Sauna and exercise – taking the right habits to heart

We know sauna is part of a healthy lifestyle – sauna is known to relieve muscle tension, purify the skin, relieve headaches, reduce the effects of a head cold, strengthen the immune system, help achieve deeper sleep, and more. Despite the sauna’s reputation and centuries of use, there has still been a shortage of conclusive systematic research findings to support its prescriptive usage. The landscape of sauna research is changing, however, as a new study from Finland is revealing the sauna’s impressive effects on the cardiovascular system. 

Even as early as the 1940s, the sauna was becoming a hot topic in health & wellness research. Early German researchers speculated that sauna bathing could induce beneficial activity in a number of cardiovascular functions, enhancing overall health and thereby strengthening the defense systems [1].  

Unfortunately, what has changed since then, has been the rate at which cardiovascular health has declined throughout the past few decades. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become increasingly common, as a large population of adults, adolescents and children are not physically active enough [2] to achieve the health benefits of exercise, despite its well-documented benefits [3, 4]. In addition, untrained sedentary individuals and populations with low exercise capacities may not have the motivation, tolerance, and/or levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) required to meet the minimum threshold necessary for exercise-induced adaptations [5], which underlines the urgent need for possible alternatives, both as an adjunct to exercise, as well as a potential gateway to better cardiovascular health and lifestyles. 

However, new research suggests that the sauna in combination with exercise is more effective in strengthening the cardiovascular functions of the average population than exercise alone. 

Dr. Earric Lee, an exercise medicine and health science researcher at the University of Jyväskylä led the study which was published in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 

Earric’s most recent research has found significant benefits for the cardiovascular system, when exercise and sauna become part of an average individual’s weekly routine.  

Improvements in each of these metrics were found in Earric’s most recent experiment, where he and his team studied the effects of sauna bathing throughout an 8-week period. Participant groups included non-regular sauna users who were sedentary adults with at least one CVD risk factor. Participants were randomly assigned into either a sedentary control group, an exercise intervention group (EXE), or a group that performed the same exercise intervention followed by traditional sauna bathing (EXS). 

Including sauna bathing as part of the post-workout routine may help provide benefits similar to the results seen in Earric’s study. Other research points to adding a sauna routine of 2 - 3 days per week, as a minimal effective “dose” for the average person. If we’ve learned anything from the past few decades of research, it’s that our health is in our hands – and it is dependent on the habits we practice every day.  

For a habit that is safe, simple, and pleasant, it’s no wonder that sauna bathing continues to gain scientific support as a routine wellness practice. 

Disclaimer: There is no financial relationship or otherwise between Harvia and any of the members of the study’s research team. The study, and the study’s main author Earric Lee, was not supported by Harvia or any sauna-related company in any manner. As such, there is no conflict of interest. 


Read Lee’s research article here