Can Sauna Help You Live Longer? Here's What the Science Says

1. More Saunas = Longer Life

A massive Finnish study (the KIHD study) tracked middle-aged men for around 20 years, and the results were clear:

• 4–7 sauna sessions/week vs 1/week led to:

  • 63% lower risk of sudden cardiac death

  • 48% lower coronary heart disease death

  • 40% lower all-cause mortality

Even 2–3 sessions/week brought a ~20–30% reduction in death risk.

Source: Laukkanen et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015

2. It Works for Both Men & Women, Especially Older Folks

Using data from men and women aged 50–74, researchers found:

• 4–7 sessions/week cut fatal cardiovascular risk by ~70%

• Sauna frequency helped predict risk of death more accurately than traditional markers

Importantly, these benefits were independent of exercise habits, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

3. Spend Enough Time in That Heat

You get better results if each session is at least 19 minutes long:

• Sessions over 19 minutes had nearly half the risk of sudden cardiac death compared to sessions under 11 minutes

• Total weekly sauna time over 45 minutes (e.g. 3×15 min) gave better outcomes than under 15 minutes

4. Don’t Overdo It

Going beyond 30 minutes per session doesn’t help—and might even increase stress on the heart. In other words:

• 11–18 min = good

• Up to 30 min = best

• Over 30 min = not recommended

**To clarify**

• "Session" in the study = one continuous exposure to heat (no break)

• Over 30 minutes in one go = possibly too much, may stress the heart, especially in older or unwell individuals

But in real-world, traditional sauna practice (like ours):

• People naturally alternate: 10–15 minutes in the heat → cool down → repeat

• That means their total time in the sauna per visit might be 30–45 minutes, but broken into safe chunks

We recommend:

• Aim for 3 rounds of 10–15 minutes each, with good cooling period in between- outside or 30-90 second Cold Water Immersion depending how acclimatised you are. 

• That adds up to 30–45 minutes total sauna time per visit—which fits beautifully with the research-backed “sweet spot”

• If someone wants to stay in longer than 20 minutes in one go, we only recommend it if they’re very experienced, hydrated, and in good health

5. Why It Helps You Live Longer

Sauna works across multiple systems in the body: (as you have read throughout these articles)

• Lowers blood pressure and artery stiffness

• Imitates moderate cardio – heart rate can rise to 120–150 bpm

• Improves blood vessel flexibility and circulation

• Reduces stress hormones and chronic inflammation

• Helps predict who’s at risk even more effectively than traditional health markers

What does this mean in real life?

If someone never uses sauna (or only rarely), they carry a higher long-term risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, dementia, and other major causes. Sauna users—especially regular ones—tend to be more resilient across the board.

Sauna is a full-body tune-up, not just a place to get sweaty.

Book your next sauna: https://www.whitbywellbeing.com/sauna-page