Heat Shock Proteins: The Cell Rescue Crew You Didn’t Know You Needed

If you’ve ever sat in the sauna with me, you’ve probably heard me banging on about heat shock proteins — HSPs. They come up a lot, because honestly, they’re kind of incredible... one of the main reasons sauna makes you live longer.

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Here’s how I like to think about it: every cell in your body is like a little factory. Constantly producing energy, doing repairs, running the show. But, like any factory, stuff breaks. Machines get clogged. Junk builds up. The whole operation starts to slow down if no one’s doing the maintenance.

That’s where HSPs come in. They’re like your cellular rescue team — finding the broken bits, patching them up, or chucking them out. It’s like your cells go, “Crap, it’s getting hot in here- i think we are dying- need to dtch the junk — time to sort ourselves out!” And they do. Broken proteins get mended or recycled or repaired!! They get more efficient. They run smoother. They’re more resilient to stress next time round.

And the best bit? That shock — that bit of just enough discomfort — leads to all sorts of magic. Better cell health. More mitochondrial activity (aka: more energy, better fat burning, and potentially longer life). Even protection against things like Alzheimer’s and dementia — yep, studies have shown HSPs help reduce protein aggregation in the brain and support nervous system resilience. (Again in my simple mind I see HSPs like janitors sweeping out plaques from capillaries)

And it doesn’t take much heat to kick this off.
One study found that 30 minutes at 73°C (which is actually less than most of our saunas!) led to an increase of HSP72 by around 50%. Another study showed that daily 30-minute heat sessions boosted HSP70 by 45%, HSP90 by 38%, and gave a 28% rise in mitochondrial function — the little powerhouses in your cells that keep you ticking, burning fuel efficiently, and ageing slower.

Oh, and this blew my mind: a Danish study found that people with a certain version of the HSP70 gene lived, on average, a full year longer than everyone else. Like... wild.

The effects last too — HSP levels stay elevated for days after your session, meaning the repair and clean-up continues long after you’ve towelled off.

So yeah. Sit in the heat. Sweat a bit. Let the crud rise to the surface.

Your cells are literally cleaning house while you chill.