World News for Students of English

01-09-2025 07:00

People started using saunas and hot baths thousands of years ago, but scientists are only now learning how they affect health.

A Finnish study of more than 2,000 men showed that those who used saunas often were healthier, with lower blood pressure, better cholesterol, and less risk of dying early. In a sauna, the heat up to 90°C makes your heart beat faster, your blood vessels open, and your body sweat. This looks like exercise, and it may make the heart stronger.

Saunas may also help muscles recover after sports by improving blood flow and reducing inflammation. Heat can also increase special proteins that repair cells. Still, scientists say saunas are not safe for everyone, and there needs to be more research to know all the benefits and limits.

Difficult words: vessel (a tube in your body through which blood travels), sweat (when your skin gets wet after an exercise or when you are hot), inflammation (the body’s reaction to injury or infection).

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