Could sauna therapy help patients age better, or is the longevity hype overheated?
Industry Buzz
Sauna bathing may be a useful adjunct to a healthy lifestyle, but it should not be presented as a proven longevity treatment.
—Claire Schwegel Del Signore, DNP, FNP
Sauna use can lead to dehydration, low blood pressure, and lightheadedness in susceptible individuals.
—Mariam Zakhary, DO
Sauna bathing has undoubtedly found its place in the wellness space—particularly when it comes to longevity, with claims that regular heat exposure can reduce cardiovascular mortality, prevent dementia, and improve metabolic health. Proponents say it can even add years to our lives.
Sauna bathing—a form of “passive heat therapy”—is defined as exposure to a high environmental temperature for a brief period. Proponents of heat therapy may use everything from hot tubs to sanariums, but it’s the dry sauna, or Finnish sauna—characterized by dry, low-humidity air and temperatures ranging from 80-100°C—that gets a lot of attention from wellness enthusiasts and researchers alike.[]
Is the hype justified?
In short: Maybe. Mariam Zakhary, DO, a rehabilitation and physical medicine physician, says that while the potential benefits should be acknowledged, considerable uncertainty remains. “Much of the available data derives from large epidemiological studies, many originating in Finland, a population in which regular sauna bathing is a common practice that is frequently associated with several other aspects of a healthy lifestyle,” she says. “This does not mean that regular sauna use causes the observed benefits. It simply means that regular sauna use has been associated with these beneficial outcomes.”
A randomized trial published in 2022 attempted to gain more clarity around this uncertainty. The researchers found that in sedentary adults with at least one cardiovascular risk factor, a 15-minute Finnish sauna session after exercise three times per week for eight weeks produced greater cardiometabolic benefits than exercise alone.[]
The trial found that participants saw greater improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and larger reductions in systolic blood pressure than participants who did the same exercise program without the sauna.[] But that’s not all. In a 2026 letter published in the Annals of Medicine and Surgery, clinicians supported sauna bathing for mental health management.[]
They wrote that regular sauna usage may reduce depression and anxiety symptoms, improve sleep quality, enhance cognitive function, and lower long-term risks of neurodegenerative and psychotic disorders. “The benefits stem from heat-induced physiological changes, including endorphin release, improved cerebral blood flow, and neuroprotective heat-shock protein expression,” they wrote.
But even then, the writers admit that the current evidence is limited, and that more data is necessary before clinicians can refer to sauna bathing as a “treatment.”
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Claire Schwegel Del Signore, DNP, FNP, a board-certified nurse practitioner, says that she thinks the strength of the evidence could potentially be overstated.
“Sauna bathing may be a useful adjunct to a healthy lifestyle, but it should not be presented as a proven longevity treatment. The strongest long-term findings are observational, while randomized trials remain relatively small and focused mainly on short-term cardiovascular markers,” she says.
Dr. Zakhary agrees. “Physicians may view sauna therapy as one possible adjunctive treatment for evidence-based treatments, such as regular physical activity, maintenance of normal blood pressures, avoidance of cigarette smoking, and eating a diet that promotes heart health,” she says, stressing that patients must also be informed about its potential risks.
“Sauna use can lead to dehydration, low blood pressure, and lightheadedness in susceptible individuals. In addition, sauna users with active cardiovascular disease, acute illnesses, or impaired ability to tolerate heat should be carefully evaluated before initiating routine sauna therapy,” Dr. Zakhary notes.
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