Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Apr 24:2018:1857413.
doi: 10.1155/2018/1857413. eCollection 2018.

Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review

Joy Hussain  1 , Marc Cohen  1
Affiliations
Review

Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review

Joy Hussain et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

Introduction: Many health benefits are claimed by individuals and facilities promoting sauna bathing; however the medical evidence to support these claims is not well established. This paper aims to systematically review recent research on the effects of repeated dry sauna interventions on human health.

Methods: A systematic search was made of medical databases for studies reporting on the health effects of regular dry sauna bathing on humans from 2000 onwards. Risk of bias was assessed according to the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines.

Results: Forty clinical studies involving a total of 3855 participants met the inclusion criteria. Only 13 studies were randomized controlled trials and most studies were small (n < 40). Reported outcome measures were heterogeneous with most studies reporting beneficial health effects. Only one small study (n = 10) reported an adverse health outcome of disrupted male spermatogenesis, demonstrated to be reversible when ceasing sauna activity.

Conclusions: Regular dry sauna bathing has potential health benefits. More data of higher quality is needed on the frequency and extent of adverse side effects. Further study is also needed to determine the optimal frequency and duration of distinct types of sauna bathing for targeted health effects and the specific clinical populations who are most likely to benefit.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of evidence searches and inclusions/exclusions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hannuksela M. L., Ellahham S. Benefits and risks of sauna bathing. American Journal of Medicine. 2001;110(2):118–126. doi: 10.1016/S0002-9343(00)00671-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Beever R. Far-infrared saunas for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors: summary of published evidence. Canadian Family Physician. 2009;55(7):691–696. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brockow T., Conradi E., Ebenbichler G., Michalsen A., Resch K. L. The role of mild systemic heat and physical activity on endothelial function in patients with increased cardiovascular risk: results from a systematic review. Research in Complementary Medicine. 2011;18(1):24–30. doi: 10.1159/000323632. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gayda M., Bosquet L., Paillard F., et al. Effects of sauna alone versus postexercise sauna baths on short-term heart rate variability in patients with untreated hypertension. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention. 2012;32(3):147–154. doi: 10.1097/HCR.0b013e318251ffeb. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Littmann A. E., Shields R. K. Whole body heat stress increases motor cortical excitability and skill acquisition in humans. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2016;127(2):1521–1529. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2015.11.001. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources