Dry steam baths are good for mental health.
- Psychoses are serious mental disorders characterized by disturbances in thinking, perception, and behavior.
- People with these conditions often experience hallucinations and delusions.
- A new study shows that taking saunas several times a week reduces the risk of psychosis.
A study reveals that frequent sauna use protects against psychosis.
“Mental disorders such as psychosis represent a major burden on public health, hence the need to explore modifiable factors that can be manipulated to mitigate this risk,” said study author Setor Kunutsor, also a professor at the University of Leicester.
Sauna and psychosis: a study conducted in Finland
His team analyzed data from the cohort “Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease (KIHD)”, a study based on the Finnish population (very fond of saunas, editor’s note). The cohort included 2,682 men between 42 and 61 years old at the time of recruitment.
To determine sauna frequency, participants completed questionnaires about their weekly use. Based on their responses, they were divided into two groups: those who used the sauna two or less times per week (low frequency) and those who used it three to seven times per week (high frequency).
The cohort’s cardiorespiratory fitness, which measures the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to muscles during sustained physical activity, was assessed during an exercise tolerance test.
The researchers followed the participants for 25 years, regularly monitoring the incidence of possible psychotic disorders using a national registry listing all hospital discharges.
Psychosis: sauna has more impact than physical activity
At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that men who frequently used saunas and were physically fit had the lowest risk of psychosis.
Men who used the sauna a lot but were not in good physical condition also benefited from a significant reduction in the risk of psychosis (-74%).
The research director was surprised that the sauna had such an impact on mental health. “Given the considerable and well-known benefits of regular physical activity and good physical fitness, we expected this factor to have more influence on the risk of psychosis,” he concludes.
What is psychosis?
Psychoses are serious mental disorders characterized by disturbances in thinking, perception, and behavior. People with these conditions often experience hallucinations and delusions.
These symptoms can cause significant distress and interfere with daily functioning, affecting the ability to maintain relationships, work, or perform everyday activities.