This is not a points & miles related article, but I wanted to share my recent experience of health benefits observed after regular sauna bathing.
Sauna Bathing
Sauna bathing has been used for thousands of years for leisure, relaxation, and wellness. The sauna tradition is deeply rooted in Finnish culture, and it makes me wonder if it has played a role in Finland topping the charts as the happiest country in the world for the last 7 years. Both me and my wife have been enjoying the sauna every day during our Argentina trip at Correntoso Lake & River Small Luxury Hotel and Park Hyatt Mendoza.
My brief medical history
I have a long standing history of GERD and low magnesium levels from chronic use of proton pump inhibitors. I developed myopathy after starting statins to lower my cholesterol 10 years ago and I stopped the drug for a few months. I was able to restart the statins after taking 50K units of vitamin D3 weekly along with daily chelated magnesium and pyridoxine (B6). Since then, I have been tolerating statins without any muscle weakness, but I still have residual muscle and tendon pains. I am prone to tendon injuries during exercise and it can take several weeks for them to improve.
After using the sauna every day for the last two weeks, I noticed that my muscle and tendon pains improved significantly despite lifting weights and using the elliptical for 2 miles.
Health Benefits of Regular Sauna Bathing
Beyond the soothing heat and comforting ambiance, saunas offer a range of potential health benefits backed by scientific research. I have listed some of the key health benefits of regular sauna use below:
Stress Reduction
Saunas provide a tranquil environment that can help reduce stress and promote relaxation. The heat causes the body to release endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting chemicals, leading to feelings of calmness and contentment.
Improved Circulation
The heat in saunas dilates blood vessels, leading to increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body. This can help deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues more efficiently, promote cardiovascular health, and potentially reduce the risk of hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Muscle Relaxation
Saunas can help relieve muscle tension and soreness by promoting muscle relaxation. The heat stimulates the release of tension in muscles, reducing stiffness and promoting flexibility. This makes saunas particularly beneficial for athletes or individuals with muscle-related conditions.
Skeletal Conditions
Sauna use improves the severity of musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.
Detoxification
Sweating is the body’s natural mechanism for detoxification, helping to eliminate toxins and impurities through the skin. Saunas induce profuse sweating, which can aid in flushing out toxins, heavy metals, and metabolic waste products, supporting overall detoxification and cleansing.
Improved Skin Health
Regular sauna sessions can enhance skin health by promoting sweating, which helps to unclog pores and remove dead skin cells, leaving the skin refreshed and rejuvenated. The increased circulation also delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the skin, promoting a healthy complexion.
Immune System Support:
Sauna use has been associated with immune-boosting effects, potentially due to the increase in core body temperature, which mimics the body’s response to fever. This may help stimulate the production of white blood cells and activate the immune system, leading to enhanced immunity and resistance to infections.
Pain Relief
Saunas have been shown to provide relief from chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, and musculoskeletal disorders. Heat helps alleviate pain by relaxing muscles, improving circulation, and releasing endorphins, which act as natural pain relievers.
Pulmonary Benefits
Regular sauna use has been shown to improve pulmonary function (increased vital capacity, minute ventilation, and forced expiratory volume) in patients with chronic lung conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]).
Cardiovascular Benefits
Regular sauna use has been linked to various cardiovascular benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, improved endothelial function, and enhanced heart health. These effects are attributed to the heat-induced dilation of blood vessels and improvements in blood flow.
Dry sauna bathing seems to be safe, and even patients who have recovered from myocardial infarction and patients with stable angina pectoris or heart failure can enjoy sauna bathing without any significant adverse cardiovascular effects.
Reduction in all-cause mortality and extension of lifespan
Regular sauna bathing offers protection against the risk of sudden cardiac death, fatal cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality events in the general population (link). Sessions lasting 19 min or more elicited a more robust protective effect than 11 to 18 min on lowering mortality rate (link).
Who should use caution when planning for sauna bathing?
Individuals who are prone to orthostatic hypotension should be cautious when sauna bathing because of a possible decrease in blood pressure, which typically occurs immediately after sauna bathing.
Medical Evidence for Sauna Health Benefits
There is a growing body of research evidence linking sauna bathing with substantial health benefits. For evidence-based medical review of all health benefits of sauna, I recommend reading this article (link).
In a randomized controlled trial (link) of 47 individuals (with at least 1 traditional cardiovascular risk factor), 8 weeks of regular sauna bathing sessions (15 min) preceded by exercise (three times a week). Each exercise session lasted 60 min and was performed in the following order: a 10-min full-body warm-up, 20 min of resistance exercise, and 30 min of aerobic exercise. The final results revealed substantially beneficial effects on blood pressure (8 mm Hg reduction) and total cholesterol levels (19 mg reduction)in exercise + sauna compared with exercise training alone.
How often can you use the sauna?
- The typical hot and dry sauna is characterized by high temperatures (ranging from 150 to 220 °F or 70 to 110 °C), good ventilation, and dry air with relative humidity varying from 10% to 20%.
- Heat exposure elicits mild hyperthermia, inducing a thermoregulatory response involving neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and cytoprotective mechanisms that work in a synergistic fashion in an attempt to maintain homeostasis.
- Heart rate may increase by up to 100/min during moderate sauna bathing sessions and up to 150/min during more intense warm sauna bathing corresponding to low- and moderate-intensity physical exercise training (sauna is a great way to burn calories without exercising).
- Regular long-term sauna bathing 2 times per week increases left ventricular ejection fraction and lowers blood pressure, especially in patients with hypertension.
- Sweat is secreted at a rate of 0.6 to 1.0 kg/h at temperatures of 80°C to 90°C, with a mean total secretion of 0.5 kg during a typical sauna bathing session.
- Repeated sauna use acclimates the body to heat and optimizes the body’s response to future exposures, likely due to the biological phenomenon known as hormesis.
- Finnish sauna bathing involves 1–3 sessions of heat exposure lasting 5–20 min each, interspersed with periods of cooling (some cooling methods involve rolling in snow or immersing in cold water).
Preventing Heat Exhaustion
- Proper hydration with 2 liters of water; add electrolyte packets to the water if you are feeling exhausted.
- Avoid alcohol intake together with sauna bathing.
- Avoid prolonged exposure to excessive heat. I recommend limiting the sessions to 10-15 minutes at the beginning and gradually extending it to 20-30 minutes.
- Take cold showers after sauna treatment to lower the body temperature.
My decision to purchase a sauna for my home
After noticing the positive effects on my muscle and tendon pains, I decided to purchase an outdoor barrel steam sauna from Costco (link). There are cheaper indoor saunas available from Costco, but it won’t work in my case. I have to pay the electrician additional money to install a 220V 30 Amps outlet on my patio. I am also planning to install an awning to protect the sauna from rain. It is a significant expense but well worth it in the long-run in my opinion because of the health benefits.
I also purchased a Gazebo to cover the sauna instead of awning or external covers. Yardistry Gazebo was on sale for $1500 when I purchased it from Costco.
Almost Heaven Morgan 4-person Sauna
I placed a Costco order for both the Gazebo and sauna. I received the Gazebo quickly and the sauna got shipped after 3 weeks. I hired the help of a handyman to install both the units in my backyard and create a 30 Amp 220V power line from my garage to the backyard (additional expense of 2K).
Almost Heaven Sauna in Use
The Almost Heaven Morgan 4-person Sauna is beautifully made and spacious inside for four people to sit next to each other or two people to lay down with legs folded. It takes around 20 minutes to heat the sauna up to 150°F. I noticed that the maximum temperature does not go above 155°F even when the dial is turned to maximum heat with the recommended location of the temperature sensor. However, changing the placement of the temperature sensor to a lower position (we placed it on the bench) dramatically increases the heat output to above 190°F in about 40 minutes (I am sure it would have exceeded 200°F in a few more minutes, but we could not tolerate the heat). I recommend experimenting with the position of the sensor to suit the needs of every household based on the outdoor temperatures. After using the sauna daily (20 min) for the last two months, I noticed that my electricity bill went up by about $60-70.
Conclusion
Saunas offer numerous health benefits, and I don’t see any negative effects of frequent use except for the initial cost of purchase & installation at your home. The Almost Heaven Sauna exceeded all my expectations and I recommend purchasing it from Costco without hesitation. I hope the company properly tests the heater and sensor placement before shipping it out in the future, but overall it is a small flaw in a perfectly designed outdoor sauna.