Sitting in a hot wooden box with sweaty strangers isn’t for everyone, but spending time in the sauna could be a major secret weapon when it comes to your health.

In fact, getting your sweat on regularly could half the risk of high blood pressure (a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke) in men.

A Finnish study of 1,621 men showed those who used a sauna regularly had a reduced risk of hypertension. In fact, among men who visited the sauna between four and seven times per week, the risk of high blood pressure was reduced by a massive 46 percent.

In a similar study published in 2015, doctors noted that increasing your body temperature by sauna bathing can cause blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow. They also found it toned the lining of the blood vessels, improving blood pressure.

And that’s not all; studies show that getting your sweat on not only speeds up recovery from a winter cold, but may even prevent it from coming back. Trials have shown that people who use saunas regularly suffer from significantly fewer colds than those who never use them.

Considering over half of all adults in Ireland over 45 years of age have high blood pressure and most of us succumb to a cold or ‘Flu every year, taking an extra ten minutes to relax in a sauna every day could be the most enjoyable thing you can do to improve your health.

If you’re not a member of a gym, there are a few pay-as-you go saunas you can use in Cork. These include Mayfield Sports Complex, Oakgrove Leisure in Blackrock, and Leisureworld.