts all cause mortality risk by 27% and 4-7 sessions per week cuts risk by 40%! Instead of sitting in one place, you move to a warm, ok maybe hot, place for a 20 minute period and you improve your quality of life and health trajectory!

With life expectancy in the United States falling behind much of the world, saunas can be a catalyst to counter this trend. Whether you are young and fit, older and less mobile, coming off an injury or had a long tiring day, a sauna can benefit most anyone’s health within a matter of minutes. In addition, sauna access is increasing across the country to make it easier to make this a part of your routine. While Finland offers 1 sauna per home and the US is only at roughly 1.5 million homes with a sauna, the rate is growing quickly at 5% per year. Lay down dome saunas like the one used in the UCSF studies are as low as $2k with free standing wooden saunas ranging from $2k-$12k. 

If cost or space in your home is an issue, more and more gyms are looking to stay relevant and are creating or expanding their sauna and recovery aids. Steam, traditional and infrared saunas are all a part of the mix you will find in many commercial gyms providing users access to their sauna of preference. Sauna wellness centers and contrast therapy chains such as Sweathouz, Perspire and many independent sauna and contrast therapy spas are expanding their reach across the U.S. to create a more private and clean atmosphere.

My sauna journey

I am fortunate enough to have owned a high quality infrared sauna for a number of years and frequent a gym with steam, traditional and infrared saunas. Using the sauna 4-5 times/week has been a staple in my routine for 10+ years now and has undoubtedly aided my health and recovery. The first real benefit I noticed was smoother skin and improved sleep. The increased circulation and activation of the parasympathetic nervous system allows the body to better reset and prepare for a good night’s sleep. My body recovered quicker from workouts, I had less acne and the sauna provided me a place to stretch after a workout and not neglect the mobility benefits my body needed. 

Without access to a sauna for a few days, I start to feel as if I’m holding in more stress, toxins and tightness. Once I get back into the sauna, my body and mind relax, I feel less stressed, more mobile and more rejuvenated. 

Whether you have never been in a sauna before or want to ensure saunas are more a part of your routine and lifestyle, just remember that the sauna is a place to relax, destress and enjoy the benefits that a sedentary lifestyle rarely affords you. Yet in a sauna, know that you are working smart, not just hard and that’s a beautiful thing.

Happy Sauna’ing!