How Contrast Therapy can help you live a longer, happier life

People have been using the sauna for millennia to cleanse the body and survive the harsh winters. 

Ancient saunas have been discovered in Northern Europe and similar “sweat lodges” were used by indigenous Americans.

Both cultures believed that there was a religious or spiritual relationship with the sauna. As a result, saunas and sweat lodges became deeply ingrained in Norse and Native American cultures. 

In Northern Europe, it’s tradition to jump into an icy lake or river between sauna sessions. This is known as the Nordic Cycle or Contrast Therapy.

For years, people embraced this tradition simply because it made them feel better without any science backing the potential health benefits.

Although the studies are recent, they are promising. Contrast therapy is one way to train your body through physical stress to make it more resilient to other physical, emotional, and mental stress. 

The sauna can make you happier

Most people have heard of endorphins, the happy chemicals that make you feel comforted.

However, not many are familiar with endorphins’ discomforting cousin, dynorphin. Both endorphin and dynorphin bind to mu-opioid receptors. 

When you go into the sauna, it’s likely that you feel discomfort. That is the dynorphin released in your brain.

When this happens, your brain creates new pathways to the mu-opioid receptors, making your body more sensitive to endorphins.

This is likely why people tend to feel euphoric in the hours and days following a sauna session. 

Saunas may help you live longer

In the 80s, a study began to determine if using a sauna regularly would result in lower rates of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers hypothesized that sauna sessions mimic cardiac exercise, making your heart more efficient and reducing cardiac stress.

The study followed nearly 2500 middle-aged Finnish men over the course of 20+ years. It found that men who used the sauna 2-3 times per week were 27% less likely to die from a cardiovascular event and men who used the sauna 4-7 times per week were 50% less likely to die from a cardiovascular event.

It also found that men who used the sauna 4-7 times per week were 40% less likely to die from all-cause mortality (cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and respiratory disease). 

Why a cold plunge should be added to your sauna routine

When you exercise your body releases endorphins as well as another neurotransmitter called norepinephrine.

Norepinephrine is targeted pharmacologically to treat depression and ADHD. It is also released through cold shock.

After just 20 seconds in cold water, your brain releases 200%-300% more norepinephrine than in a rested state.

Research has shown that even more norepinephrine is released when the subject goes directly from a sauna to a cold plunge.

Even though correlation does not equal causation, people living in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland live longer than people in the United States and are among the happiest countries in the world.

How to get the most out of Contrast Therapy

Dr. Suzana Søberg, a cold and heat scientist, recently shared a study she did to find out how long it takes for the body to physically react to (and see the benefits of) cold and warm temperatures.