Approximately 2,500 people aged 42 to 60 have been observed for about 20 years. Those who went to the sauna twice or three times a week had a 22% lower risk of being cardiac and 63% if they were four or seven times a week. In terms of heart failure, the risk decreased by 23% and 48%, respectively. And duration plays an important role, the degree of protection being proportional to the time spent in the sauna (under 10 minutes sitting, between 10 and 20 minutes and more).
Increasing heart rate may be equivalent to that recorded during a moderate physical activity, and this activity of the heart would help to understand the benefits of the sauna.
The authors of the study also consider another path that does not exclude the first: frequent saunas would act as an important means of relaxation, contributing to better stress management, which can only be beneficial to heart health.
Specialists also remind that because of the acceleration of the heart rate it causes, sauna needs to be approached cautiously by people with cardiovascular disorders. It is not forbidden if the problem is stabilized and controlled, but the doctor’s opinion is required.
