There are some people who really love to take a steam.

They exercise or swim, then strip down to sit in a hot room to sweat with their friends for a bit, swearing they feel like a new person once they step out again.

Is there any science to back up the supposed health benefits of saunas, though?

It turns out the answer is probably yes.

There were two studies (one in 2016 and one in 2020) that suggest a link between frequent sauna use and a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

The studies followed a good number of healthy individuals as they used saunas regularly, then checked on them later to see whether or not they were diagnosed with dementia.

Both studies concluded that frequent sauna use seemed to reduce risk, even when accounting for other risk factors as well.

The 2016 study found that sauna bathing four to seven times a week was associated with a 66% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s compared to those who only took a steam once a week. They posit that a reduction in blood pressure or the activation of protective heat shock proteins could be to blame.

It should be noted the studies were observational and not clinical, meaning that all of the subjects were self reporting.

The same group of researchers followed a group of Finnish males in an attempt to track the effects of sauna use on cardiovascular health. They wrote a separate paper, finding that the frequent use of saunas also resulted in a “considerable decreased risk” of sudden cardiac death. They were not able to provide a direct evidence link or to suggest how the risk reduction worked, however, and the researchers caution anyone with already low blood pressure from using saunas too often.

A more recent, but smaller, study suggested that sauna use could be beneficial for heart health when used in combination with regular exercise.

Another area that’s been linked to positive results from sauna use is mental health. According to the Global Sauna Survey, 83.5% of respondents who used saunas 5-15 times a month scored higher when reporting on their well-being.

Seeing that the reason most people use a sauna to relax and reduce stress in the first place could definitely play a role in those results.

Saunas do also have health risks, because overheating can pose issues for certain groups of people.

Dehydration is a risk, which results in headaches, low blood pressure, and fatigue.

Another is a negative effect on male fertility, as a small study found a reduced sperm count and motility in men who used a sauna twice a week.

If you want to take advantage of the potential benefits without falling victim to the risks, make sure to avoid alcohol and do short sessions of less than 20 minutes.

Take your time to cool down afterward and drink plenty of water.

And most importantly, have a good steam!

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