I do weekly sauna sessions and always finish on cold — I haven't had a cold in a year

For the determined few who surpass the odds, the benefits can have life-changing effects on their mental and physical health.

Such is the case for Helen Tuffy. The 51-year-old from Co Meath says her inflammatory joint issues and overall immunity have significantly improved since she started a weekly wellness habit at The Hot Box Sauna, Co Meath, in January 2024.

“I started attending the sauna soon after they set it up during covid. But I started weekly saunas from January last year as I had some health issues I was trying to get on top of,” says Tuffy, an infection prevention and control nurse.

“It was a social sauna with our neighbours, and I quickly realised that the benefits of the sauna were really helpful, so I just stuck at it. I liked the routine, the social aspect, and how I felt afterwards.”

The mother of two has been attending sauna sessions every Tuesday evening. The facilities, situated in Navan, near the banks of the river Boyne, allow attendees to use the hot sauna, where temperatures can reach 100C, before submerging themselves into the icy cold river waters.

“I used to be in [a session] for an hour, but now it is 45 minutes. I go in the sauna for 15 minutes before I dip and then repeat. I always try to finish on cold.”

The physiological responses to alternating between extreme temperatures mimic a form of thermal intervention treatment known as contrast hydrotherapy. This practice involves a series of brief alternations between hot water and cold water immersions.

Contrast hydrotherapy is commonly used in physiotherapy as part of a treatment plan for managing pain. The opening and closing of the blood vessels during these extreme temperature changes creates a pump-like pulsing motion believed to relieve symptoms of various injuries.

Research published in the National Library of Medicine, a leading biomedical library worldwide, found it is widely used to boost immunity and to manage pain caused by chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, fatigue, and anxiety.

“I’ve experienced back pain for years,” says Tuffy, “but the joint pain in my knees got particularly bad last January, and I realised that the hot to cold really helped with the pain.”

Not only has a weekly exposure to extreme temperatures reduced her joint stiffness, but Tuffy has also noticed a significant boost in her immune system. She says her Tuesday saunas and icy dips have helped her to stave off colds and flu for the last 12 months.

“I work in healthcare, and I have two teenagers. I’m constantly exposed to transmissible viruses in my environment. But as aware as I am of seasonal viruses and bugs, it is difficult not to be vulnerable to them, especially if your immune system is low through stress or health conditions.

“I realised after coming through two winters from January to March last year and from October to this January when the flu and virus season are at their highest — that even though I’ve been exposed to several family members and people around me who have been very sick with viruses, I never picked one up. I really feel like my immune system has risen to the challenge of protecting me through these periods.”

Growing medical research on the link between sauna use and winter infections suggests that sauna users contract fewer colds than non-users. Research published in the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention showed that those who frequently used saunas were less likely to contract respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

Tuffy says her nursing training helped her to maintain the sauna habit. She often considered the “biological responses” the sauna induces when she needed extra motivation.

“Going from the sauna into the cold river and then emerging as a rosy pink version of myself, I knew this process had caused increased blood flow. That would reassure me that the nutrients and oxygen were being transported to where my body needs it the most. My knowledge of biology really helped me understand the different benefits.

‘You want that habit’

“Extreme heat and extreme cold aren’t for everybody. But once you experience it and understand that feel-good factor, it’s almost like it has to become a habit. You want that habit, so you create that habit.

“And because the group met weekly and somebody was always going, we kept at it. Even if only two of us were going, we’d still go because we noticed that our stress levels reduced, so Tuesday nights became our favourite night of the week.”

What advice does this wellness warrior have for those who want to include hot-cold treatments in their regimen but find it difficult due to time commitments or worries about being exposed to extreme temperatures?

Tuffy says the overall health benefits of regularly using the sauna alone supersede some reasons people do not go.

“If you think of all the benefits of going, it might help to make it part of your regular routine. 

Because the sauna promotes relaxation, and if you’re relaxed and your stress levels are reduced, that helps your body fight off illnesses.

“And then, in these days of fast-living, chronic stress, and physical and mental health [issues], everybody has something to deal with. Whether it is the inability to sleep or some other condition, we are susceptible to all these winter viruses. So if you bear that in mind and understand that [saunas] can make a difference, like it has for me, that helps too.

“I’ve never gone one year without contracting a seasonal illness. It’s quite incredible, bcause I work in a busy hospital, I’m around a lot of people, I have a lot of social activities.

“I’m really, really delighted with how this year ended up.”