11 Science-Backed Health Benefits Of Sauna – BHP51

Disclaimer:  Sauna bathing may not be appropriate for you.  Please check with your doctor before beginning any sauna bathing program.I started my career in wellness and fitness as a personal trainer while I was still in university.  I had the opportunity to work at several different gyms while I was in school and one of them didn’t have saunas in the locker rooms.  It was a new gym with all new equipment and the footprint was enormous so it was not a capital issue or a space issue.  The owner told us that he didn’t put saunas in because there wasn’t enough research on benefits. I remember hearing our members complain about the lack of saunas and that some of them may go to a different gym because of this. I didn’t really get the whole sauna thing to be honest.  It seemed like a “lazy” way to burn calories instead of just hitting the treadmill or going for a bike ride.Fast forward to 5 or 6 years ago and I started hearing about cold thermogenesis and heat therapy from more and more wellness experts.  I did the cold shower and cold pool swimming thing off and on.  But never really stuck with it and the research on benefits was only ho hum in my opinion.  Heat was a bit scary to me though.  I had once over heated very badly playing golf on a super hot and humid Kansas day.  Before you laugh I was actually sprinting as fast as I could with a push cart around the entire course attempting to get a workout in and the temperature was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  The course was also extremely hilly so I was getting a pretty intense workout.  I made it to hole 16 and started to feel dizzy, high heart rate, and nausea.  Basically classic symptoms for heat stroke.  I had to quit golfing and the office sent a cart out to get me with a large ice water.  I remember struggling to drive home. I had a terrible headache and nausea for the rest of that day and it took most of the following day before I felt normal again.  Ever since this incident I have felt more susceptible to heat exhaustion. Riding around Hong Kong in the summer time has been tricky as it can get extremely hot and humid here.  Even early in the morning before the sun comes up it is like riding in an oven.  So when I initially heard some of the benefits of sauna, I just figured it wasn’t for me.But then I heard about some incredible longevity benefits of sauna from Dr. Rhonda Patrick and I was intrigued.  If you watched or listened to my show last week (Episode 50 on fasting) you know I am very interested in longevity and am doing everything I can to make the environment for my cells a happy and healthy one.  When I heard Dr. Patrick talk about heat shock proteins and aging I figured I had to at least give sauna bathing a try.  We are very fortunate to have a decent gym, pool, and saunas at our building here in Hong Kong.  I have been using it almost daily for the last few weeks and am totally addicted.  I will talk more about my routine and anecdotal findings at the end of the show.  After we review these 11 Science-Backed Health Benefits Of Sauna, I think you will understand why I am hooked.1. LongevityA 2015 study in JAMA Internal Medicine is one of the most exciting findings sauna bathing research.  They looked at over 2000 middle-aged Finnish men (42-60 years old) for an average period of 20 years and found that the more sauna sessions they did per week, the lower their risk was for sudden cardiac death, coronary heart disease,