Sometimes patients ask me what pleasurable activities are conducive to heart health, so I was very interested to learn about a Finnish study that touts the benefits of saunas.

Researchers randomly selected 2,315 men from Kuopio, Finland (ages 42 to 60), who used sauna facilities at least once per week, a cultural tradition in that country.

About 1,500 men reported using a sauna two or three times per week, while 600 said they used the sauna once per week, and 200 visited the sauna four to seven days of the week. Only 12 men reported not using a sauna at all.

Over the two-decade long study, 190 men died of sudden cardiac death, 281 died of coronary artery disease, 407 died from cardiovascular disease, and 929 died from other causes.

The researchers found that the more often the men went to the sauna, and the longer they stayed in it, the lower their risk of dying from these cardiovascular diseases.

Women were not included in the study, and only saunas were studied, not steam rooms or hot tubs.

People who are dehydrated and have high blood pressure should not use saunas. This study shows that we might do well to make saunas a part of our culture too.