**Episode Title: EP409: 10 Good Things About Sauna**
**Dr Warrick Bishop:** Welcome, my name's Dr Warrick Bishop. I'm a cardiologist, an author, and a keynote speaker. I'm the CEO of the Healthy Heart Network. I'm all about trying to help people live as well as possible for as long as possible. Heart disease is huge in Australia. Every 20 minutes, someone suffers a heart attack. Most of these could probably have been avoided if only we knew what to do. This podcast is all about helping you understand blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol for better health. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be honoured for a five-star review. You can share it with your family and friends. It may well save someone you love.
Oh, g'day, and thank you for joining me. Look, just recently, Shell, my wife, and I went out and had a sauna experience on a boat on the Derwent River. It's called KUMA, K-U-U-M-A. If you're interested, K-U-U-M-A, I'm sure that means something, but I can't tell you what it is. What these individuals have done is set up a boat, like I guess a small houseboat, that has a sauna on it for eight people, a little bit of an area where you can get changed. They can drop the back of this houseboat, which is rectangular, and you can jump straight off the back into the cold waters of the Derwent River. We went just recently; it was a beautiful Friday night. It wasn't blowing a gale or horrible or anything like that, and we just had a wonderful experience.
Of course, I've had saunas before, and in fact, I had a sauna in my last house, which I sold and left the sauna in there. Now, I love saunas. So, I thought I might dip into what are the benefits beyond just a nice experience. It turns out that sauna is really very good for you. Now, I'm going to say sauna because that's what I grew up saying. But for the purists out there and for those of you who are from Northern Europe, please forgive me. I won't be saying sauna as you would like me to. I'm going to say sauna, but that's because, well, we're in Australia, and that's the way we pronounce stuff. I can respect that there's more than one way to pronounce the word. If I were in Northern Europe, I would, of course, be saying sauna so that people knew what I was talking about.
But back to the benefits of saunering. I've got 10 points I'm going to touch on, and it really makes a case for trying to engage and participate in saunering on a regular basis.
**Number one:** And this is great for a cardiologist—there are multiple studies, particularly from Finland, that show that regular sauna users have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke. Some of the rationale behind that is that the heat and your body's response to that heat literally mimics the effects of moderate exercise by increasing heart rate, circulation, and vascular response or vasomotor response. So, the arteries dilate and move.
**Number two:** Saunas can help lower blood pressure, and of course, that will feed back into number one because we do like our blood pressure running as low as possible for cardiovascular and arterial well-being. So, saunas lower blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic, in people with mild hypertension. The feeling is that it is related to improvement in the function of the cells that line the blood vessels that are responsible for blood pressure. So, there's some vasodilation, and the lining of the cells of the arteries, the endothelium, work a bit better. So, not only do you relax, but your arteries do as well with lower blood pressure.
**Number three:** Improved insulin sensitivity. I've spoken about this fairly recently in some other podcasts. Depending on how these podcasts have come out, it might be in some podcasts to come. Saunas seem to improve glucose metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity. This is really good. Insulin seems to be a driver of inflammation, and if we can improve glucose metabolism and improve insulin sensitivity, we can reduce insulin resistance, and that's a good thing. So, really positive—that was number three.
**Number four:** It seems that sauna use post-workout improves muscle soreness and recovery. We believe that's because of improved circulation. There's some speculation it may even increase levels of growth hormone, supporting tissue repair and lean muscle preservation. So, if you are an athlete, then finishing a strenuous session with the sauna may well have some benefits for you.
**Benefit number five:** This is boosted brain health. It turns out that regular sauna use has been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The mechanisms thought to be related are in response to inflammation, better blood flow, and the release of a thing called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a key player in brain repair and plasticity. So, a molecular messenger that the brain produces to actually look after itself.
**Number six:** Saunas induce heat shock proteins. Heat shock proteins are there to help repair damaged proteins and protect cells from stress, contributing to cellular resilience and longevity. So, heat shock proteins are acted on by saunas. They're induced, and those heat shock proteins are really good for cellular function and longevity. So, enjoy.
**Number seven:** Saunas, as you've probably figured from some of the previous points, can reduce chronic inflammation. They've actually measured high sensitivity CRP, which is an inflammatory marker, which I've spoken about at other times. Saunas reduce CRP levels in the blood, which is pretty good.
**Number eight:** Many people report better sleep quality after a sauna. This may be due to a drop in the core temperature after the session, which mimics the natural decline that helps trigger sleep. So, body temperature drops—a signal for us to sleep. Saunas can help the body facilitate that change. Wow, improved sleep! We know how important that is.
**Number nine:** We think that sweating may help with detoxification. Now, I've always found this a bit of a, I don't know, a little bit on the fringe, but there is some thought that the heavy sweating during sauna may help the body eliminate heavy metals and environmental toxins. How substantial is the data there? Not 100%, but I don't think it's a bad thing. And you can certainly add it to the list of 10 because we're now up to number 10.
**Number ten:** Really importantly, saunas are closely linked to improving stress reduction and therefore mental clarity. We all know if you're stressed, you don't think as clearly, so reducing stress has a profound impact on improving our mental clarity.
Well, have you rushed out and bought a sauna yet, or are you thinking about your local sauna provider so you can go and visit regularly? Just to let you know, if you're curious, where we have our Osteo Strong business in Hobart, we're seriously thinking about putting a well-being centre upstairs and may well include a sauna in that space, so check that out.
But how often should you be saunering if you get the chance? Well, the best starter comes if you add it four to seven times per week for about 15 to 20 minutes at a temperature of 70 to 90 degrees. That's pretty hot! In the sauna I used to have in my last house, I used to run it at about 60, maybe up to 65. I used to find that very hot. I used to do a 30-minute meditation in there; I used to love doing that. I used to come out really quite invigorated and feeling recharged and really well. But 20 minutes at 70-plus degrees sounds like a lot.
Do be careful if you've got low blood pressure because, obviously, as the blood vessels dilate in response to the heat, then when you get up and walk out of the sauna, your blood pressure may drop too much. So, always be careful. And if you are concerned or have got any heart-related issues or other medical conditions, it's probably really sensible to check with your doctor before you start doing stoic sauna sessions.
Regular sauna seems to help with heart health, blood pressure, glucose metabolism, brain function, muscle recovery, inflammation, sleep, and stress, and possibly even longevity. Although we think it's a nice adjunct to your quality of life, it's probably not a substitute for exercise, proper diet, and sensible medical care. But it is a really nice thing to do, and it really does seem to help with a whole bunch of bits and pieces.
So, if you're like me and really enjoy a sauna, know that there are up to 10 things that it could be helping you with from a health perspective, separate from enjoying the sauna with someone or in a special place or just enjoying the relaxation.
For now, I am going to say goodbye. I do wish you the best. Thank you so much for listening and tuning in. I appreciate it, and I really hope you find the stuff that I talk about informative and interesting. If you don't, please drop me a note at info@drwarwickbishop.online. I'd love to hear what you'd like me to talk about. I look forward to you listening to the next podcast. Till then, I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible. Take care and bye for now.
**Dr Warrick Bishop:** Hi. Ever wondered what your risk of heart attack is? You should. It's the single biggest killer in the western world. We're talking one death less than every 30 minutes in Australia, one death less than every 60 seconds in the United States, and nine million deaths globally per annum. Well, how do you check your risk? You can go to www.virtualheartcheck.com.au. You'll find out about your risk and what can be done beyond that to be even more precise.
