Sauna users are happier and sleep better, says Swedish study

People who use saunas are happier and have more energy. This is according to a new study, the first of its kind to examine sauna habits in Sweden. The researchers are now planning more studies to see if it is only saunas that produce the positive results.

Saunas appear to have positive effects on both physical and mental health. This is the result of a new study based on questionnaire responses and health surveys from participants in Norrbotten and Västerbotten. The research is published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health.

“It shows that sauna users are happier, sleep better, have more energy and rate their mental and physical health better than the group that does not use saunas,” explains Hans Hägglund, who initiated the study and is one of the authors.

The study is part of a population survey known as the MONICA study, which regularly examines the health of a randomly selected sample of individuals in northern Sweden. When the survey was conducted in 2022, participants were also asked a number of questions about sauna habits.

Out of a total of 1,180 people aged 25–74, 971 people responded to the questions on sauna habits, and of these, 66% answered that they took a sauna at least once a month. This group was then compared to those who did not use saunas.

However, the two groups were not fully comparable, which means that the results must be interpreted with some caution, adds Hägglund.

“The group of sauna users was slightly younger, slightly more male, more working or employed, slightly more physically active and less likely to smoke. In contrast, more people in this group drank alcohol.”

Regular saunas not necessary

Not surprisingly, most sauna studies originate in Finland. They have concluded that you need to use a sauna between 4–7 times a week to gain the positive health effects. In this study we can see a different pattern.

“The most optimal seems to be to take a sauna one to four times a month; they seem to be the happiest. Using saunas more often than this, for example 2–7 times a week, does not further improve mental or physical health or energy levels.”

Paves way for more studies

The researchers are now planning more studies on the same data, for example, to see if statistical methods can be used to find out whether using saunas is really responsible for the positive effects observed.

“We will conduct more statistical analyses on this large dataset. We also want to explore whether studies can be done in a more controlled way in the lab. What makes us sleep better, for example? We want to try to understand the root causes of these positive relationships that we see in the study.”

The sauna study is based on questionnaire responses from the MONICA study (Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease). This is a population survey that looks at risk factors and trends in cardiovascular disease. The study started in 1985 in Norrbotten and Västerbotten. The reason for targeting northern Sweden was that mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke were higher there than in other parts of the country.

The MONICA study is conducted every five years. In total, around 12,000 randomly selected people have participated in the surveys. The most recent study was conducted in 2022 and included 8 questions about participants’ sauna habits.

The study on sauna use, “Sauna bathing in northern Sweden: results from the MONICA study 2022,” is a collaboration between Uppsala University, Karlstad University, Luleå University of Technology and Umeå University.