Can saunas make you breathe easy?

Sweating it out in a sauna cuts the risk of pneumonia, suggests research reported in the european Journal of epidemiology.

in a 25-year study, Finnish researchers investigated the sauna habits of 1,935 men aged 42 to 61 and their admissions for respiratory complaints.

the men who had regular sauna sessions — two to three times a week — were almost 30 per cent less likely to develop pneumonia, while going four times a week or more cut the risk by 41 per cent. Saunas also seemed to reduce the likelihood of other chest complaints, too, including asthma. it is thought the heat eases airway obstruction.

However, people who have recently suffered heart attacks are advised to avoid saunas.