Hans Hägglund is a medical doctor and adjunct professor at Uppsala University and has published a book about sauna health benefits. His enthusiasm about sauna began as a child when his father was planning bathhouses and sport facilities. He took Hans on his travels to different saunas in Sweden.
In his research, Hans Hägglund has collected data from sauna bathing research and summarized facts on sauna and health. Previous research has shown that sauna bathing improves blood circulation, activates the immune response, influences the nervous system in a positive way, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It also reduces the risk of stroke, dementia, lung diseases and other diseases. Read more about the health benefits here.
As a physician, Hans is interested in the prevention of diseases. He wanted to know if sauna could be a healthy lifestyle factor, like physical activity, no smoking, limited drinking, and healthy food. In the future, he hopes that sauna bathing could be prescribed as a preventive but also as a treatment. Another aim he has is to clear some of the myths about sauna bathing. Not only common people but also the health care professionals in Europe still have these myths.
Hans has founded a sauna laboratory in Luleå. It aims to create a common protocol for sauna research. It also offers other researchers a platform where to conduct their studies under more controlled circumstances. He thinks sauna research has massive potential. It could be interesting to explore how sauna bathing would be used in treating for example cancer or depression.
See what else Hans said about sauna and its health benefits.
