RESEARCH
Research overwhelmingly shows there are excellent benefits of infrared sauna for cardiovascular health and keeping a healthy heart healthy. There are more studies over a longer period than any other.
This post summarises some of the key research that makes a compelling case for using infrared sauna for heart health.
The Foundational Infrared Sauna Studies in Japan
Though infrared sauna is considered a fairly new modality as it has gained popularity in recent years, there is more than 30 years research on infrared and heart health, beginning with waon therapy in Japan. Waon therapy with infrared sauna is the accepted, standard therapy for heart disease in Japan because it is shown to improve the function of the cells that line the arteries and their blood flow.
Research overwhelmingly shows there are excellent benefits of infrared sauna for cardiovascular health and keeping a healthy heart healthy. There are more studies over a longer period than any other. This post summarises some of the key research that makes a compelling case for using infrared sauna for heart health.
Regular Sauna Use and Heart Health
Cell biologist and public health educator Dr. Rhonda Patrick has published a review of the benefits of general sauna use. A number of several studies have shown that frequent sauna bathing in general (4-7 times per week) is associated with:
- 50% lower risk for fatal heart disease
- 60% lower risk for sudden cardiac death
- 51% lower risk for stroke
- 46% lower risk for hypertension
Just a single sauna session has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve heart rate variability, and improve arterial compliance.
She explains some of the reasons sauna is so beneficial to the cardiovascular system and whole-body health include:
- Similar physiological changes that also occur during physical exercise
- 50-70% redistribution of blood flow away from the core to the skin to facilitate sweating
- Heart rate increases up to 150 beats per minute (like moderate-intensity physical exercise)
- Cardiac output (which is a measure of the amount of work the heart performs in response to the body’s need for oxygen) increases by 60-70%
- Immediately after sauna use, blood pressure and resting heart rate are lower than baseline, similar to physical activity
Get a passive cardio workout while you relax.
Infrared sauna sessions raise your heart rate and increase circulation.
This replicates a cardiovascular workout we term “passive cardio.”
In fact, blood flow during infrared sauna use may rise from a normal rate of 5 litres/minute to up to 12 litres/minute. Your heart is a muscle; working it makes it stronger. A stronger cardiovascular system helps capillaries deliver more oxygen to muscle cells. For people with injuries or conditions precluding them from cardio activity, our IR saunas can help serve as an alternative for needed cardio benefits.
Infrared saunas benefit blood pressure and circulation.
Our saunas have been clinically shown to provide one of the best, natural ways to help temporarily lower blood pressure.
Infrared heaters were shown to temporarily lower blood pressure through a program of 30-minute infrared sauna session 3 times per week. The study concluded that IR sauna sessions, as part of a healthy lifestyle, dilated blood vessels and reduced the volume of their inner lining, thus increasing circulation needed for healthy blood pressure.
