10 Benefits of Using a Sauna Everyday

Discover the benefits of using a sauna consistently. Even if you don't use it daily, a sauna can assist with weight loss, muscle recovery, improve longevity, and much more. Less than just 30 days of sauna use can provide all of these benefits, and your cardiovascular system can start benefiting after just one sauna session.

Using a sauna can benefit your muscles, it can help improve blood flow, and even though it may be uncomfortable sitting in a sauna provides a ton of health benefits for your body. And many of these benefits carry over to your workouts and can even help improve your body composition. 
For example, one thing that you'll experience if you use the sauna consistently is faster recovery from your workouts and there are a number of reasons for this. One of them I already mentioned, saunas improve blood flow, and this helps deliver nutrients to the cells and tissues that need those nutrients to recover. The way that saunas improve blood flow is by heating the body. The heat relaxes and dilates blood vessels, making it easier for your cardiovascular system to pump blood throughout the entire body. Studies also show that regular sauna use improves endothelial function which is the function of the thin inner layer membrane that lines your heart and blood vessels. Now on top of all of that, studies show that sauna use increases IGF-1, which is a vital hormone for growth and recovery. One of these studies found a 142 percent increase in this IGF-1 hormone during sauna use. (1) Now it's still debatable how much of an increase in IGF-1 would be required to speed up recovery, but between the improved blood flow and boost to IGF-1 it's no wonder why people claim to recover faster after using a sauna. 

Another big benefit from the sauna can be felt in your mood. If you suffer from depression or just want to improve your mood, the sauna might actually be able to help. That’s because sauna use increases beta-endorphins in the blood which produces feelings of euphoria. (2) In fact, whole-body heat therapy has been shown to improve symptoms of depression in cancer patients through this same process. (3) Also we have a randomized, double-blind study on depression, that shows that a single session of elevating your core body temperature to 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit or about 38.5 degrees Celcius led to an acute antidepressant effect that lasted for six weeks. (4) That's obviously a really powerful effect on your mind and it can be noticed right away especially if you use a sauna consistently. 

Now in addition to muscle recovery, I kind of eluded earlier to the fact that a sauna can relieve pain as well. It does this by increasing the release of anti-inflammatory hormones like adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol, and IGF-1. For example, one study found that combining sauna use with other therapeutics assisted in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. (5) And another study found sauna therapy reduced pain from fibromyalgia. (6) In regard to working out and delayed onset muscle soreness, even though there's a lot of anecdotal evidence that heat therapy helps reduce post-workout soreness, we don't have enough solid evidence to say conclusively that it does. But it most likely saunas do reduce muscle soreness thanks to the improved blood flow and the release of endorphins, which are opiate-like chemicals that act like natural pain killers. (7) 

Next, let's go back to another cognitive benefit which is the fact that it can help improve your mental performance. You see the stress from heat increases the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, also known as BDNF, which is a crucial protein for cognitive health. (8) BDNF helps regulate synaptic plasticity, which essentially helps neurons communicate and that assists with learning and memory formation. Research also shows that BDNF is involved in muscle repair and it's even involved in the growth and development of new muscle tissue. (9) On top of that it can help combat the cognitive decline associated with aging. In a study on men from Finland, researchers found that those who used the sauna four to seven times per week had a 65 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to those who used the sauna only once per week. (10) In addition to this study, there's another one where men were instructed to stay in a sauna that was heated to 176 degrees Fahrenheit or 80 degrees Celcius until they felt totally exhausted and felt like they had to leave to take a break from the heat. And the results showed that there was a 310 percent increase in norepinephrine and a ten-fold increase in prolactin. (11) These things benefit your cognitive health because norepinephrine enhances focus and attention while prolactin promotes myelin growth, which makes the brain function faster. Similar results were found in women. Those who completed...

[GravityTransformation]

References

1. Research found a 142% increase in IGF-1 during sauna use.

2. If you suffer from depression or just want to improve your mood, the sauna might be able to help. One reason is that sauna use increases beta-endorphins in the blood and produces feelings of euphoria.

3. Whole-body heat therapy has also been shown to improve symptoms of depression in cancer patients through this same mechanism.

4. In a randomized, double-blind study on depression, a single session of elevating core body temperature to 101.3°F caused an acute antidepressant effect that lasted for six weeks after the treatment.

5. Research shows that using a sauna in combination with other therapies aided the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

6. Another study found that sauna therapy reduced the pain from fibromyalgia.

7. There is little evidence on if the sauna reduces soreness from workouts. But, if it does help reduce soreness, as many people claim, it is likely because saunas cause the release of endorphins, which are opiate-like chemicals that act as natural pain killers.

8. Heat stress increases the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, also known as BDNF, which is a protein that is crucial for cognitive health.

9. Research shows that BDNF is also involved in muscle repair and the growth of new muscle tissue.

10. A study of middle-aged Finnish men found that those who used the sauna four to seven times per week had a 65% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to those who used the sauna only once per week.

11. Men were instructed to stay in a sauna that was heated to 176 degrees Fahrenheit or 80 degrees Celcius until they felt totally exhausted and felt like they had to leave to take a break from the heat. And the results showed that there was a 310 percent increase in norepinephrine and a ten-fold increase in prolactin

12. “Heat stress significantly increased prolactin and norepinephrine secretion; the percentage increases from the initial plasma concentrations varied from 113 to 1280% (mean 510%) and from 18 to 150% (mean 86%), ”

13. Research shows that sauna use can reduce levels of cortisol, which is the primary stress hormone in the body.

14. That’s beneficial because research indicates that reduced levels of BDNF might play a role in depression and anxiety

15. “The present data suggest a protective effect of regular sauna on skin physiology, especially surface pH and stratum corneum water-holding capacity.”

16. According to animal studies, heat shock proteins might reduce fat mass.

17. A 2015 study involving Finnish men between 42 and 60 years of age looked at the link between sauna use and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events.

18. "Further studies are warranted to establish the potential mechanism that links sauna bathing and cardiovascular health."  

19. "via improved endothelium-dependent dilatation, reduced arterial stiffness, modulation of the autonomic nervous system, beneficial changes in circulating lipid profiles, and lowering of systemic blood pressure"

20. “The higher frequency of sauna bathing was related to a considerable decreased risk . . . of all-cause mortality events independently from conventional risk factors.”

21. Flies that are repeatedly exposed to head stress experience much higher levels of heat shock proteins and a significant increase in lifespan.

[SchuyFit]

Faster recovery from your workouts (0:22)
Improving mood (1:22)
Can relieve pain (2:10)
Can help improve mental performance (2:53)
Stress levels will go down (4:21)
Can improve skin health (5:13)
More weight loss (6:14)
Can benefit heart (8:04)
Can help you live longer (9:08)
Can help benefit athletic performance (10:14)

I wish you all massive fitness & health success!

[altyndom]

As an HVAC tech I enjoy free saunas frequently up in the attic where humidity reaches 99% with a temperature ranges from 136 to 170.

[markymark]

I think one of the under-appreciated benefits of the sauna/steam room is just the mood improvement and stress relief of having some real downtime, having a good sweat while sitting and completely relaxing for 15 minutes. Something people don't do enough of in their busy lives.

[PokeGeordie]

The mood thing is absolutely true!Just went in the sauna for the first time since the pandemic started, I used to be a regular user of the sauna and after that first session in absolutely ages I felt my mood lift immediately, almost like a weight being lifted off of my shoulders.

[joshp.]

The mood benefit is true! I went in the sauna for the first time today not knowing what to expect at all. After a stressful week, I walked out 15 mins later feeling a lot less anxious.

[Rapha]

I’m happy you’re showing all the benefits of using a sauna. Alot of influencers are only focussing on the cold. Cold showers, ice baths etc. But sauna’s are almost having the same benefits too, maybe even better. I love it

[krisfox]

As Australia's leading expert on sauna therapy and training, the idea of three to four sessions a week is spot on perfect. The information in this clip is 100% accurate and translated beautifully for everyone to understand. In my perfect world I would build enough saunas for everyone on earth to use and benefit from.

[JaBaBatEverythingForYou]

It helped me a lot with my mood, anxiety, depression, and stress... I think what it does, is it reminds your safe place or safe space, and probably it is a reminder of our mom's safe womb.

[johnkoestler]

Everytime after I done weight lifting, I sit in sauna until I can't bear, get out and rest for a while, then take a prolonged cold shower. The next day I don't feel muscle pain at all, no matter how hard I trained the previous day.

[juanluevanos]

I been having a lot of stress & be getting depressed at times & when I go to the gym & hit the sauna right after makes my mood soo much better it really relieves stress!!

[socalsaunalifestyle]

OUTSTANDING Video! Traditional Sauna use 174*F or higher, 4-7 days a week and 20-30 minutes each session is where life begins! I rarely share sauna videos, but I'll share the heck out of this one! Well done!

[alexanderfelix]

I really love these videos it helps out on my weight lost. Before the gym I weighed 245 and 3 months in I weigh 227.4lb

[okoyen.bilikha]

1. Helps recover from workouts
2. Helps boost your mood
3. Helps with muscle recovery and reduce pain from muscle soreness
4. Helps improve your muscle performance
5. Helps combat cognitive decline associated with aging
6. Helps reduce stress by reducing cortisol
7. Improve health and appearance of skin
8. Depletes your zinc levels so take in supplement zinc if using regularly
9. Helps reduce water weight
10. Helps elevate levels of heat shock proteins which helps with weight loss
11. Boost heart functions and lower blood pressure
12. Increase longevity
13. Helps benefit your athletic performance

[meghrajpatil]

sir I have been watching your videos for years and I have seen massive gains in my body thanks gravity

[AlexLinelene]

I absolutely agree on everything. My only issue with using Sauna was that my hair gets super dry and I feel that my hair started thinning after I started using it about 3 years ago. Luckily at my local gym, one of the ladies mentioned about using a Sauna cap. I have been using one since and I never felt the kind of dryness I felt before. Make sure the cap you buy covers the hair and scalp completely, so the sweat in a way is conditioning the hair. It feels unreal how well the hair feels after a sauna session. I am sure there are bunch of companies offering the caps, I bought one from saunacaps. Hope this is helpful. Happy Sauna!

[truthseeker]

I have a sauna built into my home and I hardly use it. After this video, I'm definitely gonna use it more often.

[miracleman]

I’m in my first week of sauna use. I had a stroke 4 years ago and it’s hard for me to recover from hard workouts. I usually skip 2-3 days to feel recovered.
This week I have felt like I could lift every day.
I’m doing 30 minutes per night in the sauna.

[hypfluxx]

I use suna pretty much everyday after a workout and I’ve been winding why I feel like new man all these benefits are true tbh I can vouch never ache after a heavy workout and never get stressed all in all it’s very good for you

[reyesmalexander]

Wow, thanks Maxx!! I thought maybe this video topic might not apply to me, but it was super helpful/informative. I’ll let my dad know about this, since he has cancer. I also take any type of weight loss advice. 😅Thank you!! 🙏 ❤️