Maybe you heard of the benefits of regular sauna practice to increase your health. There are plenty of studies out there researching this. A new study has been published by the University of Eastern Finland highlighting that frequent sauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke.

As a frequent reader, you know that I regularly highlight that studies have only been done on a few people. This study is different, as they had 1.628 people in it. That’s a huge number!

Study Setup

The participants were divided into 3 sauna groups, taking saunas:

• once a week
• 2-3 times a week and
• 4-7 times a week.

They found that the more often you went to the sauna the lower your risk of stroke became. Quoting the study:

“Compared to people taking one sauna session per week, the risk was decreased by 14% among those with 2-3 sessions and 61% among those with 4-7 sessions. The association persisted even when taking into account conventional stroke risk factors, such as age, sex, diabetes, body mass index, blood lipids, alcohol consumption, physical activity and socio-economic status. The strength of association was similar in men and women.”

That’s great news and what’s even better is, that the University showed in the past already that frequent sauna bathing can also significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

All-cause mortality means any potential cause of death. Just by hitting the sauna 4-7 times a week (anything between 10-20 minutes).

More benefits of sauna bathing

Sauna has plenty of other benefits too. I simply highlight a few:

• you can sweat out toxins and BPA (and their derivatives)
• it can help to reduce DOM and fasten up muscle recovery
• it may help you relax, especially if you do breath work, like this
• depending on where and how you sauna bath, it can promote social interaction

How to incorporate it into your day

Here’s how I did add frequent sauna bathing into my day: I looked for a gym that has a sauna! I had to pay a little premium on my monthly membership, but that was worth it to me.

As I was at the gym 4-6 times a week, I had up to 6 times the chance to hit the sauna. I stayed for 10-15 minutes after my workouts, felt great and refreshed.

Nowadays I don’t have access to a sauna in my gym but there’s one in the huge building my flat is. So the ritual is more or less the same.

After my workouts I get back home, prepare some post workout nutrition and go to the sauna, shower, eat dinner and relax.

As the sauna is in my building I can even go more often if I feel like, which happens sometimes, but definitely not on a regular basis.

Nowadays there are even affordable saunas that you can install in your home. They come in all sorts and shapes, small and big. You might be able to do that too!

Make it social

Even if you don’t have an easy access to a sauna at your place or your gym, try to find a spa or dedicated sauna place that you can go to once a week.

The benefits of multiple sauna sessions a day maybe not as great as a short one every day, and yet it has still its health benefits. Being all afternoon or day at the sauna can be boring for some people. So make this a happening with your friends.

You can meet up, catch up, relax together and have a great time – all the while you are doing something good for your body. Most of us need more downtime anyways.

Before you take your next sauna session, share this article with your friends and make them aware of these facts too. I’d also like to hear your thoughts on the topic.

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This article is part of the Short Tao series. These are posts, articles, reviews and similar content, provided to you in a short and easy to digest format. This means, I cut to the chase quickly and aim to make it as short and informative as possible. The content, especially when it comes to science, is up to date when I publish it, but times change. So, if anything you read here has been seen changes, make sure to let me know. Ultimately, this is for your entertainment and education. Comment below to share your thoughts and make sure to let your friends know of this information too – it could change lives.