Things are starting to get really hot in the sauna industry after the latest study about frequent sauna use. Many people are looking for an infrared sauna after they heard the news that frequent sauna usage can lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
How Can An Infrared Sauna Help Dementia?
In case you didn’t know, dementia is a general term used to define symptoms that affect memory, completion of daily activities and communication abilities. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. On average, about 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases are accounts of Alzheimer’s disease. If Alzheimer’s disease is not prevented or treated in time, it will get worse and seriously affect a person’s memory, language, and thought.
However, on the more positive side of things, a study conducted by the University of Eastern Finland found that continual heat exposure from sauna use during the entire week is linked with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. After the Finnish scientists were done evaluating the weekly sauna bathing habits, they decided to take their research a notch further and divide their study participants into three groups. These groups were those who had a 15-minute sauna session four to seven times a week, those who used a sauna two to three times a week, and those who partook in a sauna session bath only once a week. Remarkably, the researchers revealed an exposure-response relationship between the number of weekly sauna uses and dementia risk. The more often a person uses a sauna each week, the less likely they would develop dementia. For instance, the participants who used a sauna four to seven times a week had a 66 percent lower risk of developing any form of dementia and they had a sixty-five percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to the participants who sat in just took a sauna bath once a week.
What Is Sauna Bathing?
It is quite fitting that a Finnish study was responsible for these amazing health findings since they are a nation of sauna users. Some even go as far as to say that there are more saunas per square inch than people in Finland, and that is for a very good reason.
Sauna bathing is mostly identified with Nordic countries and is probably how they are often stereotyped as people who like to sit in a hot wooden cabin to only jump into a freezing cold lake afterward. Uuuhhhmmmmm...well to each their own, right? Although some of us judge their actions, our friends in the north are really onto something; and this something is extremely healthy for the body as well as the mind.
Sauna bathing is a method of passive heat therapy that is used for relaxation and pleasure for the most part. Sauna bathers usually can only tolerate short intervals of five to twenty minutes inside a traditional sauna unit, and cool themselves off in a plunge pool or shower afterward. Many studies over the years have found that those who regularly used saunas suffered from significantly fewer deaths from heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
How Does A Sauna Make You More Healthy?
Now that the sauna trend has hit the United States (and it is about time it did) you have probably noticed consumers snatching up infrared saunas. There is a good reason why everybody is looking to buy a sauna to install in their homes and that is because they can keep you healthy.
Unbelievably, scientists still aren’t too sure how saunas can prevent heart disease, but they do have a theory that because saunas can reduce high blood pressure, which is one of this medical condition’s causes. Also, the heat that is emitted from the sauna causes an increase in heart rate and widens up the blood vessels in the skin. As a result of this, there is an increase in blood flow, which improves cardiovascular function and lowers the risk of heart disease.
Not only can sauna bathing protect the heart, but also the mind as well. The exact mechanisms and science that supports this protection are not really known. Nevertheless, there have been studies that have shown that cardiovascular health and brain health go hand in hand. On top of that, there is a sense of well-being and relaxation that is felt during a sauna session and that plays a huge role too.
Sauna Bathing Has The Same Effects As Exercising
Being active is one thing doctors have told people to do to avoid dementia. However, if you have an issue with exercising due to health or personal reasons, routine sauna sessions bathing can step in and help you out. Jumping into an infrared sauna for a good sweat session has shown to produce the same effects as exercise, which is recognized as a preventable way of developing several diseases.
There have been so many studies that prove that moderate to vigorous physical activity has the power to enhance mood, reduce anxiety, lower depression risk, and sharpen cognitive function throughout a human’s lifespan. As a matter of fact, researchers from the University of Bristol joined forces with scientists from Eastern Finland and revealed that people who incorporated exercise and sauna baths dramatically reduce their risk of dying from any disease compared to those individuals who just exercised or sauna bathed alone.
When a person breaks out into a sweat through aerobic exercise or infrared sauna bathing, they stimulate the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protein, which is found in the human body, acts as a type of “plant fertilizer” and sets off neurogenesis, which builds up gray matter brain volumes. Regular moderate to vigorous exercise can also improve the stability of white matter tracts in the brain. This helps to enhance the connectivity between brain regions from young adulthood into mature age.
If you are currently using a sauna at your health club or gym, why not invest in your own infrared sauna at home? You can beat the queues, save time as well as money, don’t have to commute, and can enjoy the sauna all to yourself - or just share it with family members and close friends. Starting your infrared sauna bathing routine today can help you prevent cardiovascular and memory issues in the future.
