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A Single Sauna Session Sends Immune Cells Surging Through Your Body
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What Happened?
Researchers in Finland found that a 30-minute sauna session, with a cold shower, increases white blood cells in the bloodstream, enhancing immune response. The effects are temporary, returning to normal within 30 minutes.
Key points
- A 30-minute sauna session increases white blood cell counts temporarily.
- Neutrophils and lymphocytes, key immune cells, surged during the session.
- The increase in white blood cells helps the immune system monitor for pathogens.
- Cytokine levels showed little change, but some correlated with body temperature rise.
- The study involved 51 adults with an average age of 50.
- Findings were published in the journal Temperature.
Key insights
- The temporary increase in immune cells could enhance the body's ability to detect infections.
- Regular sauna use may lead to improved immune function over time, though this study focused on immediate effects.
- The findings suggest that sauna bathing could be a complementary practice to physical exercise for immune health.
Why it matters
Understanding how sauna bathing affects immune cell circulation could inform health practices.
Source
Science Daily
