Can sauna bathing be of help tackling COVID-19?

An Italian Magazine “Le Infezioni in Medicina” published A letter to the Editor in March 2021 from the following researchers: Setor K. Kunutsor, Carl J. Lavie, Jari A. Laukkanen.

Down below you will find a quick walk-through of the authors’ findings:

The letter was driven by the fact that their research group had been overwhelmed with numerous enquiries on whether the heat exposure from saunas could be effective in combating COVID-19.

Evidence suggests that high temperatures can reduce the transmission of influenza and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) viruses, as well as COVID-19 virus. The coronaviruses can remain active in cool dry conditions, but are destroyed by temperatures tolerable to humans; it has been shown that temperatures ranging from 60 to 80°C for 30 to 1 min duration, respectively, could inactivate the coronaviruses.

So, what is the link between Finnish saunas and COVID-19 prevention?

During a sauna session, there is an increase in body temperature, which causes more efficient skin blood flow; the skin temperature increases to 40- 42°C after about 10 minutes in the sauna and the core body temperature ranges between 37-38°C.

Considering the evidence, the body temperatures reached during a sauna session are not high enough to kill or inactivate the virus. However, sauna sessions may play a potential role in reducing the risk of severe COVID-19 for the following plausible reasons:

The evidence in the research by chin and colleagues on the stability of SARS-COV-2 at various temperatures convincingly shows that the virus is very sensitive to heat and its infectivity is reduced at higher temperatures. The study shows that the virus was inactivated on day two at a temperature of 37 with inactivation reduced to 30 mins at 56.

The findings of Liu and colleagues suggest that warmer weather might reduce the transmission of COVID-19. These observations are consistent with reports suggesting that the ability of the SARS and influenza viruses to spread are reduced with increasing temperatures.

The overall evidence suggests that frequent Finnish sauna sessions may have the potential to prevent severe COVID-19 if not prevent the disease itself.

Furthermore, regular sauna bathing has traditionally been used as a method of “hardening” which means enhancing the body’s resistance. Frequent sauna sessions have been shown to boost the immune system and reduce the risk of infections, such as common colds and pneumonia.

These findings conclude that although the body temperature does not get high enough to kill the virus during one average session, regular sauna bathing will likely slow it down and give your body an upper hand.

Communal saunas might not be the best idea during times of social distancing, but should you not already have a built-in sauna at home, there are numerous plug&play options available to meet your expectations. Adapting your lifestyle by squeezing a couple 10-20 minute hot sessions into your weekly routine will definitely improve your immunity and prevent the risk of infections!

As an Estonian company, Haljas Houses is truly proud of our local sauna culture. We are also very happy that the popularity of saunas is widely growing throughout the world as the science behind this ancient tradition is really stretching it’s arms. The truth is that estonians need no convincing of the benefits - for us, it is not necessarily an all health-related experience. Sauna for Estonians is also a place for thinking and connecting.

Read the full article here (reading time 10min).