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People who regularly use saunas in northern Sweden report better overall health, higher energy levels, and greater happiness than those who do not. They also tend to have lower rates of high blood pressure and experience less physical pain. These findings come from a new population-based study published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health, which compared people who sauna bathe regularly with those who do not.
Most earlier findings on sauna use and health have been based on Finnish populations, where sauna bathing is deeply embedded in the culture. While northern Sweden also has a strong tradition of sauna use, little was known about how sauna habits relate to health in this population. The researchers wanted to understand whether regular sauna use was associated with measurable differences in physical and mental health and whether these associations held true outside of Finland. To do this, the research team used data from the 2022 Northern Sweden MONICA study, a long-running health survey designed to monitor cardiovascular risk factors in the general population.
“I have done a lot of research on nursing in emergency and intensive care, but in recent years, I have developed a growing interest in health and nature,” said study author Åsa Engström, a professor at the Luleå University of Technology. “In connection with that, I have read about the benefits of sauna bathing, such as its positive effects on cardiovascular health. We then had the opportunity to include questions about sauna bathing habits in the Northern Sweden MONICA Study, which allowed us to compare various health parameters between those who used saunas and those who did not.”
In the spring of 2022, a random sample of 1,180 adults aged 25 to 74 from the northern counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten were invited to participate. Of these, 971 people (about 82 percent) answered questions about their sauna habits. Participants who reported sauna bathing at least once per month were categorized as “sauna bathers,” a group that made up 66 percent of the sample.
The survey collected a wide range of information, including demographic details, health status, lifestyle habits, and mental well-being. It also included specific questions about sauna use, such as how often participants used a sauna, how long they stayed in, the temperature of the sauna, and whether they bathed alone or with others. Other questions assessed participants’ levels of physical activity, smoking and drinking habits, sleep satisfaction, and experience of pain, anxiety, and depression. Participants also rated their general health, energy levels, and happiness on standard scales.
The results showed several significant differences between people who used saunas regularly and those who did not. Sauna bathers were generally younger, more often male, and more likely to be physically active. They also smoked less, although they tended to drink alcohol more frequently—typically two to three times per week. Despite this, they reported better overall health. Compared to non-sauna bathers, they had lower rates of diagnosed high blood pressure and reported experiencing less physical pain.
Mental health outcomes also differed between the two groups. Sauna bathers reported lower levels of anxiety and depression, and higher levels of energy and happiness. They also expressed greater satisfaction with their sleep patterns. Interestingly, these benefits were most noticeable among those who sauna bathed one to four times per month. Bathing more frequently than that did not lead to additional improvements in mental health or energy, and happiness scores were actually lower among those who used the sauna more than four times per month compared to moderate users.
The majority of sauna users in the study followed fairly typical sauna routines. Most stayed in the sauna for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, usually in one or two bouts per session. The temperature ranged between 60 and 80 degrees Celsius for most users, and electric saunas were the most common type. Most people bathed with others rather than alone, but relatively few combined sauna use with cold-water or ice swimming.
The study also found that the association between sauna use and better health was not strongly tied to socioeconomic status. Sauna bathers and non-sauna bathers did not differ significantly in terms of education or where they lived. This suggests that the benefits seen among sauna bathers may not be explained solely by financial resources or living conditions.
While these results are consistent with previous studies suggesting health benefits from sauna use, the researchers caution that the study has limitations. One key limitation is its cross-sectional design, which means the data were collected at a single point in time. This makes it impossible to say whether sauna use causes better health, or whether healthier people are simply more likely to use saunas. Long-term studies or clinical trials would be needed to determine whether sauna use directly leads to health improvements.
Another limitation is that the group of sauna users tended to be younger and included more men, which may have influenced the results. Age and gender can both affect health outcomes independently of sauna use. Although the researchers compared groups statistically, more detailed analysis adjusting for these factors would be needed in future studies.
“We have begun analyzing more of the parameters in the MONICA data,” Engström said. “Our aim is to better understand the health effects of sauna bathing and how factors such as the environment and social context influence the experience. We have now developed a new survey on sauna bathing to help answer our research questions, and so far we have received nearly 400 responses. I am also conducting interviews with people, not only about sauna bathing but also about cold baths and winter bathing.”
The study, “Sauna bathing in northern Sweden: results from the MONICA study 2022,” was authored by Åsa Engström, Hans Hägglund, Earric Lee, Maria Wennberg, Stefan Söderberg, and Maria Andersson.
