Heart stopping good news: Sauna use reduces risk of cardiovascular disease

16 May, 2019.

I just heard from Dr. Jari Laukkenen who just now published a study regarding sauna and cardiovascular disease.

“Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing is associated with reduced risk of adverse cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) and non-CVD outcomes as well as mortality”

“Observational data suggest that regular sauna bathing is associated with a substantial risk reduction in sudden cardiac death (SCD) . Furthermore, the data suggest that a combination of regular physical activity and sauna baths confers substantial risk reduction for SCD compared with either modality alone. “

It is kind of ironic how many people shy away from sauna, then cold plunge, as they fear that they will get a heart attack. This new evidence supports that including authentic sauna with a healthy lifestyle reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), a global public health burden accounting for 15–20% of all deaths.

What is a healthy lifestyle and healthy sauna practice?

This includes regular exercise and sauna, which includes water being tossed onto sauna rocks to produce steam. Then, after a good hot sauna round, as with many Finns and emerging tribes of authentic sauna enthusiasts in other countries, we step outside, in Nature, into a nICE cold lake, or cold plunge, or simply a cold shower.

How much more evidence do we need in order for:

Health clubs: It’s time to institute more cold plunge pools and take down signs saying “do not toss water onto the rocks.”

Backyards: It’s sauna time, for healthy lifestyle, living, and living longer!

Cabins: 3.3 million saunas in Finland, how about 1.1 million in US?

Link to study here.

Sauna Talk podcast with Dr. Jari Laukkanen soon to be published! (Jari spent an hour Sauna Talking with Saunatimes just last week and we are excited to share more about his extensive work on sauna health studies).