Racket sports and sauna: what the research says
Three large population studies followed tens of thousands of adults for years. Their results point the same way: racket sports and regular sauna use are associated with better heart health.
Racket sports at the top of the activities studied
A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Oja et al., 2017) followed more than 80,000 adults in the United Kingdom. People who played a racket sport had about a 47% lower risk of death from any cause and about a 56% lower risk of cardiovascular death than those who did not.
A sport you play with others
In the Copenhagen City Heart Study (Schnohr et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2018), the life expectancy associated with tennis and badminton exceeded that of running or cycling. The authors suggest that sports played with other people add a social benefit.
Sauna and the heart
A Finnish cohort of more than 2,300 men (Laukkanen et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015) found that 4 to 7 sauna sessions per week were associated with a markedly lower risk of sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular death compared with one session per week.
After a game: rehydrate first, let your heart rate come down, then keep the sauna session to 10 to 20 minutes. Avoid alcohol before and during.
General information drawn from published research. These studies observe associations and do not prove cause and effect. They do not replace medical advice: consult a health professional before using a sauna if you have a heart condition, uncontrolled blood pressure or are pregnant.