The study suggests that sauna bathing may be good for the mind as well as the body / Robert Kneschke/SHUTTERSTOCK
Saunas may do more than make you sweat; a new study from the University of Eastern Finland suggests that regular sauna bathing is good for the mind as well.
The effects of sauna bathing on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia were studied in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). The 20-year study followed more than 2,000 middle-aged men (aged 42 to 60 years) living in Finland.
Based on their sauna-bathing habits, the study participants were divided into three groups: those taking a sauna once a week, those taking a sauna 2-3 times a week, and those taking a sauna 4-7 times a week.
Strikingly, the more frequently saunas were taken, the lower the risk of dementia was. And lower by significant margins: among those taking a sauna 4-7 times a week, the risk of any form of dementia was 66 per cent lower, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease 65 per cent lower than among those taking a sauna just once a week. The study’s findings were published recently in the Age and Ageing journal.
The association between sauna bathing and dementia risk has not been previously investigated, but previous results from the KIHD study have shown that frequent sauna bathing also significantly reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death and the risk of death due to coronary artery disease and other cardiac events. That study also found a correlation between the number of saunas taken and a decreased risk of the health issues studied.
Rita Redberg, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and editor-in-chief of JAMA Internal Medicine, says: “Although we don’t know why the men who took saunas more frequently had greater longevity (whether it is the time spent in the hot room, the relaxation time, the leisure of a life that allows for more relaxation time or the camaraderie of the sauna), clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent.”
According to Professor Jari Laukkanen, the study’s leader, it’s possible sauna bathing may protect both the heart and memory to some extent via similar, but still poorly understood mechanisms. “However, it is known that cardiovascular health affects the brain as well,” Laukkanen says. “The sense of wellbeing and relaxation experienced during sauna bathing may also play a role.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 1
Interview: Jeremy McCarthy
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The study suggests that sauna bathing may be good for the mind as well as the body / Robert Kneschke/SHUTTERSTOCK
Saunas may do more than make you sweat; a new study from the University of Eastern Finland suggests that regular sauna bathing is good for the mind as well.
The effects of sauna bathing on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia were studied in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). The 20-year study followed more than 2,000 middle-aged men (aged 42 to 60 years) living in Finland.
Based on their sauna-bathing habits, the study participants were divided into three groups: those taking a sauna once a week, those taking a sauna 2-3 times a week, and those taking a sauna 4-7 times a week.
Strikingly, the more frequently saunas were taken, the lower the risk of dementia was. And lower by significant margins: among those taking a sauna 4-7 times a week, the risk of any form of dementia was 66 per cent lower, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease 65 per cent lower than among those taking a sauna just once a week. The study’s findings were published recently in the Age and Ageing journal.
The association between sauna bathing and dementia risk has not been previously investigated, but previous results from the KIHD study have shown that frequent sauna bathing also significantly reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death and the risk of death due to coronary artery disease and other cardiac events. That study also found a correlation between the number of saunas taken and a decreased risk of the health issues studied.
Rita Redberg, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and editor-in-chief of JAMA Internal Medicine, says: “Although we don’t know why the men who took saunas more frequently had greater longevity (whether it is the time spent in the hot room, the relaxation time, the leisure of a life that allows for more relaxation time or the camaraderie of the sauna), clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent.”
According to Professor Jari Laukkanen, the study’s leader, it’s possible sauna bathing may protect both the heart and memory to some extent via similar, but still poorly understood mechanisms. “However, it is known that cardiovascular health affects the brain as well,” Laukkanen says. “The sense of wellbeing and relaxation experienced during sauna bathing may also play a role.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 1
Interview: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental’s group director
of spa and wellness discusses mental
wellness, spas and technology
Promotional feature: Beautyworld Middle East
Set to take place May 14-16, 2017 in Dubai, Beautyworld Middle East is billed as “three days to rediscover wellness and shake up the industry.”
Promotional feature: ESPA
ESPA has been a leader in the field of therapeutic skincare and luxury spa design and management for 25 years. Founder Susan Harmsworth explains how the company’s recent brand evolution will make ESPA even more relevant to the future of wellness
Promotional feature: Riceforce
Rice Force is set to make further inroads into the spa market in 2017 with the
launch of its new aromatic oils and treatment protocol
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Oakworks’ new Masters’ Collection range, which will consist of over 15 models by the end of 2017, has been designed to offer spa operators the ultimate in modern styling, with solutions and functionality that address each spa’s practical needs
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
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