Let's talk sauna and mental wellbeing
Today is World Mental Health Day and here at the British Sauna Society we want to shine a light on the remarkable mental health benefits of sauna, and cold plunge that often comes hand in hand with a sweat in the sauna. Here’s a few highlights on how sauna has been found to be beneficial to mental health in scientific literature:
The Global Sauna Survey (Hussain 2019)¹
This study found that the key reasons for going to the sauna included relaxation and stress reduction, pain relief and socialising. Those who use the sauna 5-15 times a month reported greater general mental well-being than those who use it less frequently. Also, a whopping 83.5% of sauna users reported improved sleep after their sauna sessions and we all know that quality sleep is a cornerstone of good mental health.
A groundbreaking Finnish study in middle-aged men showed that going to the sauna 4-7 times a week reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by a remarkable 65% compared to going to the sauna only once a week (Laukkanen 2017)².
Following the same Finnish group of males as in the above study, researchers found that men who went to the sauna 4-7 times a week were less likely to develop psychosis compared to men who went to the sauna once a week (Laukkanen 2018)³.
Using a sauna once a day for four weeks has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression, including better appetite and reduced anxiety (Masuda 2005)⁴.
For those who love a cold plunge, it’s been shown that a cold water dip (of an average length of 18 minutes) can improve your mood immediately after getting out of the water (Kelly 2021)⁵.
Sauna has been added as a component to a long-term residential centre protocol for substance abuse treatment, not to test its efficiency in a rigorous way, but to test the grounds of its safety and how people responded to it. They found that it was well-tolerated and was associated with improved emotional symptoms and wellbeing (Lennox 2018)⁶.
Taking care of your mental health is a sign of strength, and we want to share with everyone how a sauna can be a great way to look after yourself!
Please remember that using the sauna isn’t without some risks and you should always speak to your doctor before heading in for a sweat or jumping into a cold plunge, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions
References
Hussain, J.N., Greaves, R.F. and Cohen, M.M. (2019). A hot topic for health: Results of the Global Sauna Survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 44, pp.223–234. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2019.03.012.
Laukkanen, T., Kunutsor, S., Kauhanen, J. and Laukkanen, J.A. (2017). Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in middle-aged Finnish men. Age and ageing, [online] 46(2), pp.245–249. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afw212.
Laukkanen, T., Laukkanen, Jari A. and Kunutsor, Setor K. (2018). Sauna Bathing and Risk of Psychotic Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study. Medical Principles and Practice, 27(6), pp.562–569. doi: https://doi.org/10.1159/000493392.
Masuda, A., Nakazato, M., Kihara, T., Minagoe, S. and Tei, C. (2005). Repeated Thermal Therapy Diminishes Appetite Loss and Subjective Complaints in Mildly Depressed Patients. Psychosomatic Medicine, [online] 67(4), pp.643–647. doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000171812.67767.8f.
Kelly, J.S. and Bird, E. (2021). Improved mood following a single immersion in cold water. Lifestyle Medicine, 3(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/lim2.53.
Lennox, R.D. and Cecchini-Sternquist, M. (2018). Safety and tolerability of sauna detoxification for the protracted withdrawal symptoms of substance abuse. Journal of International Medical Research, 46(11), pp.4480–4499. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060518779314.