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Regular Sauna Users May Have Fewer Chronic Diseases (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: People who visit the sauna frequently may be less likely to develop heart and lung diseases or to get the flu than those who rarely go, a research review suggests. One study in the current analysis, for example, found that going to the sauna at least four times a week was associated with a roughly 50 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. This study included 2,315 people and also linked regular sauna use to a 40 percent lower risk of premature death from all causes. Another study in the analysis compared the effects of using the sauna for 19 minutes versus 11 minutes. In this study, longer sauna sessions were linked to a 17 percent lower risk of premature death from all causes, as well as a 36 percent lower chance of death from heart disease.
In a third study in the analysis, with 1,621 participants, using the sauna at least four times weekly was tied to a 47 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure than going once weekly. Yet another study linked at least four weekly sauna visits with about 66 percent lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease than going just once a week. Two other studies found going to the sauna at least four times a week associated with a 41 percent lower risk of respiratory diseases and a 37 percent lower chance of pneumonia than going once weekly. The authors reported their findings in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
In a third study in the analysis, with 1,621 participants, using the sauna at least four times weekly was tied to a 47 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure than going once weekly. Yet another study linked at least four weekly sauna visits with about 66 percent lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease than going just once a week. Two other studies found going to the sauna at least four times a week associated with a 41 percent lower risk of respiratory diseases and a 37 percent lower chance of pneumonia than going once weekly. The authors reported their findings in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
In Finland, it is very common to have access to a sauna in your home, even some company buildings have them. Now true, the homeless might not have saunas but this is not so big a problem in Nordic countries.
On the other hand, I think the reason for these stats is because saunas kill off anyone with a weak cardiopulmonary system.
I'm not finding the article I'm thinking of at the moment, but I've read that sauna use is particularly helpful for people who may be too obese or injured to comfortably exercise in other ways (though if this applies to you, I suggest trying swimming / pool exercises) or who are sedentary and not used to more-than-brief cardiovascular challenge. At a minimum, sauna use causes short-term cardiovascular changes that the body has to adapt to, and a major way it adapts is by increasing blood vessel elasticity and blood flow to the skin like exercise does. It sounds similar to healthy stretching that many people do for their muscles but for blood vessels (which also contain muscle) instead. Side note: saunas are also a great place to do stretches or massage since muscle and connective tissue elasticity increases as well. Be a little cautious with doing those if you have an injury resulting in joint looseness though!
From another article:
"On average, the study found, sauna users' blood pressure dropped by seven points and their arteries became more "elastic" (based on non-invasive tests).
In addition, their heart rate rose from an average of 65 beats per minute before the sauna session to 81 beats afterward."
https://www.webmd.com/heart/ne...
- A Doctor of Physical Therapy
a sauna stresses the system and is essentially a kind of exercise, a style of exercise you're going to have trouble finding elsewhere.
Or it might be the exact opposite : Sauna stresses the system, and thus only people with a functional enough cardio-vascular system go there.
The people with bad hearths don't go there AND die younger.
Exactly this.
At first I read the statistics being presented here as potential evidence that saunas have a considerable health benefit, but it's far more likely that those who actually get off their ass and use a sauna are not the kind of lazy obese people that die of heart and lung diseases due to an inactive lifestyle.
And yeah, I hate when statistics often showcase nothing more than water-is-wet common sense. It's like saying that 99% of professional ballerinas are not obese, so ballet is now "statistically proven" to be one of the greatest solutions in the world to combat obesity.