Saunas Can Be Good for Your Heart

Going to the sauna can have positive benefits for your heart, a recent study found.

The Finnish study showed that men who went to the sauna often and stayed in that area for a while were less apt to experience some fatal cardiac ailments, including sudden cardiac death.

The findings of this study did not surprise Evelina Grayver, MD, director of the coronary care unit at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset.

“The majority of men who go to saunas are more on top of their health to begin with,” Dr. Grayver said. “They are more focused on a healthy diet and good exercise regimen.”

The benefit of the sauna is that with its heat, it increases blood flow and then if a person goes into a cool pool afterwards, it constricts that blood flow, Dr. Grayver says. This is a form of cardiac conditioning. But this conditioning should not be a replacement for a person’s traditional exercise routine.

“I would recommend sauna treatments for people who are already in an intensive exercise program and would like to get the additional benefits from using the sauna of better weight loss, boosting the immune system and a better-conditioned heart,” Dr. Grayver said.

Talk to your physician before making changes to your exercise routine or starting on a sauna regimen.