evidence for infrared sauna for optimal mental health

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People who used the sauna 2-3x per week had a 12% reduction in stroke risk & people who used the sauna 4-7x per week reduced their stroke risk by 62% 

For all-cause mortality, sauna bathing 2 to 3 times per week was associated with a 24 percent lower risk and 4 to 7 times per week with a 40 percent reduction in risk compared to only one sauna session per week 

Sauna use causes the brain’s activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which leads to a release of norepinephrine (aids the ability to focus) and prolactin (allows for faster brain function) while diminishing the amount of cortisol. 

 Heat stress has been shown to increase the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) more than exercise alone when used in conjunction with exercise. This is important because BDNF increases the growth of new brain cells as well as the survival of existing neurons. An increase in neurogenesis is thought to be responsible for enhancing learning. BDNF’s role in the brain is also to modulate neuronal plasticity and long-term memory, while also having been shown to ameliorate anxiety and depression from early-life stressful events. 

 People who use saunas an average of four to seven times per week were 66 percent less likely to develop dementia and 65 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. In comparison, men who used saunas only once a week were 22 percent less likely to develop dementia and 20 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men who didn’t use saunas at all.  

 Hyperthermic conditioning is known to increase muscle hypertrophy by increasing net protein synthesis through three important mechanisms:

• Induction of heat shock proteins.
• Robust induction of growth hormone.
• Improved insulin sensitivity.

 beta endorphin levels can be a contributing factor in improving mental health and these are significantly increased during sauna use