Sweat it Out

Jun 11, 2025

brown wooden round table near gray concrete wall

Quick one-off post before I pick up my new writing machine later tonight. This will be after my Godson’s little league game, which is a BIG game tonight. Season on the line. Win or go home. I will be getting a little rowdy and maybe taunting some opposing 11 year old’s if they deserve it. Everyone root for the Cubs tonight to get it done under the lights. Lastly, some big news involving “frequent” contributor Danny boy. He proposed this past weekend to his better half. Congratulations would be in order if she had said yes, but it ended up being a very public disaster. In all seriousness, it was lovely affair and I am elated for the kid. Happy was I there. He’ll be jumping in this weekend to tell some stories and talk about some health.

Now let’s talk sweat. More specifically, saunas.

I am writing this between clients so expect multiple typos.

For those who do not know, a sauna is a heated room or building designed for dry or wet heat sessions. The goal is to promote relaxation and sweating. Many cultures have been credited with this practice, but it is particularly ubiquitous in Northern Europe—> Finland especially, where it holds a significant role in daily life and traditions.

woman in white tank top sitting on brown wooden bench

Benefits:

Cardiovascular/Respiratory Health:

reduce the risk of heart disease
improve circulation
improve lung function and can alleviate ailments

Pain Relief:

increases blood flow muscles—>less pain
muscle recovery after exercise.

Mental Stress Reliever

reduced stress
promote a feeling of well—being and sleep by triggering the release of endorphins.

Other benefits:

Detox: removing bad shit from your body
Skin health
Reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Types of Saunas:

Traditional Sauna: Uses heaters (wood-burning or electric) to warm the room between 160°F and 195°F. You can throw water on hot stones to steam out and intensify the situation.
Infrared Sauna: Lower temps between 120°F and 165°F. Infrared light heats the body directly, rather than heating the air around you.
Steam Sauna: You will see this in high end gyms, uses steam from water poured over hot rocks to create a high-humidity environment.

An original subscriber and longtime friend sent me this video last week. He went to a local establishment that you rent out a room that has an infrared sauna, cold plunge and vitamin c shower for an hour. First session was only 40$ and very reasonable after that.

My thought is always that most of us will not hesitate to drop that kind of money on a bar tab, a dinner, or Uber Eats. So do something like this for your body and future self. Sweating in the sauna is one of the best things you can do for extending and improving your life.

These are popping up all over now, go give one a shot. Start slow and hydrate.

Scientific Evidence:

From a study published in December in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health :

Participants who regularly sauna bathed:

less pain
lower levels of anxiety
elevated energy and happiness levels
improved sleep,
fewer high blood pressure diagnoses

Great Read for Further Sauna Discussion

Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland tracked 2,300 middle-aged men for an average of 20 years. Frequent visits to a sauna were directly linked with lower death rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Dr. Thomas H. Lee, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in response to the study: “The cardiovascular effects of sauna have been well documented in the past. It lowers blood pressure, and there is every reason to believe that its effects are good for blood vessels,” says Dr. Lee.

As someone who treated their heart like a science experiment in their early 20s, it is comforting I can perhaps mitigate some damage with sauna bathing.

More Evidence for Sauna Protecting Heart —>Link

Sauna-based detox is one of the most effective ways to get endocrine disrupting chemicals out of your body, via sweat. Studies show you'll find more BPA in people's sweat than in their urine or blood, suggesting that perspiration is an important route out of your body.