Sauna may give your heart a boost. That’s big news for chronic heart failure patients.
A new study has found that people with chronic heart failure who took five sauna baths a week for three weeks enjoyed improved heart function and a boost in their exercise endurance.
New research reveals a surprising new therapeutic benefit to relaxing in a sauna: getting hot and sweaty cannot only release “happiness molecules” like serotonin but also help your heart.
Last month the weekly British science magazine New Scientist reported on the research, which found that people with chronic heart failure who took five sauna baths a week for three weeks enjoyed improved heart function and a boost in their exercise endurance.
In the study, researcher Takashi Ohori and colleagues at the University of Toyama in Japan asked 41 volunteers with heart failure to take a 15-minute sauna fives time a week for three weeks. After the sauna treatment, participants were asked to wrap themselves in a blanket for 30 minutes to keep their body temperatures about 1.8° F higher than normal.
“Sauna treatment increased the heart’s ability to pump blood, and boosted the distance participants could walk in 6 minutes from 1100 feet to 1250 feet-an improvement of almost 9%,” wrote New Scientist. And, that’s in only 3 weeks.
The researchers also found improved function in the membrane lining the inside of the heart, which plays a role in controlling the diameter of blood vessels. The findings were published in The American Journal of Cardiology.
Separate research has found that a sauna treatment can trigger neurons in your body to release serotonin, resulting in a feel-good sensation thanks to the increase in body temperature.
THE GOOD SWEAT STARTS WITH A FINNLEO SAUNA FROM OLYMPIC HOT TUB COMPANY
RELATED POSTS
Sauna 2-3 Times a Week for Optimum Health Says Dr. Andrew Weil
Taking a Sauna Can Reduce Cold & Flu Symptoms AND Speed Your Recovery
Top 6 Reasons a Finnleo Sauna Will Improve Your Health, Appearance & Mood
