What are the benefits of sauna for heart health?

What are the benefits of sauna for heart health?

Next time you go to the gym, don't miss the opportunity to enjoy a sauna session after your workout. Not only is it a relaxing and soothing experience, it can also provide important benefits for your heart health.

What is a sauna?

A sauna is a small room with high temperatures that may reach 70-100 degrees Celsius, heated by wood, electricity or special infrared light waves. It is a type of dry heat therapy, where the relative humidity level in the sauna room remains between 10% and 20% only.

General benefits of saunas

People have used saunas for thousands of years for relaxation and general health, but experts believe that they may be beneficial for a number of health conditions, such as:

Arthritis.

Chronic fatigue.

Cold symptoms.

Muscle pain.

Psoriasis.

Stress and anxiety.

Benefits of sauna for cardiovascular health

The role of the sauna is not limited to relaxation only, but it also offers many benefits for the health of your heart:

1- Improving blood circulation

The heat of the sauna raises your skin temperature, causing profuse sweating that may reach about half a liter in a short time, and as your body tries to stay cool, your heart rate increases, which may reach 100-150 beats per minute.

Both the high heat of the sauna and the increased heart rate contribute to the expansion of blood vessels, which allows blood to flow more smoothly through your body, and reduces stress levels, which is similar to the effects of light or moderate exercise.

2- Lowering blood pressure

Research has shown over the past years that regular use of saunas, especially after exercise, can lead to a significant decrease in blood pressure. A recent study in 2022 showed that using a sauna for 15 minutes after exercise, 3 times a week, leads to a better improvement in blood pressure than exercising alone.

3- Improve cholesterol levels

The sweating from a sauna session helps raise levels of good cholesterol (HDL), which leads to improved total cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol (the waxy substance found in cells) is a major risk factor for heart disease, and reducing total cholesterol levels by 10% can reduce the risk of heart disease by 30%. It is known that exercise and sauna alone can reduce total cholesterol levels, but combining the two together - sitting in a sauna after exercise - will have an even greater effect on cholesterol.

4- Improve cardiorespiratory fitness

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is your body's ability to deliver oxygen to your muscles and organs during physical activity, and it is an important indicator of heart health, as raising CRF levels can reduce the risk of heart disease and death.

Regular exercise is one way to improve CRF levels, but research suggests that a post-workout sauna is also beneficial regardless of your current fitness level. If your CRF levels are low, exercising followed by 15 minutes in a sauna improves your cardiorespiratory fitness more than exercise alone. If your CRF levels are high, adding a sauna to your exercise routine can reduce your risk of heart-related death, including sudden cardiac death.

5. Reduce your risk of heart disease

Heart disease is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths in the United States, and it often has no warning signs.

Studies suggest that regular sauna use may reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, including sudden cardiac death. One study followed 2,300 sauna goers for 20 years and found that participants who went to the sauna frequently (4-7 times a week) had lower rates of death from heart disease and stroke.

Tips for Safe Sauna Use

Sauna use is relatively safe, but to avoid any unwanted health problems, follow these tips:

Drink plenty of water before, during, and after sauna use to prevent dehydration and replace lost fluids.

- Limit the duration of sauna sessions to 20 minutes only, and for beginners, start with short sessions of 5 to 10 minutes, and gradually increase the duration to a maximum of 20 minutes.

Avoid drinking alcohol before or during sauna use, as it increases the risk of dehydration.

Talk to your doctor before using a sauna if you are pregnant, or suffer from low blood pressure, as bathing in a sauna can lead to low blood pressure as mentioned above.