6 Reasons Saunas Are Good for You

In Finland, sauna is about cleansing the body and mind.

Here are six ways research has found using saunas are good for your health.

1. Provides a thermal regulatory workout

Ashley Mason, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, says thermal stress, like the kind sauna puts on the body, is good for us. Mason, who studies the effect of sauna on our bodies, calls sauna “a thermal regulatory workout.” To defend our body temperature and keep it as close to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit as possible, the thermoregulation system in our brain causes us to sweat when it’s hot and shiver when it’s cold. That gives our muscles a workout. But modern life, with its heating and air conditioning, has largely edited out the meaningful thermal stress our ancestors had, says Mason. By exercising or sitting in a sauna, we can make our thermoregulatory system stronger and more adaptive, she says. And, since our ability to thermoregulate gets worse as we age, sauna is a workout to improve our thermoregulation system.

2. Can benefit mental health

A 2016 study shows that whole-body heating devices can improve a person’s mental state, including decreasing symptoms of depression. Justin Juntunen says he sees the mental health benefits in his customers all the time, especially in the winter, when seasonal depression can hit.

“You’re always walking out feeling lighter, better,” he says.

3. Promotes better sleep

When you take a sauna in the evening, especially, “you come out and you’re sleepy, and you sleep real well,” Rod Juntunen says.

That’s because heat can improve sleep, says Mason, who directs behavioral treatment for insomnia at the UCSF Osher Center Clinic and the Weill Institute for Neurosciences. It goes back to exercising that thermal regulation system.

When this system works better, “it’s going to be easier to fall asleep, because remember, your body needs to cool down at night and warm up during the day, and cool down at night and warm up during the day,” she says, describing the ebb and flow needs of the body’s systems.

4. Improves heart health

There’s a bounty of research that suggests other physical benefits of heating through sauna are similar to exercise. As the body attempts to cool down, blood vessels open up and heart rate increases, boosting our cardiovascular system long term and calming the nervous system.  

A landmark 20-year study of 2,300 middle-aged men in Finland, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that those who used a sauna four to seven times a week were less likely to die than those who used a sauna once a week or less. (Saunas are ubiquitous in Finland, so everyone has easy access to them.) The study found that the frequent sauna bathers cut their risk of death from cardiovascular disease in half and had a 63 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac deaths. Additional studies underscore improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and other metrics of cardiometabolic health. 

5. Provides pain relief

The opening of the blood vessels also helps ease pain from arthritis and other chronic pain conditions. It’s believed that increasing blood flow helps decrease inflammation and muscle spasms.

Some small studies suggest a link between spending time in saunas and improved lung function, as well as reduced risk of chronic respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and pneumonia.

6. Offers potential brain health benefits

While more research is needed, at least one Finnish study, published in Age and Ageing, suggests that regular sauna use may help reduce the risk dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and generally improve cognition, though researchers say the physiological reason for this is not yet understood.

Saunas in nature

Those lucky enough to experience saunas in nature could experience an added benefit.

In Finnish culture, it’s about stepping outside and creating a contrast, says Justin Juntunen. When a sauna is outdoors, he says, it becomes something more complete that is layered with natural light, fresh air, ambient sounds and real environmental contrast.

A study of nearly 20,000 people, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that those who spend at least two hours a week in nature showed they were more likely to report good health and well-being. In fact, that nature piece is one of the reasons Kevin and Aspen Ives launched a mobile sauna business, Nomadic Roots Sauna & Wellness based in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado: so they could bring their customers into the wild or, simply, the banks of a river near Vail, Colorado.

In Duluth, Cedar & Stone Nordic Sauna offers a floating sauna experience on Lake Superior. Moored on the seawall, the sauna offers dramatic, panoramic views of the lake.

The “wild sauna” is gaining in popularity in the U.S. too. Sauna kits are making it easy for people to build their own sauna cabin outdoors.

Indoors, some are trying the sauna dome and the sauna blanket, which are portable and induce a detoxifying sweat through infrared heat.

Infrared heat is also available in some gyms and spas. This option uses special lamps to heat the body rather than an entire room. Typically, temperatures are about 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Electrically heated saunas are another option. Attached to the floor, an electric sauna heats the whole room, offering higher temps and lower humidity.

Nomadic Roots Spa & Wellness made the choice to make each of their mobile units wood burning, which is the most traditional route.

“For us here in Colorado and being out in the mountains, it provided a more tranquil experience thanthe noise of a buzzing generator,” says Kevin Ives. “People also really love just the aesthetic that the wood burning provides. You get the great aroma of the various woods that are burning. You get the crackling of the wood and that auditory sensation,” he says. Cedar & Stone offers electric and wood burning saunas.

Whether you use wood-burning, smoke, electric or infrared, as long as you’re sweating, you’re getting the benefits of sauna, Mason says — both mental and physical.

“As more research supports it, my hope is that it will be medically prescribed for people in terms of a holistic health approach,” Ives says. “I don’t think this is a fad that’s going to come and be gone in a couple of years.”

Tips for using a sauna

“Sauna is the space in which your only requirement is your willingness to go in,” says Justin Juntunen. “Your requirement isn’t to be strong or fit or bendy. And so the sauna is this hack where even in your 60s, 70s or 80s, when it may be harder to move your muscles, you work out by going and sitting in the sauna.”

If you’re apprehensive, “remember your why — your desire to relax,” says Kathleen Booker, who teaches breathing and meditation in New York City through her company, Jedi of Calm. “Don’t be afraid of your breath,” she says. “Our ego with a small ‘e’ will have us believe, ‘Danger, Will Robinson. Danger, Will Robinson,’ ” she says, conjuring up the famous catchphrase from the 1960s TV show Lost in Space. “Allow yourself to just rest in that moment.”

“Some people, it takes them a little while. But I really don’t know of anybody that, after they’ve sauna’d several times, that they don’t enjoy it and want to do it more,” says Rod Juntunen.

Although using a sauna is relatively safe, there are some important things to remember, according to UCLA Health and Harvard Health Publishing.

• Drink plenty of water before, during and after taking a sauna to avoid dehydration. This is especially important for older people.
• Start with short sauna sessions — 5 to 10 minutes, and work up to 20 minutes. Don’t stay in the sauna for more than 20 minutes.
• Avoid drinking alcohol before, during and after taking a sauna, because it increases dehydration risk.
• Don’t go into a sauna if you are sick or feeling ill.