Why Some People Last Longer in the Sauna – And How You Can Train for It
Ever wonder why some people can stay in the sauna longer than you? It’s not magic – it’s heat adaptation, and you can train it too. Short, regular sessions teach your body to sweat earlier, lower your core temp, and handle the heat better. Here’s the key: Consistency beats intensity. You don’t need to push yourself to the edge – just show up, often, and gently. In this blog, I break down: 🔥 Why regular sauna makes you more heat resilient 🔥 How your body actually learns to manage heat stress 🔥 A simple step-by-step protocol to train your system safely It’s not about being tougher – it’s about being smarter.
Posted on Thu 19 Jun 2025 · by Danny
Ever sat in a sauna watching someone else just vibe in the heat like a meditating lizard while you’re melting into your towel and questioning your life choices?
It’s not just willpower or weird genetics – it’s heat adaptation.Their body is better at handling heat because it’s had practice. And the good news? You can train for it too.
Take my wife, for example. She said to me the other day:
“Since going to the sauna more regularly, I’ve started sweating earlier – it just kicks in faster now.”
"Same here actually", I said.
When you go regularly, your body starts clocking the pattern: "Rise in temperature? Ah right, this means we’re going into heat stress."
So it responds early – starts sweating sooner, lowers your baseline body temp slightly, and expands blood vessels to move heat more efficiently.
This is clever. It gives your cells more time and space to deal with heat on a safe, cellular level – and reduces the risk of overload.Your system learns to manage the stress.
And this is the key takeaway:
It’s not about how long you can sit in there once – it’s about how often you do it.Little and often beats one-off heroic sweat-fests. You’re training your system like a muscle.
So, how do you actually train for heat adaptation?
There’s a brilliant framework inspired by the work of Dr. Susanna Søberg – a kind of heat habituation protocol.
Here's a simple version:
1–2 months total. 1–3 sauna sessions per week
Session 1:– Max 15 minutes at 80°C– Then cool down – but if you're not cold adapted, don’t go colder than 15°C
Session 2:– Up to 20 minutes at the same temp– Cool down again
Sessions 4–10:– Build gradually to a maximum of 30 minutes– Keep listening to your body
Hydrate well;
Eat salty snacks (you're sweating a lot).
Don’t push it – you’re not trying to ‘win’ the sauna
Over time, your body gets better at:
Kicking off sweating earlier
Lowering your core temp faster
Shifting blood flow more efficiently
Protecting your cells under stress
You’re not just building tolerance – you’re upgrading your operating system.Bit by bit. Session by session.
So next time you’re tempted to tough it out for 40 sweaty minutes to prove something… don’t.
Instead, go often and go gently – and let your body learn to love the heat.