Sauna Use to Improve Cognitive Function & Memory Consolidation

As we leave the long summer days of blissful play in the ocean behind and head back to the classroom it may be time to refocus your attention. Cognitive clarity can feel allusive after several months of vacation, but there are some ways to improve your focus without any added pharmacological products. Whether you are heading back to your classroom to learn, or teach, or perhaps it is just time to dive more deeply into your work, saunas can be an excellent way of improving your focus and overall cognitive performance.

There can be a number of subtle reasons why your thinking feels slower, or your mind less able to retain information. Ultimately, a cocktail of biochemical responses is needed to improve cognitive performance at any age. Understanding the recipe needed to improve brain function so that you can perform in the classroom, or in the board room, is essential. For some it may be best to consider the brain as a muscle that requires exercise, rest, nutrients, hydration, and an absolute decrease in inflammation in order to excel in high performance activities.

This article will examine the role that inflammation plays in cognitive decline as well as how oxidative stress can affect your memory and ability to perform intellectual tasks. By eliminating inflammation of the brain and excessive oxidative stress, it appears that many aspects of ‘thinking’ are improved. The use of a sauna, and very specifically infrared light, can help to reduce both inflammation and oxidative stress. Additionally, it may be possible to mitigate neuronal death with improved mitochondrial function with appropriate exposure to infrared light.

Furthermore, a single sauna session can boost a combination of biological markers that can immediately improve cognitive performance and memory consolidation. So, before you head in for your exam, give a keynote address, or negotiate a major business deal, consider taking a sauna first!

Chronic Inflammation of the Brain, Oxidative Stress, and Mitochondrial Disregulation May Lead to Loss of Cognitive Function

Inflammation can affect the brain at any age. By reducing inflammation in this part of the body it appears likely that cognitive function can and will improve. The consequence of long-term inflammation is an increase in oxidative stress, and this too can affect memory, train of thought, and information processing.

Regardless of your age it is important to reduce lingering inflammation in the brain as well as oxidative stress. According to Dr Chaitanya Bonda, in his article, ‘How Chronic Inflammation Affects Brain Function and Cognitive Decline’ (1) inflammation of the brain directly affects daily cognitive functioning.

“This ongoing inflammation plays a big role in how well our brains perform daily tasks, a concept known as brain function. When it doesn’t stop, it can lead to serious issues like cognitive decline. There, memory, focus, and thinking skills start to fail.” (1)

If you are looking to take this school year by storm, then you must ensure that there is not any lingering inflammation in the brain that could lead to oxidative stress. From the same article, Dr. Bonda continues to express the correlation between brain inflammation and oxidative stress.

“Another piece of this puzzle is oxidative stress. It is a side effect of chronic inflammation that significantly impacts the brain. Think of it like this: when inflammation keeps the immune system in overdrive, it produces free radicals. They are unstable molecules that react with and damage cells. This imbalance between free radicals and the body’s ability to neutralize them is what we call oxidative stress.” (1)

Furthermore, oxidative stress can limit the available energy for the brain as Dr. Bonda writes here.

“For example, oxidative stress can harm the mitochondria. These are the powerhouses inside cells. It can leave neurons without the energy they need to work properly. Research links this process to memory loss and slower processing speeds.” (1)

If you are looking to improve the power of your mind to complete cognitive processes then you will need to ensure that three primary biological processes occur.

First, reduce inflammation of the brain, second, release oxidative stress, and third, improve mitochondrial function. Interestingly, exposure to heat therapy, but especially infrared light, can help with all three of these aspects of brain health. Improve your cognition with habitual infrared sauna use to reduce inflammation, increase anti-oxidants, and improve mitochondrial function.

How Heat and Infrared Light Can Reduce Inflammation, Diminish Oxidative Stress, and Ameliorate Mitochondrial Function to Improve Your Cognitive Function

Reduce Brain Inflammation
Improve Mitochondrial Function
Diminish Oxidative Stress

The combination of infrared light and heat can improve cognitive function tenfold by working with specific biological functions. Regardless of your particular goals at work or school, reducing inflammation is important for everyone, and especially inflammation of the brain. The same is also true for reducing oxidative stress, and augmenting mitochondrial function.

The journal, Science Direct published an article entitled ‘Far-infrared radiation and its therapeutic parameters: A superior alternative for future regenerative medicine?’ (2) discusses the many potential uses for infrared light as a therapy, as well as its potential to supersede pharmacological approaches for many different maladies. This article discusses both the thermal and non-thermal benefits of using infrared light therapeutically. In short, this article highlights the importance of exposure to infrared light which can be effective even when this invisible light spectrum does not heat the body up, as well as when it is used as a heat therapy.

Diminish Inflammation of the Brain with Infrared Light

This particular article hovers on the issue of the power of infrared light exposure in correct dosages to reduce inflammation in the body and brain.

“FIR demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antihyperalgesic effects by inhibiting the release of proinflammatory factors such as TNF-α and IL-1β, along with suppressing the activation of peripheral receptors for opioids, cannabinoids, and adenosine…In addition, studies have indicated that FIR increases the levels of endogenous IL-10, a recognized anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive factor. Moreover, FIR downregulates the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-6) and haptoglobin (HP) and, therefore, alleviates systemic inflammatory responses characterized by reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and alveolar collapse.” (2)

(FIR = Far infrared Radiation or light)

By downregulating the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, increasing endogenous anti-inflammatory processes, and by reducing the rate of pro-inflammatory processes exposure to far infrared light can effectively relieve the brain of inflammation and improve overall cognitive function.

While it is true that infrared light exists naturally in the sun’s radiance, it is also possible to cloister this portion of the light spectrum into isolated emittance through the use of carbon devices as seen in an infrared sauna. By isolating the infrared spectrum it is possible to reduce exposure to UV rays that may harm the skin. This is not to say that sunlight should be avoided, by all means no, in fact appropriate amounts of sunlight exposure should occur daily. However, when needed, it is possible to consume infrared light independently of other forms of radiation from the sun.

In fact, so important is exposure to sunlight and infrared light for the brain that it is believed to be crucial in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. According to an article published in Springer Nature in 2022 entitled ‘Far infrared light irradiation enhances Aβ clearance via increased exocytotic microglial ATP and ameliorates cognitive deficit in Alzheimer’s disease-like mice’ (3) infrared light is able to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s in mice:

“Exposure to sunlight may decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and visible and near infrared light have been proposed as a possible therapeutic strategy for AD.” (3)

In addition to reducing inflammation of the brain, infrared light is known to improve mitochondrial function. Michondria are the energy centers of each and every cell in the body, and also in each brain cell or neuron. By supporting the health and efficiency of the mitochondria it is possible to regulate the life cycle of the cells and avoid accelerated brain cell death.

Improved Mitochondrial Function With Exposure to Infrared Light

In the well renowned journal Nature, an article was published entitled “Far-infrared radiation protects viability in a cell model of Spinocerebellar Ataxia by preventing polyQ protein accumulation and improving mitochondrial function”. (4) The authors of this article write about improving mitochondrial function through exposure to far infrared light here.

“Mitochondria are organelles that play crucial roles in maintenance of cellular homeostasis and there is a clear link between mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases…Any disturbance in this machinery typically leads to energy deficiency and/or production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thereby cellular stress and cell death.” (4)

The study that was analyzed by this article found that with exposure to infrared light mitochondrial function was improved or restored. Furthermore, the balance of a healthy lifespan was restored for the cells. Additionally, exposure to infrared light reduced the oxidative stress observed in the subjects.

It appears that a combination of both heat as well as exposure to infrared light is able to reduce oxidative stress, and therefore improve overall cognitive function.

Reduction of Oxidative Stress With Heat and Infrared Light

Oxidative stress can be reduced by cleaning up the free radicals that roam throughout the intracellular space. To ensure healthy transportation of proteins throughout this space as well as an overall tidy intracellular space Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) are needed. Exposure to both extreme colds as well as heat as seen in a sauna, for example, one can improve HSP production, and therefore reduce free radicals and oxidative stress.

According to a publication from the National Library of Medicine entitled ‘Heat Shock Proteins in Oxidative Stress and Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury and Benefits from Physical Exercises: A Review to the Current Knowledge’ (5) the authors write.

“Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones produced in response to oxidative stress.” (5)

Logically it can be deduced that the use of an infrared sauna can reduce chronic inflammation in the brain, improve mitochondrial function, as well as increase HSP production to reduce oxidative stress. By addressing all of these three major issues that impair cognitive function and brain health, an individual can walk confidently into any exam (provided they studied also), or boardroom knowing that their brains are healthy and able to perform as needed.

Memory Consolidation in the Sauna

Human Growth Hormone and IGF2

Human Growth Hormone Activates IGF2
IGF2 Improves Memory Consolidation

Why take a sauna right before an intense cognitive assignment? It turns out that there is more to preparing your mind with the burden of intense intellectual loads than just ensuring that your brain is healthy.

Leading expert in the fields of sauna and medical research, Dr. Rhonda Patrick says that she will take a sauna before an important presentation and rehearse the speech in the sauna for the best results. She describes how studying in the sauna remarkably improved her memory. While she states that her theory of why saunas improve memory consolation remains a hypothesis, it does hold true that when the theory is tested it replicates itself in the same way each time. Meaning, simply, that anecdotally every time that she takes a sauna before an important podcast, presentation, or speech that her memory consolation is improved. (6)

Saunas have been shown to increase Human Growth Hormone by up to 16 fold when used in a specific manner. (6,7)

Her hypothesis on why saunas improve memory in real time is that as Human Growth Hormone production increases (which does occur throughout a sauna session), that a downstream effect of this is the activation of IGF2 ( Insulin-like growth factor 2), which improves memory consolidation. (6)

If you can carve out time in your schedule to study, or prepare for an intense intellectual performance in a sauna ahead of time, you may just find that your memory consolidation is dramatically improved.

It should be noted that the means by which a person would need to sauna in order to improve Human Growth Hormone and reduce oxidative stress, and inflammation are quite different. So, if you plan to sauna to improve cognitive function there should be two separate approaches that can play off of each other to give you the best results.

How to Harness the Benefits of a Sauna to Make You Smarter: A Step by Step Guide to Practice From Home

If you have decided to use a sauna to improve your cognitive function or performance your action plan needs to be two-fold. First, you will need to address your overall brain health by addressing these three key components: Reduce inflammation of the brain, improve mitochondrial function, and diminish oxidative stress. Second, you will want to carve out time right before your event that requires heightened cognitive performance by working to improve Human Growth Hormone production for memory consolation.

To address longterm brain health you will want to sauna at least 3-7 times per week and ideally in an infrared sauna. This is because infrared light, even without high heat, is transdermal and is able to positively affect change in pro-inflammatory factors as well as improve mitochondrial function. Both of these aspects will support brain health and reduce cognitive impairment. When heat is added to the exposure of infrared light as seen in an infrared sauna, you can improve heat shock protein production to help reduce oxidative stress.

Stage two is with the explicit purpose of improving Human Growth Hormone right before the exam, presentation, speech, or intense cognitive work. This requires the use of a sauna in a very different manner. Your protocol for this will entail using a sauna several times back to back, with some cold exposure if desired between sauna sessions. You will want to have the heat set to a high temperature and stay in the sauna for roughly 20 minutes each time. (7)

You can use your time in the sauna to review your notes and really capitalize on the availability of IGF2 for memory consolidation. It is not feasible for most people to use a sauna in this manner every day, nor is it best for overall health. This approach should be used only on special occasions when you need to perform your best for cognitive tasks. If you plan on using a sauna for Human Growth Hormone augmentation please ensure that you hydrate well, and be sure to include plenty of electrolytes.

Protocol to Follow for Long-term Brain Health Reduction of Brain Inflammation, Diminished Oxidative Stress, Improved Mitochondrial Metabolism:

Sauna at least 3-7 times per week for 20-40 minutes (depending on the type of sauna used and the temperature)
Use an infrared sauna
Low-medium-high heat is optional

Protocol to Follow for Memory Consolidation on the Day of Your Cognitive Performance Human Growth Hormone & IGF2:

Sauna with high heat (ideally a traditional sauna or an infrared sauna set to a high temperature
Stay in the sauna for 20 minutes at a time
Take at least 3 separate sauna sessions
Study your notes in the sauna
Use cold therapies intermittently (cold shower, ice bath, or cold plunge) if desired
Hydrate with electrolytes
Go Ace your exam, recital, or presentation!

Sauna use is not for everyone and the suggestions in this article are merely that and not a substitute for medical attention. Please maintain excellent levels of hydration at all times and ensure that you are refueling with electrolytes and essential minerals such as magnesium.

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