HJBR Mar-Apr 2019

Sauna Bathing 26 MAR / APR 2019 I  Healthcare Journal of baton rouge   healthy men, the participants who took frequent sauna baths (4-7 times per week) reduced their risk of developing high blood pressure over 25 years. The results were adjusted for a comprehensive set of poten- tially confounding factors. In established cases of hypertension, sauna bathing can reduce blood pressure as well as arterial stiffness. In another observational study that fol- lowed 2315 men for 20 years, researchers found that the frequency and duration of sauna bathing are inversely related to the risk of sudden cardiac death, fatal coronary artery disease, and all-cause mortality after adjusting for confounding factors. In other words, increasing the number and length of sauna sessions resulted in less death from heart disease. A 15-year observational study including 1628 people concluded that sauna bathing 4-7 times per week reduces stroke risk by 62 percent, as compared to sauna bathing once per week. Sauna baths have also been shown to be associated with improvements in heart failure, such as increased cardiac output, increased left ventricular ejection fraction, reduced peripheral resistance, and overall symptom improvement. 1, 2 2 Reduce Your Risk of Dementia  Among the contributors to neu- rocognitive disease are impaired cardiovascular function, inflammation, oxidative stress, high blood pressure, and the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. Emerging evidence indicates that sauna exposure may protect against the develop- ment of neurocognitive diseases. In a study including 2314 healthy Finnish men, those who used the sauna 4-7 times per week had a 65 percent reduction in their risk for Alzheimer’s disease as compared to men who engaged in sauna bathing once per week. The men who utilized the sauna 4-7 times per week also had a 66 percent reduc- tion in their risk for dementia, which is a general term referring to a significant decline in memory and thinking skills. 1 For thousands of years, sauna bathing and other forms of thermother- apy have been used for health, social, and spiritual purposes. 3 Sauna sessions usu- ally last between 5-20 minutes but can be longer depending on your comfort level. It is a common practice to alternate between sauna bathing and cooling off outside of the sauna. While many types of thermo- therapy exist today (e.g., infrared saunas, steam rooms), this article will focus on the Finnish-style dry sauna. This type of sauna has been studied extensively, and it is com- monly found in gyms. Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s dig deeper into the reasons you should treat yourself to regular sauna baths. etween restrictive diets, high-intensity in- terval training, and keeping up with the latest superfoods, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can feel overwhelmingly difficult. However, there is one simple activity that can improve the health of virtually every system of your body yet requires little time and effort. Enter sauna bathing. 1 Improve Your Cardiovascular Health Because sauna bathing produces similar physiological responses as moderate or high-intensity exercise (e.g., increased heart rate), it is not too surpris- ing that it can also improve the health of your heart and blood vessels. 1 Regular sauna bathing is associatedwith a decrease in circulating inflammatorymark- ers, such as C-reactive protein. It has also been found to positively impact levels of tri- glycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cho- lesterol. Reduction in systemic inflammation and improved lipid profile are likely among the mechanisms that render sauna bathing beneficial for the cardiovascular system. In a long-term study conducted in 1621