Bryan Johnson· Author
Sauna trigger some of the same effects as exercise, faster circulation, sweating, higher heart rate. So, would sauna add anything on top of my daily workouts? Or does it mainly help people who don't exercise much?
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The headline is broadly defensible, but the qualifications matter. Effect sizes vary by population, the strongest claims rest on shorter trials, and credible voices push back on how it's typically framed.
Sauna trigger some of the same effects as exercise, faster circulation, sweating, higher heart rate. So, would sauna add anything on top of my daily workouts? Or does it mainly help people who don't exercise much?
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seems to mimic exercise and there's no shortage of literature that gives us reasons why exercise is beneficial so rather than revisit all of those let's just sort of put that in the bucket of all things exercise related might be mimicked here at least cardiovascular exercise as you said when your heart rate gets up to 150 beats per minute in a sauna that tells you something is going on the cardiac output necessary to do that presumably from the standpoint of a cooling need and or a metabolic need that's pretty significant for an adult
That being said, while sauna is an important lifestyle activity that mimics some of the effects of exercise, it's not a replacement for exercise. Instead, it's another tool in the arsenal.
I have a hypothesis that a sauna may do something similar to aerobic exercise. It increases blood flow and vasodilation, similar to aerobic exercise.
For those asking about whether sauna would produce a similar effect - I'd say yes.
4–7 sauna sessions per week, 20 minutes at 80°C+, reduce cardiovascular mortality risk by 40% over a decade.
Regular sauna use raises BDNF and improves verbal memory in older adults.
Sauna protocols only generate the longevity effect when sessions exceed 30 minutes.
Hot-tub bathing yields cardiovascular benefits comparable to traditional Finnish sauna at matched core-temp dose.