Clambering into a hot sauna might be the last thing you want to do during a heatwave.
But researchers say that ‘heat training’ in these roasting hot Scandinavian baths could be critical in helping us adjust to the scorching summer temperatures.
According to Professor Jari Laukkanen, a cardiologist at the University of Eastern Finland, spending time in saunas can help your body to get better at coping with heat.
And as extreme summer heatwaves become more common thanks to climate change, those adaptations could prove vital.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Professor Laukkanen said: ‘Repeated heat exposure can induce heat acclimation.
As the body gradually becomes better at coping with heat, you may tolerate it better.’
His suggestion comes as the UK battles with one of the hottest summers on record, with temperatures having exceeded 30°C on 31 days so far this year.
With parts of the UK having already faced four heatwaves this year, the UK Health Security Agency has once again issued amber and yellow heat health warnings for much of England.
Clambering into a hot sauna might be the last thing you want to do during a heatwave. But researchers say that ‘heat training’ in these roasting hot Scandinavian baths could be critical in helping us adjust to the scorching summer temperatures (stock image)
Research has shown that using a sauna can help your body adapt to the heat through various means, including increasing the volume of blood plasma (illustrated)
Sauna bathing has exploded in popularity in the UK over the last few years, with dedicated enthusiasts making weekly or even daily trips to one of the 844 saunas across the country.
Besides being the latest trendy pastime, a growing body of research suggests that putting yourself through these extremes has a wide range of health benefits.
Now, researchers say that one of these benefits could be an improved resistance to extreme heat.
In a traditional sauna, bathers will sit in temperatures between 70°C and 100°C (160–210°F) for 10 to 15 minutes before quickly cooling off in ice–cold water.
Professor Laukkanen, who has undertaken research into the health benefits of saunas, says that this process can improve the body’s ‘thermoregulatory responses’.
He says: ‘Adaptations can include earlier and more effective sweating, improved skin blood flow, expansion of plasma volume, and reduced cardiovascular strain during subsequent heat exposure.
‘Together, these changes may help people tolerate hot environments more efficiently.’
Research also suggests that spending time in the sauna might improve how people behave in the heat.
This comes as the UK faces one of the hottest and driest summers on record, with temperatures reaching over 30°C on 31 days this year so far. Pictured: Grass in Blackheath, south–east London, has turned entirely brown
After roasting in the sauna, people become better at listening to their bodies for the signs of heat exhaustion and remember to hydrate properly.
According to Professor Laukkanen, heat training is best done in a slow and steady process over a longer period of time.
Heat training typically takes about 40 to 60 minutes of heat exposure each day for four to six days, with benefits that last for around a week.
However, longer–term benefits are possible with longer periods of heat training.
‘The available evidence suggests that adaptation develops through repeated, moderate heat exposure rather than a single sauna session,’ Professor Laukkanen says.
‘Shorter sauna sessions followed by cooling and rehydration are likely to be the most sensible approach.’
However, the evidence is a lot less clear on whether sauna can help you manage the heat once a heatwave has already started.
Professor Laukkanen points out that people in Finland continue to sauna bathe all through the summer months but warns that beginners will need to exercise caution.
There is no medical guidance on using a sauna during the heatwave, and it is important to bear in mind that heat adaptation is not the same as protection from heat.
Professor Laukkanen says: ‘I think sauna should be viewed as one possible way of training the body’s heat–regulation systems, rather than as a “treatment” or therapy for heatwaves themselves.
‘Sauna should never replace standard public health advice, such as staying well hydrated, avoiding prolonged exposure during the hottest part of the day, seeking shade or cooler environments when needed, and paying particular attention to vulnerable people.’
‘People with acute illness, fever, unstable cardiovascular disease, severe dehydration, or those who feel unwell should avoid sauna until they have recovered.’
