The Finnish tradition of changing saunas with immersion in frozen waters or rolling in the snow is spreading all over the world. But what does science say about the alleged health benefits?
Sometimes I wonder why I do these things with my body. I had just run in winter in a frozen park in the Finnish city of Oule. The air temperature was -15 ° C. 170 km south of the Arctic Circle, this is probably the North North Park Race.
Less than an hour later, I entered a sauna – a wooden room with soft light, where the intense heat emanated from a huge wooden stove. The thermometer scored 85 ° C.
While sweating in spout, a visitors threw a water shell on the warm stove of the stove to make “Löyly” – a word of finish that describes a sudden burst of hot steam that crosses the air. The feeling is intense, almost a shock. The heat penetrated deep in the skin and muscles, dissolving any tension.
But it wasn’t enough for me. I left the sauna in the cold air, with the steam that climbed me from my body, and I went down a scale covered in ice to the waters of the Olu river, about 1 ° C. The pain was launching, as if millions of needles were waiting for my skin.
But I didn’t jump out. Instead, I told you slowly at 12. After a few seconds, the pain seemed to disappear – I was fine with that. Almost like a freezing hug. When I left the water, the air around me seemed almost hot.
For some, it may seem the morning routine of a crazy masochist. But this sequence of cold, hot and cold made me feel strangely alive. The sauna followed by a cold bath is known in sports medicine as a contrast therapy – and is surprisingly pleasant. When I do it, I feel a wave of energy that soon gives way to a sense of happiness.
It is something that I have always liked, like millions of other Finns who regularly participate in traditional sauna rituals. This is so important in the Scandinavian life that Sweden’s music at the Eurovision Festival this year – presented by the Kaj group, whose members are Finnish – is a hymn in the warmth of the sweat of the saunas. The song BAD BADA CastuSomething like “Sauna Take Bust”, was one of the favoring of the competition and led the stops before the event. He ended up fourth.
For those who are outside Finland, this alternation between cold and warmth may seem extreme, but it is a trend to health that has passed the Scandinavian borders and that has spread to other parts of the world.
So I decided to investigate the science behind the Finnish sauna and find out if it is really good.
“The Finns go to the sauna at least once a week and go from five to 30 minutes in an environment between 80 and 100 ° C,” says Heikki Junkkari, doctor and member of the Council of the Finnish sauna company, an organization that promotes the culture of the sauna in the country since 1937.
The saunas have existed for thousands of years and are part of Finnish life deeply. They combine generations and regions of the country and have even been recognized by UNESCO as an immaterial cultural heritage of humanity.
There are about 3.3 million saunas in a country with 5.5 million inhabitants, that is, almost everyone has access to one. It is common that visitors cools down to immerse yourself in cold lakes or rivers or take a cold shower. Many people alternate several times between heat and cold, according to Junkkari.
But this sudden change in temperature intensely affects blood circulation, explains Kunutor in the sector, cardiovascular epidemiologist of the University of Manitoba, Canada.
“In the sauna, body temperature gradually increases from 37 ° C to up to 39 ° C. The blood vessels extend, we begin to sweat and this reduces blood pressure,” he says. “The immersion in cold water makes the opposite: the ships contract and the pressure increases.”
Many medical studies have faced the possible benefits and risks of cold saunas and bathrooms, but Junkkari warns that many lack scientific rigor.
“Few studies are randomized clinical studies of good quality,” he says, referring to the method in which the participants are randomly divided into groups to test the effectiveness of an intervention.
There is evidence that the sauna can bring positive effects to the respiratory system, prevent dementia and benefit from the heart.
There are also medical relationships of people who have sick or even died while they are immersed in cold water immediately after leaving the sauna.
A 1998 study, for example, reported the case of a person in Japan who had a heart attack after entering cold water immediately after the sauna. However, the data suggest that these cases are extremely rare. Most involve people who consumed alcohol or had pre -existing medical conditions.
Some research indicates that short short sauna sessions can be associated with cardiac arrhythmias in people with cardiovascular diseases.
A case of study published this year also reported that a patient needed 12 days of hospitalization in Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, after suffering a sauna stroke, which caused a heart attack, convulsions and damage to the liver and kidneys.
On the other hand, there is evidence that the sauna can protect from sudden heart deaths.
Kunitor worked with the Finnish cardiologist Jari Laukkanen in some of the greatest studies ever conducted on the sauna and on the ice baths. The research, which is part of a long -term observational study, analyzed the data from men and elderly people of 2,682 in Eastern Finland for 20 years.
The results suggest the advantages of the use of solid health, the prevention of dementia and cardiovascular protection.
“Going to the sauna sometimes a week is associated with the lowest risk of hypertension, heart disease and sudden death,” says Kunutsor.
He and his colleagues believe that this can be linked to the impact of the sauna and the cold on the cardiovascular system, while the blood vessels expand and contract quickly. This can reduce arterial rigidity and help control risk factors such as inflammation and stress.
Those who combine with exercise can have even more cardiovascular benefits, according to Kunutsor. He and colleagues conducted a clinical experimentation in which a group of 47 people sauna and exercises three times a week for eight weeks, while another group has been exercised.
“We discovered that the group that also used the sauna had an average reduction of eight millimeters of mercury to blood pressure,” says Kunutsor. “It’s a very significant drop.”
There are also research that indicates benefits of the cerebral sauna.
In 2017, Kunutsor and colleagues published a study with over 2,300 men in 20 years. Those who attended the sauna two or three times a week had 20% less risk of developing Alzheimer’s and 22% less than risk of dementia than those that went only once a week. The effect has increased with the frequency: among those who used the sauna four to seven times a week, the risk reduction was 66% for dementia and 65% for Alzheimer’s.
“We found a strong inverse association between the frequency of sauna and risk of dementia and Alzheimer,” says Kunutsor.
The study, however, was not confronted with the people who have never used a sauna, so the results can reflect a healthier lifestyle than those who have time to go to the saunas. Like any observational study, it is not possible to conclude a relationship of cause and effect, only by identifying clues that justify more research.
However, Kunutsor and Laukkanen’s research also suggests that the use of frequent sauna can reduce the risk of mental disorders.
The Finnish skier Juha Reve, a figure known in the country, has reported psychological benefits of the use of the sauna. He attributes to practicing the emotional healing of his and his son after the sudden death of his wife.
“It was a huge shock. My son had just turned eight years old. I started to illuminate the sauna at 18 every day. It became a ritual that calmed us,” he remembers. “We have maintained this habit for many years. The sauna has played an essential role in bringing us peace and giving rhythm to our lives.”
A possible explanation is that people feel relaxed when they are sitting in a warm environment and aromas, which causes short -term hormonal changes. A randomized study discovered that regularly sauna sessions have contributed to reducing the intensity of chronic voltage headaches.
“In the sauna, even hormones that respond to the increase in physiological stress. Endorphin levels, which are natural pain relievers and body well-being, also increase the Huhtaniemi, endocrinologist of the imperial college London and co-author of a revision on the effects of hormone hormones.” Even the levels of growth hormone increase, although all these changes, hormonal tend to be in the short term. “
The associate professor of Psychology Martha Newson at the University of Greenwich, in the United Kingdom, is leading a study with the British Sauna Society to evaluate how the rituals of the sauna influence mental well -being.
“The sauna is a space in which our rules and conventions are temporarily suspended: we took our clothes, we sit together the close and endured extremes,” he says. “They are powerful ritual environments for the transformation of our identities”.
The therapist of the Laura Foon sauna states that the warm and calm environment promotes deep relaxation. “Today we constantly live in a warning state,” he says. “Immersing yourself in the comforting darkness of the sauna is profoundly curative.” For her, the feeling is like returning to the uterus.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
