Sauna - Is there any scientific proof that having a sauna is good for you?

Is there any scientific proof that having a sauna is good for you?

Whenever I have carried out a search on the internet the only websites which discuss the health benefits of saunas are those which are either selling saunas or the websites of sauna associations! One could say that they have a vested interest in telling us that saunas are beneficial! But is there any medical proof?

Public Comments

I don't know that anyone's ever researched it, but Native Americans used to do something similar - maybe there's some research or anecdotal evidence about that.
Hi, good question. I will first of all point out that I am very science based. I've just had a quick look on Cochrane and I can't find any recent studies, but there are some studies in existence that do support health benefits of saunas (non of which are by Cochrane as far as I can tell). In particular for treatments such as chronic pain. However the effect of pain and pain relief is always difficult to measure and pain is always a subjective experience- unique to each individual. The claims that saunas will rid your body of metals and other toxins is very unsupported by research and medical evidence. Sauna's can actually be harmful to people with certain medical conditions such as heart disease, in particular angina and people with previous cardiovascular event history. The sCAM brigade claim that sauna's are beneficial to those suffering from asthma- I disagree, there is documented evidence to show steam can actually induce bronchospasm. It really depends what you are hoping to achieve I suppose. I personally think it's a waste of time and money