Eat right, exercise, and hit the sauna.

If the results of a decades-long study from Finland hold true, spending time in the sauna four to seven times a week could have a profound impact on your health.

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After following more than 2,000 middle-aged Finnish men for more than 20 years, researchers at the University of Eastern Finland found a link between sauna visits and memory diseases.

Specifically, regular sauna users were 66 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia and 65 percent less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease than those taking a sauna once a week.

“We have taken into account other lifestyle factors, like physical activity and socioeconomic factors … There is an independent effect of sauna on these outcomes,” said Jari Laukkanen, senior researcher and a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Eastern Finland, Reuters reported.

There may be additional benefits for the heart — and benefits that extend to the brain, researchers said. “In the sauna, the heart rate increases and we start to sweat. This is a bit like physical exercise,” Laukkonen said.

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Regular users had lower blood pressure, an important risk factor in cardiovascular and memory diseases; that may be one possible explanation for the findings. Researchers hope to do further studies on different age groups, nationalities and women.

Thousands of regular bathers at the Finnish Sauna Society said they agree that good health may be linked to the relaxing effects of sauna visits. “I feel relaxed after sauna, and it’s a place where I can have a nice conversation with my friends. The social aspect is the best thing about sauna when you get older,” Hannu Pitkanen, a senior member of the sauna society, told Reuters.