Sauna baths are well tolerated and pose no circulatory risk to healthy individuals or stable cardiovascular patients, increasing cardiac workload only as much as a brisk walk.
Do sauna baths pose a circulatory risk to healthy individuals and stable cardiovascular patients?
Normal sauna baths are safe and well-tolerated for both healthy individuals and stable patients with cardiovascular disease.
In summary, sauna baths are well tolerated and pose no risk to healthy people from infancy to old age, including healthy women in their uncomplicated pregnancy. The normal sauna bath, with moderate cool-off phases, increases the cardiac work load about as much as a brisk walk. It has been well established that the sauna bath, no matter what the cool-off type, does not pose any circulatory risk to healthy people. Cardiovascular patients with essential hypertension, coronary heart disease or past myocardial infarction, who are stable and relatively asymptomatic in their everyday life may also take sauna baths without undue risk. As a rule of thumb, if a person can walk into a sauna, he or she can walk out of it. Misuse and abuse of the sauna are another matter.
K Kauppinen (Sat,) conducted a review in Healthy individuals and stable cardiovascular patients. Sauna baths was evaluated. Sauna baths are well tolerated and pose no circulatory risk to healthy individuals or stable cardiovascular patients, increasing cardiac workload only as much as a brisk walk.