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From the Huberman Lab podcast to your biohacker friend’s garage to your social media feeds, saunas are everywhere these days. The rise in interest (and sales) in saunas is largely due to scientific research showing links between regular sauna use and improved mental and physical health and longer life, including some startling evidence that saunas can help prevent dementia. Not to mention all that sauna stuff: socializing, relaxation, ritual, eureka moments.
Much of the research on saunas for the brain comes from Finland, where sauna use is a staple of a healthy, happy culture. An old saying goes that a sauna is a poor man’s pharmacy. The scientific community increasingly agrees with this view.
A few years ago, when Finnish researchers were looking at some underreported chronic disease risk data they had been collecting among middle-aged men since the 1980s, they noticed a striking connection, says Jussi Kauhanen, MD, director of public health at the University of Eastern Finland and current leader of the research team.
Scientists in other countries would never think of asking the question “How often do you go to the sauna?” in a lifestyle questionnaire. But in Finland, sauna use is almost as common as diet and exercise, so the question seems natural, Dr. Kauhanen explained.
The results: Men who used a sauna four to seven times a week had a roughly 65 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia over the next 20 years than men who used a sauna once a week (after adjusting for other factors like alcohol consumption and exercise). A 2020 study of nearly 14,000 Finns confirmed the findings of earlier studies: People who used a sauna nine to 12 times a month were 53 percent less likely to develop dementia over the next 20 years than those who used a sauna zero to four times a month. The researchers have a theory about why.
Dr. Kauhanen says that sitting and sweating for as long as possible may not seem like a productive activity, but there’s actually a lot going on in your body, including some of the same processes that occur during exercise. Going to the gym or using a sauna can reduce inflammation, which is thought to play a role in dementia. Both activities also stimulate the body to produce proteins that promote neuroplasticity (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and the proper folding of proteins in the brain (heat shock proteins), potentially protecting against dementia. (FYI, ice-bath lovers: Cold showers may have a similar effect on the brain via cold shock proteins, Dr. Kauhanen says, although there’s not enough evidence to support this yet.)
Saunas can also help the brain because they exercise the heart in the same way that exercise does, says Christopher Chen, MD, director of the Center for Memory, Aging, and Cognition at the National University of Health in Singapore. Not only does sauna use help reduce the risk of dementia, but it also improves arterial function, maintains normal blood pressure, delivers oxygen and other nutrients to cells, and flushes out waste.
After all, a sauna is just a place to have fun. Depression and social isolation are risk factors for dementia. In Finland, sauna use is a pleasant and often social activity that has been linked to better mental health over time, says Dr. Kauhanen. But in the United States, sauna use can be more challenging, as men here avoid conversation and eye contact.
While these results are encouraging, it’s unlikely that saunas will be a cure for dementia, but they may be a way to add some traditional treatments, such as social therapy or heart-health therapy, to the arsenal, says Jason Karawish, MD, co-director of the Penn Memory Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of The Trouble with Alzheimer’s. Saunas have other benefits, too, especially after exercise; read more about them here.
Bottom line: If sauna use makes you feel good and you maintain your health by maintaining general healthy habits (especially exercise), then sauna use can be very beneficial for you. Or even consider purchasing a sauna for home use, especially if you want it to become part of your lifestyle.
Stay indoors for five to 20 minutes at a time (easier if there’s good ventilation), alternating with exposure to cold, like winter air or an ice bath, so you can come back and do it again if you want. Start with short sessions, Dr. Kauhanen says, and take breaks when needed. “Just listen to your body.”
Infrared saunas don’t reach the 70-90 degrees Celsius of a typical Finnish sauna, but they can still make you sweat. Traditional saunas also reach this temperature, but they tend to be more expensive.
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An infrared heater heats your body directly, rather than the air around you. This mid-range model seats one or two people and has a sound system. $2,100.