Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan

Abstract

Sauna use, sometimes referred to as “sauna bathing,” is characterized by short-term passive exposure to high temperatures, typically ranging from 45 °C to 100 °C (113 °F to 212 °F), depending on modality. This exposure elicits mild hyperthermia, inducing a thermoregulatory response involving neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and cytoprotective mechanisms that work in a synergistic fashion in an attempt to maintain homeostasis. Repeated sauna use acclimates the body to heat and optimizes the body's response to future exposures, likely due to the biological phenomenon known as hormesis. In recent decades, sauna bathing has emerged as a probable means to extend healthspan, based on compelling data from observational, interventional, and mechanistic studies. Of particular interest are the findings from large, prospective, population-based cohort studies of health outcomes among sauna users that identified strong dose-dependent links between sauna use and reduced morbidity and mortality. This review presents an overview of sauna practices; elucidates the body's physiological response to heat stress and the molecular mechanisms that drive the response; enumerates the myriad health benefits associated with sauna use; and describes sauna use concerns.