Research

Mixed

Frequent sauna bathing (4-7 times per week) is associated with a significantly reduced risk of sudden cardiac death, fatal coronary heart disease, fatal cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality compared to infrequent use (1 time per week).

If you have access to a traditional Finnish sauna, aiming for 4-7 sessions per week, with each session lasting over 19 minutes at temperatures around 80-100°C, is associated with a significantly lower risk of death from heart disease and all causes. This benefit is observed in middle-aged men. If you have heart conditions, consult a doctor, but for stable individuals, this habit appears protective.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Increased frequency of sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of SCD, CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality.
Tanjaniina Laukkanen et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · 2015

Why this rating

Prospective cohort study with long follow-up (median 20.7 years) and adjustment for multiple confounders, but observational design prevents causal inference.

Source

Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events

Tanjaniina Laukkanen et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · 2015

DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187

cohort · n=2315Cited 272×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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