Sauna reduces mortality risk

This large Finnish study found that men who used a sauna 4–7 times per week had a 40% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 50% lower risk of dying from heart disease compared to men who used a sauna only once per week.

• Association ≠ causation: the study watches habits and outcomes; it does not randomly assign people to sauna use, so other lifestyle factors could explain the results
• Men only: all 2,315 participants were middle-aged Finnish men — findings may not apply to women or non-Finnish populations
• Finnish sauna only: results are specific to hot dry Finnish saunas (~79°C); steam rooms and hot tubs are not equivalent
• One-time snapshot: sauna habits were measured only at the start of the study and assumed to stay the same over 20+ years, which may not be accurate