Infrared Saunas’ Cardiovascular Health Benefits

The global threat of cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are responsible for 32% of global deaths each year according to the World Health Organisation. The most critical lifestyle risk factors for CVD are unhealthy diet, insufficient exercise, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. So what can you do to lower your risk of CVD? Regular infrared sauna use can help protect your heart.

Protecting your heart against cardiovascular diseases

Two recent studies showed that longer and more frequent sauna use had a greater impact on reducing the risk of CVD and associated death than less frequent and shorter sauna sessions.

One recent study conducted on Finnish men aged 42 to 60 years old, investigated the link between frequency and duration of sauna use and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). It showed that men who used a sauna 4-7 times a week had a 63% lower risk of SCD. And those who used a sauna for 19 minutes or longer had a 53% lower risk than those who did 11 minutes of less.

Another study found that the higher the frequency and duration of sauna use in men and women, the lower the incidence of CVD. While the exact reason sauna use helps lower your risk is still being studied. Here are some of the ways infrared saunas help protect your heart.

How do saunas help reduce CVD risk?

So how do saunas help protect your heart? By creating a range of positive cardiovascular benefits including:

* Reduced blood pressure

* Reduced oxidative stress 

* Reduced inflammation

* Activation of the autonomic nervous system 

* Improved lipid profile associated with CVD, and

* Reduction in arterial stiffness. 

All these benefits reduce the stress on your heart and cardiovascular system, reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease and stress. You can read more in this review of evidence by the Mayo Clinic.

An easier way to better health

Because the most critical behavioral risk factors for CVD are associated with lifestyle, infrared sauna use offers an easier and more accessible way to address these risk factors.

By simply sitting there in your infrared sauna, you can dramatically reduce your risk of CVD. For people who have difficulty exercising, sauna use offers an accessible way to increase your heart rate, reduce blood pressure and sweat out some toxins.

There are lots of health benefits associated with sauna use. While the benefits are clear to be seen, the underlying causes for them are still not well understood. And so, scientists continue studies to better understand the underlying mechanisms of sauna use benefits.

If you're interested in an infrared sauna cabin for home, click here to view our range of full-spectrum saunas, far-infrared saunas, and outdoor saunas.

Clearlight would like to remind users that this should not be taken as direct medical advice, and you should always consult a licensed health practitioner before making any significant changes to your lifestyle or existing pain treatment regimen.

Resources From Video:

* Sauna bathing is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and improves risk prediction in men and women: a prospective cohort study

* Far infrared therapy inhibits vascular endothelial inflammation via the induction of heme oxygenase-1

* Be Half the Age You Are by 2030

* Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events