We are now living in a time when science can explain why humans have naturally turned to heat therapy to help treat a variety of physical, mental, and emotional disturbances. While the models of heat therapy have varied throughout cultures and history (sweat lodges, traditional Finnish saunas, Turkish Hammans), and technology has improved (infrared saunas), the essential mechanistic response within the body has remained the same.
There is an ever increasing volume of research on how saunas can benefit human physiology. This is both exciting and, at times, overwhelming for the average person. It is no small undertaking to sift through the multitude of published journals filled with scientific and often laboratory-specific vernacular. The National Library of Medicine alone has over 12,000 published peer reviewed journals on the topic of how sauna use affects human physiology.
Educating people on the use of sauna therapy is a primary aim of Saunas.org. Through our numerous articles we endeavor to help enhance the understanding of the effects of sauna on health. In an ongoing effort to make sauna-related information more accessible and digestible, we have created this page to be a guide to help point you toward some of the most pertinent research involving various health conditions that respond well to saunas, infrared light, or temperature therapy in general (cold plunges, contrast therapy, and saunas).
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Heart Health: Blood Pressure, Chronic Heart Failure, Pacemakers
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2359619
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28972808/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/saunas-and-your-health
- https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/index.html
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/hot-baths-and-saunas-beneficial-for-your-heart
- https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext
- https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1198-0
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8162176_Effects_of_Repeated_Sauna_Treatment_on_Ventricular_Arrhythmias_in_Patients_With_Chronic_Heart_Failure
Cardiovascular: Respiratory (asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, common cold), Lung Capacity
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28972808/
- https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1198-0
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/saunas-and-your-health
Books & Journals
- Regular sauna bathing and the incidence of common colds. Ann Med. 1990; 22: 225-227
- Lungs and ventilation in sauna. Ann Clin Res. 1988; 2
- Sauna bathing reduces the risk of respiratory diseases: a long-term prospective cohort study. Eur J Epidemiol. 2017; 32: 1107
- Frequent sauna bathing may reduce the risk of pneumonia in middle-aged Caucasian men: the KIHD prospective cohort study. Respir Med. 2017; 132: 161-163
Inflammation/Circulation/Joint/Tissue Health/Titanium or Joint Replacement/Muscle Repair
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/saunas-and-your-health
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28972808/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4493260/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31950931/
Immunity/Heat Shock Proteins/T-Cells
- https://www.soeberginstitute.com/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/saunas-and-your-health
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28972808/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34276700/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2248601/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3822288/
Autoimmune: Fibromyalgia, Psoriasis, Chronic Fatigue,
Detoxification & Autonomic Nervous System Regulation
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28972808/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00244-010-9611-5
- https://www.naturalnews.com/022847_body_skin_detoxification.html#
Cognitive Health: Dementia, Alzeimers, Parkinsons, ALS
- https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/nrf2-pathway-sulforaphane-protective-effects
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/transcription-factor-nrf2
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4156924/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707222/
- https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/hyperthermic-conditioning
- https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/sauna#cognitive-amp-mental-health
Longevity: Health Span, All Cause Mortality
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34363927/
- https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1198-0
- https://www.lifespan.io/topic/sauna-longevity/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28972808/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6136295/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3218894/
Mood: Depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Hormone Balancing
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3218898/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3788622/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23820835/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2451965019301048
- https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/ashley-mason
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2759081
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-1716.1986.tb080
- https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/deliberate-heat-exposure-protocols-for-health-and-performance
Infrared Light: Photobiomodulation, Near Infrared, History
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33255083/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1751-1097.2008.00394.x
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7356229/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27943458/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7356229/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707222/
Bringing Light to the World: John Harvey Kellogg and Transatlantic Light Therapy:
Organizations, Professionals, and Academic Experts As Resources:
In addition to the links to various studies and research listed above, there are several individuals as well as institutions that may serve well as nexus points of easily available information concerning sauna use. These individuals all have PHDs in their respective fields of biology and have dedicated significant portions of their work to the study of thermal therapy. Further, you will find below an easy way to look up and access information from the National Library of Medicine as well as from the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Rhonda Patick of Found My Fitness
Dr. Rhonda Patrick has a plethora of videos and essays that delve deeply into the scientific research surrounding sauna use, you can find her work by clicking on this:
Dr. Andrew Huberman of Huberman Labs & Stanford University
Dr. Andrew Huberman a neurologist from Stanford University, has made much of his research available to the public and you can also access sauna related data and research by clicking on this website:
Dr. Susanna Søberg of the Søberg Institue
The National Institute of Health
The National Institute of Health as well as the National Library of Medicine has served as an invaluable resource in terms of continuing to publish updated peer reviewed journals on the health benefits of saunas, as well as the effects of infrared light on human physiology.
To search NIH’s library of journals click on the link below:
This particular article gives an overview of saunas and their mechanisms of action in terms of human physiology:
The Mayo Clinic
Research & Data Collection For the Individual
We hope these articles and links provide you with the necessary tools to perform your own research on how saunas affect human physiology. Furthermore, saunas.org has well over 150 articles that specify how sauna use may positively affect certain afflictions, as well as how to optimize your use of saunas.
The data is in, and as you can see there is no question that saunas in their many forms have a resoundingly positive effect on human health under most circumstances. As always, if you have questions or concerns about using a sauna, please consult with a medical practitioner, your family doctor, or specialist.
Happy Saunaing!
