Question 282 of 433
Do saunas help you live longer?
The short answer
Possibly. Frequent sauna use is linked to much lower rates of heart death, dementia, and death from any cause in a long Finnish study. It is the best-supported toy in the chest.
Researchers followed about 2,300 middle-aged Finnish men for twenty years. Compared with men who used a sauna once a week, those who went four to seven times a week had about 40 percent lower death rates, about 60 percent fewer sudden cardiac deaths, and about 65 percent less dementia.
Caution is in order. This is an association, in one region, mostly in men, and men who sauna daily may be healthier and more relaxed to begin with. No trial has randomly assigned people to years of sauna. But the biology fits: heat lowers blood pressure, relaxes arteries, and raises the heart rate like a brisk walk.
Typical practice is 15 to 20 minutes at around 175°F. Drink water. Avoid alcohol. If you have unstable heart disease, severe narrowing of the aortic valve, or low blood pressure, ask your cardiologist first.
Sauna frequency and death from any cause in Finnish men followed for twenty years (Laukkanen and colleagues, 2015). An association, not proof.
Figure from the book · Q282
Evidence scope
OBSERVATIONAL — Finnish sauna cohorts: mortality and dementia associations; no randomized lifespan proof.Evidence gradeCObservationalPart 20, Q282 · Part sourcesFrom Longevity Unmasked by Afshine Ash Emrani, MD, FACC. Medical disclaimer. This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship. Nothing here is meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Medicine is personal: a test, drug, supplement, or exercise plan that helps one person can harm another. Do not start, stop, or change any medication or treatment because of something you read in these pages. Talk with a licensed clinician who knows your history first. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911. The author disclaims responsibility for any loss or harm arising from use of the information in this book.