The health benefits of the sauna: research and advice from scientists Is the sauna good for health? Studies over the past three decades tend to answer this question in the affirmative. Scientists note potential benefits of the sauna, including increased insulin sensitivity (which may help prevent the development of type II diabetes), faster healing after trauma, and even the formation of new brain cells (activation of neurogenesis). Finland is widely regarded as the world leader in sauna use: the Finnish sauna is an integral part of the country's culture, with approximately 3 million saunas for a population of approximately 5 million. They are now in almost every home and in many offices. It is not surprising that Finns are the world's best experts on the benefits of saunas: Prof. Emeritus Juhani Leppäluoto of the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Oulu, and sports medicine expert Katriina Kukkonen-Harjula. Leppäluoto recommends several sessions of 5 to 20 minutes for healthy people, with a total duration of 1 to 2 hours, two to four times a week. Research Does regular sauna visits affect life expectancy? A study by Finnish scientists (2015) gives a positive answer: visiting the sauna 2-3 times a week is associated with a 24 percent reduction in overall mortality. The mortality rate of regular vaping visitors (4-7 times a week) is reduced by 40 percent. Visiting the sauna is also associated with less frequent cardiovascular diseases. Researchers from the Netherlands concluded that a sauna visit 2 to 3 times a week was associated with a 23 percent reduction in cardiovascular deaths and a 48 percent reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disorders and 4 to 7 times a week. In a multi-year study published in 2018, Finnish researchers concluded that middle-aged people who visit the sauna several times a week have a lower risk of stroke. They followed 1628 adult men and women (aged 53 to 74) with no history of stroke for 15 years. Analysis of the data showed that visiting the sauna 4-7 times a week reduces the risk of stroke by 61 percent (compared to those who visited the sauna 1 time a week). Over 15 years, according to 1000 people, 8.1 strokes were recorded out of those who visited the sauna 1 time a week, 7.4 strokes 2-3 times a week, and 2.8 strokes at least 4 times a week. Does sauna increase stamina? Regular sauna visits improve thermoregulation and cardiovascular endurance – even for professional athletes. This is due to an increase in the volume of blood that the heart pumps with each beat. Steam also has a strong (albeit brief, 1-2 hours) effect on the body's hormones. The sauna significantly increases the release of growth hormone and prolactin (essential for lactation, stimulates the growth and development of the mammary glands), as well as slightly affects the release of norepinephrine, one of the most important mediators of wakefulness. In addition, the sauna slightly increases testosterone levels and lowers cortisol levels in the body, which accelerates muscle recovery and even increases training performance. By the way, it should be remembered that in this case, too, hormonal changes after the sauna do not last long: according to one of the studies, this effect occurs only in men under 50 years of age and lasts about 45 minutes. And, perhaps, the most unexpected consequence of visiting a sauna is a positive effect on intelligence. By the way, it only works in combination with physical exercise. The expression of the brain's neurotropic factor (a protein encoded by the BDNF gene) is then enhanced. BDNF, in turn, activates neurogenesis (the production of new brain cells), stimulates and supports neuronal development. Sauna improves the mood of cancer patients, which can be a consequence of increased expression of this factor .
A source: Delfi.lt