Are Saunas Good for Your Brain?

By Dr. Mercola In the U.S., many Americans use a sauna only occasionally, perhaps while at the gym or on vacation — if at all. In Finland, in contrast, 99 percent of Finns take at least one sauna a week,1 and some far more often than that. Known as a "poor man's pharmacy," Finns value saunas for stress relief, above all else, but the simple act of sitting quietly in a heated room, with or without steam (or as it's known in Finland, löyly), offers proven health benefits that virtually everyone can enjoy, including a boost to brain health. Not surprisingly, much of the research on saunas' health benefits comes from Finland, a country with about 5.5 million people and 3.3 million saunas (they're as common as television sets).2 There, saunas are commonly found in private homes, offices and even factories, and regular use is an integral part of Finnish life. According to the Harvard Health Blog:3 "Saunas are accessible to Finns of every walk of life … [and] the very nature of the Finn
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