Health and Tech: Study finds sauna therapy boosts heart health
In Hyderabad, almost all major fitness centres are equipped with a sauna facility but hardly anybody knows how to utilise the technology of temperature control in a sauna and reap health benefits from it.
Hyderabad: It is quite common in India to associate sauna with pleasure, relaxation and a luxurious activity that is often taken-up in high-end resorts and retreat centres. On most of the occasions, a majority also tend to confuse a sauna with a spa and end-up spending a fortune at facilities that are not quite reputable in providing protocol-based sauna facilities.
In Hyderabad, almost all major fitness centres are equipped with a sauna facility but hardly anybody knows how to utilise the technology of temperature control in a sauna and reap health benefits from it.
Did you know that there is evidence in the form of Randomised Control Trials (RCT) that have demonstrated that regular sauna use drastically reduces chances of cardiovascular diseases among the middle-aged? Sauna, if done right by understanding body tolerance and technology, can even control blood pressure among individuals.
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There are peer reviewed studies that have demonstrated that if you use sauna 2 to 3 times a week, you slash the risk of dementia by 22 per cent and if done at least 4 to 7 times a week, the risk of dementia is reduced by a staggering 65 per cent? Many do not realise that there is no drug available that promises to reduce the risk of dementia by 65 per cent.
The benefits of a technology as simple as sauna were demonstrated in a series of RCTs by researchers from Finland, a country in which almost every household is equipped with such a facility.
In a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Finland researchers demonstrated numerous benefits of sauna to reduce pain and other symptoms associated with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia (body stiffness). The study in which over 500 individuals participated, scientists demonstrated those with 4 to 7 sauna sessions a week, had 78 per cent reduced risk of developing mental health disorders.
The researchers from University of Eastern Finland and the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland found that mortality from heart ailments among people who used a sauna four to seven times was far less than individuals who used sauna once a week.
What is the technology behind sauna?
A typical hot and dry Finnish sauna increases body temperature, which causes more efficient skin blood flow, leading to increased cardiac output, whereas blood flow to internal organs decrease. Increased sweating is accompanied by reduction in BP and a higher heart rate, while cardiac stroke volume is maintained, Finnish researchers in their paper, said.
“Sauna bathing stimulates hormonal changes, which include increases in levels of plasma renin, cortisol, and growth hormone. There is stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system due to the high temperature, which increases the production of norepinephrine. Increases in levels of norepinephrine induced by sauna exposure have been reported to be similar to those induced by maximal physical activity,” the study said.
A word of caution:
However, sauna should be used as a remedy for treatment of already existing complex health ailments. Sauna definitely has the potential to be recommended for people with cardiovascular risk factors and even stable cardiac patients. Yet, there is a definite need for Indian-population based RCT studies and the usage of sauna.
Researchers point out that it is always good to start sauna with a bit of caution, understand own tolerance levels and gradually increase the activity and number of sessions.
