There are many benefits to using the sauna regularly. Recently, I have been looking into heart health again as it is something I try to understand in more depth as I have a poor family history and want to try and do as many things as possible to reduce my risk of suffering some form of complication with my heart. This lead me to come across a very detailed article from Dr. Rhonda Patrick about the beneficial effects sauna can have on the heart.
In the article she breaks down a study and highlights some of the positive benefits that sauna can have "In recent decades, sauna bathing has emerged as a means to increase lifespan and improve overall health, based on compelling data from observational, interventional, and mechanistic studies. Of particular interest are the findings from studies of participants in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study, an ongoing prospective population-based cohort study of health outcomes in more than 2,300 middle-aged men from eastern Finland, which identified strong links between sauna use and reduced death and disease.
The KIHD findings showed that men who used the sauna two to three times per week were 27 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes than men who didn't use the sauna.[2] Furthermore, the benefits they experienced were found to be dose-dependent: Men who used the sauna roughly twice as often, about four to seven times per week, experienced roughly twice the benefits – and were 50 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes.[2] In addition, frequent sauna users were found to be 40 percent less likely to die from all causes of premature death. These findings held true even when considering age, activity levels, and lifestyle factors that might have influenced the men's health.[2]
The KIHD also revealed that frequent sauna use reduced the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease in a dose-dependent manner. Men who used the sauna two to three times per week had a 66 percent lower risk of developing dementia and a 65 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, compared to men who used the sauna only one time per week.[3]"
This is another reason why we are investing in a sauna for Total Health Performance and our members. We will have both far and near infrared as well as a traditional dry heat sauna to try and cover all basis and potential benefits.