Health benefits of sauna:

The ‘renaissance’ of sauna in recent years has been reflected in, among other things, a growing interest in sauna culture and the rise of many public saunas in growth centers, as well as new research by the scientific community shed light on the wide-ranging health effects of sauna. A special recognition of this phenomenon is that the Finnish sauna tradition was inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage on 17 December 2020.

Health effects of sauna based on research results:

1.	Increased longevity: Sauna can have an up to 200-330% increase in the production of growth hormones. Growth hormones help maintain tissues and organs throughout life.
2.	Protection against dementia: While monitoring of men's sauna practices revealed that men who enjoy sauna four to seven times a week are 66 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those who use sauna once a week. The risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, on the other hand, is 65 percent lower.
3.	Reduces the risk of cerebral infarction: In a recent study, the risk of cerebral infarction was 14% lower for those who use sauna 2-3 times a week and 61% lower for those who use sauna 4-7 times a week compared to those who use sauna once a week.
4.	Lowers blood pressure: After half an hour of sauna, the subjects' mean systolic blood pressure, or hypertension, had dropped from 137 to 130. The negative pressure, on the other hand, dropped to 75 after being at 82. The overpressure was at a lower level half an hour after leaving the steam room.
5.	Fewer cardiovascular diseases: Those who take a sauna 4 to 7 times a week can reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by up to 63%. Some studies have shown that the symptoms of heart failure have improved.
6.	Relieves asthma symptoms: Warm air in the sauna relaxes the bronchial muscles and often helps with breathing problems in asthma patients.
7.	Improves the effects of exercise: A study of the reduction in cardiovascular disease found that the health effects of sauna are in part similar to those of light exercise. Visiting a sauna, for example, was found to increase heart rate in the same way as moderate-intensity exercise. The best benefits are obtained by combining sauna with an active lifestyle.
8.	Improves skin condition: Sauna does not dry out the skin, but on the contrary protects it by improving the barrier of skin penetration. In the sauna, blood circulation is directed to the skin due to thermal regulation, which causes the skin to sweat. Some skin conditions, such as psoriasis, have been found to be alleviated as a result of a sauna producing sweat drops on the skin surface.
9.	Relaxation: In the steam room, the mind becomes lighter and the feeling relaxes. Stress and depressive symptoms are also reduced, the production of endorphins by “pleasure hormones” is increased and the quality of sleep is improved.

Studies show that the best health effects of the sauna are achieved by enjoying sauna four to seven times a week for at least 20 minutes at a temperature of about 80 degrees Celcius. Hydration should also be taken care of during the sauna, as a person normally sweats about half a liter during the sauna.

Sources: 1 2 3 4

Health benefits of polar plunge in sea water:

1.	Improves resistance when immunity function is activated. Cold exposure activates your immune system by speeding up your metabolism and thus creating more white blood cells that are responsible for fighting disease.
2.	Improves stress tolerance and enhances muscle recovery. Cold exposure causes adrenaline and cortisol levels to rise. In one study, regular open-air swimming increased the amount of dopamine and endorphin in bathers' blood, which is associated with a reduction in depression and stress. Studies show that the cold speeds up muscle recovery by 15 to 20 percent.
3.	Your body burns fat more efficiently: When your body feels cold, brown fat activates and burns up to 15 times faster than regular fat. It keeps your body warm by burning calories. It can also increase energy and metabolism and help control your blood sugar, reducing your risk of obesity and diabetes.
4.	Increase fertility and increase testosterone levels: One study found that men who were forced to stop warm showers experienced an increase in sperm count of nearly 500% six months later. This is because the testicles need a cool environment, not warm hot baths. Researchers have also found that the heat from a warm shower can alter DNA, manipulating it to produce less testosterone.
5.	Relieves the symptoms of rheumatism and asthma when ACTH-hormone is released from the pituitary gland.
6.	Relieves inflammation of muscles and joints by increasing local blood circulation.
7.	Stimulates metabolism and strengthens blood circulation.
8.	Lowers basal blood pressure if you regularly visit cold water for more than 3 months.
9.	Produces pleasure when betaendorphin and other neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline are released from the brain. They all lift your spirits.
10.	Improves sleep when serotonin is released from the blood vessels and relaxes when cold exposure increases the amount of glutathione in your blood and reduces uric acid.

Regular and sufficiently frequent cold exposure is key to improving cold tolerance and potential health benefits. You can start cold exposure with cold showers by gradually increasing the duration and lowering the water temperature and gradually switching to cold water swimming and freestyle swimming and / or a combination of the above. You may also want to consider getting your own cold water pool for your home, especially during the cold months. For example, a 360-liter plastic waste container with a submersible pump to prevent freezing outdoors in winter is ideal for this purpose. To achieve therapeutic health benefits, a few minutes of cold exposure is sufficient and a maximum of 10-15 minutes. Even at water temperatures of 15 °C, you will experience significant health effects. These health benefits can be enjoyed on our cruises by swimming in the sea water off the coast of Helsinki before mid-June and after mid-September on average.

Sources: 1 2 3 4

Watch an enlightening video about the health benefits involved!