Heat from Sauna & Hot Tubs Has Loads of Health Benefits: Blood Sugar, Heart Disease + More

[@fitzventure]

I live in the Phoenix area. We're experiencing a record hot summer. Every time I get in my car, I sweat like crazy for about 20 minutes until the A/C actually starts working (inside card temp 140 degrees). Also, you can't workout outside without sweating profusely. I feel like I'm saving money just by living in this inferno.

[@vincemcmahon9867]

That ain’t nothing try Florida 100% humidity and fucking bugs everywhere

[@patricehumphries2589]

😂😂😂😂

[@go9ro367]

It would have been helpful to include a hot bath in your chart. For many people, it is the most accessible way to get exposure to heat on a regular basis.

[@moulayderissy5445]

When you give a dog a bone you don't want to know how it tastes

[@aubreygmcghee]

​@@moulayderissy5445That's because dogs are dumb, unlike humans who may have something intelligent to add to the discussion.

[@aubreygmcghee]

That's the method I have used and I have added using an emergency blanket to trap the heat in from the tub and to keep the whole body covered. It works excellent.

[@theleechqueen]

You never talked about Steam sauna. I bought one of those because it was very affordable. I use it 2 times per week for 20 minutes then I take a cold shower. I love it. It's great because I can take a cold shower even during winter. I usually stopped taking cold showers during the winter months, which was a shame because it allowed me to keep depression and anxiety in check.

[@hittinpure1]

Do you feel any benefits from the portable steam? I am thinking of buying..

[@theleechqueen]

​@@hittinpure1 Yes, in particular with things like anxiety and drepression.

[@zyciewameryce820]

My tip is, if you don’t have many options, I go for fast walk when is hot and humid, but dressed up like it’s colder. So I can heat up and sweat much more. Come home and then rinse under cold shower. (Rinse is optional of course 😁) I am sure it’s not like sauna but gives similar effect. Positive 😊 Greetings to all!

[@melindakeown7500]

Awesome! It helps! For years, at the beginning of early summer, my husband puts on a hoodie & sweatpants then runs ti the end of our driveway & back. We live in the countryside in Kentucky so our drive is long. He says it’s to get the 1st hard sweat after winter. It helps 🎉

[@Markhypnosis1]

A lot of athletes use a sweat suit for some of their training sessions to raise their body temperature. So there's definitely a benefit to it. Before I got my little portable steam sauna I would dress up in a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms with the fans off for the first 30 mins of a longer low intensity indoor rides. That's all I could bear.

[@77dris]

I just have 114f baths for 30 minutes daily. Because it's 100% humidity, that is actually hotter than a 200f sauna! I've been doing this daily for 2 years and I feel great (and exercise with heavy weights every morning). You'd think my skin would be dry but the opposite happened. My skin is silky smooth and almost "oily" which I love. In fact, I had to throw out all my moisturizing shower gels because it was just too much. I can use basic soaps, even deodorant bar soaps, and my skin is perfect! And I live in one of the coldest/driest major cities on earth.

[@matth6299]

How far submerged are you into the bath? Up to your neck/chin?

[@JustMe-mn4gr]

How do you keep it at 114F exactly for that long?

[@hotpocket5501]

Just got a $400 portable but full sized (single person) infrared sauna on Amazon and it is AWESOME! My sleeping heart rate and HRV has improved greatly in the week since we got it.

[@dejan1453]

Which one?

[@hotpocket5501]

@@dejan1453 SereneLife Portable Full Size Infrared Home Spa

[@JustMe-mn4gr]

What about their steam saunas that get hotter - to 140 deg F?

[@hotpocket5501]

@@JustMe-mn4gr I believe the infrared is supposed to get to 140. Probably the highest ours gets is 135, which is plenty hot for us. After 25 minutes we are soaking wet. The temp will also greatly depend on the room temp. If you have a cold room it is going to be hard for the sauna to reach its highest.

[@HugDealer]

The problem with sauna blankets is they are a ton of EMF in direct contact with the body. The infrared also can have a very high magnetic field.

[@Janisg616]

Infrared and Electric saunas have some time saving advantages comparing to wood buring sauna. You don't have to spend an hour or more feeding firewood before Sauna is ready. Electric sauna can be turned on with a push of a button or programmed so that sauna is hot and ready when you come home from work. 1 or 2 person saunas only use 2-4 KW of electrical heaters, are cheap and easy to run, and you can use them daily. And you can poor water and get steam from many electric sauna heaters(look up in manual), only have to ventilate sauna after use, so moisture does not become a problem. I would say that having electric sauna for daily use and traditional sauna for weekend use might get you to use sauna more often and give grater benefits.

[@quin2203]

I've always enjoyed sauna, hot cars, and hot baths. It heats to the bone and makes your whole body feel better. It makes me wonder if this kind of heat treatment improves bone and blood health which then aids your whole cardio system.

[@pilatesfitness8766]

During summer, don't do saunas if you have no A/C in your house and office and the weather is hot outside. It is just too much...

[@moiragoldsmith7052]

I NEED hot baths each day; I use hot baths and Epsom salts to enable me to function. Often I am in a bath for upto 2 hours... I just keep topping up the HOT water. Super cold dips also really help ease my difficulties. I would LOVE a super efficient Sauna in my house...but hot n cold baths are what I have... I know for sure it helps keep inflammation in check. Mike! Keep informing the public of stuff long known , deliberately buried and vilified by big pHARMa....there is so much we can do to help ourselves naturally. Much love to you and Deanne for helping so many of us with your relentless questioning, reason and fact based knowledge. 👏👍💕🥳

[@toomanymarys7355]

Sunstream is less crazy expensive for high quality and the mini is quite small.

[@aubreygmcghee]

Another easily accessible option is to soak in a very hot bath and cover yourself with an emergency reflective blanket. They make taros that are kined with reflectix that are mich more durabke as well, but the reflective effect traps the heat from the bath and it heats up very well. I have used that option myself as it is an easy option.

[@robertstanton1668]

I live on the US Gulf Coast. It's a sauna about 6 months of the year. I'm Gonna Live Forever!

[@MickAlister]

As always, putting out great content based on medical journals and studies. Thank you!

[@williamkreth]

I used to always say sunshine on my shoulders makes me h#rny. Now science backs me up

[@OleSmokey]

Hot baths with Epson salt soaking solution everyday since accident was big role in my recovery shattered body

[@mads4801]

So glad it helped I’m doing that now

[@paulfsweatt4948]

I sat in my car last summer when the sauna at my gym was broken. everyone I told thought that I was crazy

[@-astrangerontheinternet6687]

😊I’m not the only one. Awesome

[@jennyabel7231]

I have been following you for years Mike. Love your information. We initially had an infra red sauna, then we moved house and bought a finnish sauna. We also had the opportunity to quit work due to the plandemic so now we are fortunate enough to use the sauna 4-5 times a week and then jump in the pool which although we live in Australia is very cold in the winter. I love this routine combined with intermittent fasting and feel so blessed to be able to look after myself as I get older. Also include grounding and sunning pre sauna (and hugging my dogs)

[@yourenough3]

Could you do a video about methylene blue 😊 great content as always

[@dove72]

Yes to a video on methylene blue!

[@jaymeous]

I always enjoy your videos. Thx!

[@JariMikkola]

greetings from Finland 👋 Sauna + lake 5 times a week

[@Kitiwake]

The heat in Marrakech today is 42°C or 107.5°F.

[@hotpocket5501]

Because of the deep penetrating heat from an infrared sauna, they do not go over 140 degrees. I think that temp feels closer to the higher temp of the Finnish sauna. My guess is that it would be dangerous to get into an infrared sauna at 200 degrees and maybe even lower. Seems 140 is the standard.

[@janivahakangas2281]

Finnish guy here, tried infrared sauna once. It was pretty disappointing experience compared to the regular sauna IMHO

[@hotpocket5501]

@@janivahakangas2281 We had a mycotoxin problem in our home. Between medical and environment changes, we are already in it for about $30,000. At this time there was no way we could spend thousands on a sauna and with the doctor advising to start using a sauna to aid in removing the mycotoxins, a $400 infrared was a great option. And to be honest, I could not imagine spending time in something hotter. After 20 minutes at 125-135 degrees in the infrared, we are soaking wet and scratching the door to get out. 25 minutes is the max we are able to stay in so far, after about two weeks of daily use.

[@CJthelonghaul]

Any thoughts about Bikram Yoga? 105°, 50% humidity, 2 breathing exercises, 26 postures for 90 minutes?

[@robinsmith6844]

I have to believe that practicing Bikram yoga a phenomenal for detoxification due to the heat as well as the massage that your organs get in the postures. I use Bikram and other hot yoga to relieve joint pain that lasts hours.

[@jonahbert111]

A cold shower is good for weight reduction, particularly targeting where the fat is, I think anyway. Cold helps to turn the white fat to brown fat. Losing weight improves a lot of things, as does exercise. Don't the Fins jump from the sauna to the cold snow? Each treatment seems to have it's positive and negatives.

[@StuartCrabtree]

No it’s not. No scientific evidence on this

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Once you engage in a 5-year intelligent fitness program of high and low intensity + recovery + cardiovascular and power training, and a pure organic/natural diet you will answer all your questions and find out these fads are all just a lie. Living the pure lifestyle is the answer, trusting others with your health is not.

[@jonahbert111]

@@StuartCrabtree How far have you looked? kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2jMe4WdrZppnbM

[@janivahakangas2281]

Finnish guy here 👋 You're right, during winter many of us cool off by jumping into the snow. My kids for example love to do that 😍Others make a hole in a lake/sea/river ice etc and go there. We have also places where they keep rivers free from ice during the winter so you go for a swim in a 0 degree water. Heat+cold exposures have a lot of health benefits. Exposing yourself to really cold does help to burn more fat but the effect is not great so it doesn't work as a weight loss method. It does increase the brown fat amount you have in your body which in turn burns more fat but you cannot target fat loss to any particular area.

[@darkcontrast8470]

I have been spending time in my shed that has very minimal ventilation and can reach temperatures of 139 degrees for about 5 hours everyday. Especially feels good at the tail end of a 36-hour fast

[@davenockels5028]

The comparison between saunas is interesting. It depends what you want, it seems to me. Some relatively recent science suggest there are enormous benefits is exposing yourself to infra red, because it stimulates the mitochondria to produce melatonin. Melatonin is a major anti-oxidant AND the one place it is needed above all others is in the mitochondria where ROS are produced in large numbers. I doubt that a Finnish sauna would produce those benefits. I use both. They do seem to give somewhat different results, subjectively.

[@billsmith9297]

I used an infrared Sauna every day for three years, and then switched to a finish Sauna. For me personally the classic sauna is far superior.

[@raymondjohnson464]

What about Steam room ? I mainly use steam room 20 min sessions 3-4 times a week.

[@matth6299]

You’re under estimating hot tub I was doing a bath at 44’C and going in submerged to the chin, and sometimes I was exiting within about 10 to 15 mins overwhelmed from the heat - heart racing etc I’m saying- you want someone nearby just in case It’s a lot more intense than a gym sauna

[@ZeroRegen]

What's nice is most gyms I've been to have electric saunas, and they get hot enough to where I really feel the benefits. The rooms aren't too big, so after 15 minutes, I'm soaked!

[@gaylewatson4554]

I use a LifePro sauna blanket that goes up to 176 degrees and I my clothes are totally soaked when I get out.

[@doaks31]

Is the main goal of the sauna to sweat as much as possible, to get as hot as possible, or to generally stress the body as much as possible? I see the temperature mentioned often, but doing a light workout in a lower temp sauna can greatly increase the sweat level. Breathwork (especially breath holding) is another modality to increase the stress level during the session. Is there any science parsing out what exactly I should be optimizing for?

[@skaterkraines2691]

Just a short term heat shock increases your bodies interferons and helps to fight off disease. Sweating is side effect but it's not the goal here

[@Tartersauce101]

Started driving for Amazon in LA this Summer. So, good news for me I guess.

[@raginald7mars408]

Neuro Borreliosis almost killed me I went DAILY into Sauna intense Endurance training that cured me far more important than Cold /Ice - which may make it worse due to Agglutination of IG complexes...

[@reagan_williams]

Is there a way to know when a session is complete? The sauna I utilize is 170° and i’m often sweating heavily. I usually stay in for 30 minutes, but was wondering cost/benefits of staying in longer or shorter. And if there is an anecdotal way to know that I have been in long enough

[@MrJxKnight]

Hey Mike, great video. I work at a granary handling millions of pounds of raw soybeans and shell corn every day. I go to the gym and use the steam room every day after work. Then, I workout and then use the electric sauna. Are there benefits to heat before and after the workout?

[@normallynorma7621]

Good that you are taking these steps! Love it

[@TonyMoze]

Yes there are! Benefits of sauna BEFORE exercise are out there 📰 📝📊

[@MichelleK765]

Well then menopause should be making me the healthiest I've ever been in my life 🥵

[@lacsapdukeharm9547]

I just got out of my Bon Charge - sizzling!!! Great Quality

[@Wolf-or6ws]

Vey nice video, can you make one discussing about cold water immersion or cold air

[@jimper15]

I do a sauna blanket 3-4 times a week but for 1 hour.

[@Life_is_Bulllish]

What about bathing with warm water🤔🤔??

[@damon6063]

Legit question... I work outside and it's been a cool 105 degrees for the past month and a half. Is there any benefit to working in this weather as it is? Or do I need to relax from a long hot day by sitting in a sauna?

[@nicholasatom4563]

You need a vacation to the North Pole, brother!!!!

[@NoahSteckley]

I mean…. Technically, yeah. On a literal level, your heart rate is higher doing the same work in higher heat, just like when you sit still in a hot sauna, your heartrate can raise to a jogging level. I’ve also moved to a 105 degree area, and I suspect adding sauna to the mix is helpful even just to adapt better to the heat. We know, for instance, that you need to sweat a lot before your body adapts better sweating abilities (changes in salt loss, and sweat efficiency have been found).

[@AccidentalHiker1]

Read in Sauna! Got it!

[@neilbatajohns3885]

Surely Steam rooms are just as good In my local the steam room gets hotter than the sauna

[@vacrn127]

I live in Los Angeles, and we have a Hot Yoga studio on every corner. I love Hot Yoga, but never see any research comparing it to sauna benefits. Are you aware of any?

[@mylesbos1212]

Where does Red Light Therapy (i.e., IR energy) fit into this chart?

[@pilatesfitness8766]

What about immersion in hot (obviously NOT as hot as sauna) pool? That has benefits, but also risks (e.g. hypotension).

[@limegreenpatato]

I routinely use electric saunas and have them from 90 to 100 degrees. Never once has the mechanisms melted lol. You just need to create stress on your body as long as your getting uncomfortable in 15 minutes or under it doesnt matter what method you use

[@tropicaoptica]

Can you please talk about hot tubs, chlorine vs calcium salts, and hot tub materials? We have a fiberglass tub that we fill and refill each time we use since we live in the country and have well water, but are considering an actual hot tub because the jets could really help out back issues. Are there any materials to avoid? I just think of myself like hot soup sitting in plastic containers leaching chemicals.

[@hexchad765]

You can build a sauna, which is just a box, and buy a heater, for a little over $1,000

[@Dan1ell]

I look forward to a comparison between saunas and people who live in a warm place and work outside. Both will sweat.

[@jdogi1]

I made my own with 3 300w panels and a 250w bulb. The panels are basically wrapped around me torso. My biggest fear is accidentally frying my brain😂

[@jackbuaer3828]

With electric sauna with water on the rocks, I feel mostly tapped out at 21 minutes. Could I make it 25 -30 minutes? Sure, but I would imagine that the added electrolyte loss would not be good. I already take quite a bit of mineral supplements to deal with the 21 minute sessions to avoid / minimize cramping. I sweat quite a bit on non-sauna days too, since I try to get in a 5 mile run on those days. I am drenched after both sauna and runs.

[@gretchenburton7184]

I have an IR sauna. Hardly use it as a doctor told me that I have a weak vascular system and can bleed to death. This scared me.

[@Sinekyre14]

As a Norwegian, I can absolutely confirm that extreme cold, like we often see from California influencers, is very harmful. Cold shock harms the heart and cardiovascular system. In Scandinavia, we worship HEAT, and try to stay warm all year round. No one here thinks cold exposure is healthy, and we have millennia of experience. Texans and Californians probably feel great after cooling off in an ice bath, but they stay boiling hot the rest of the day. Heat is healthy, we are tropical animals. Cold is harmful. Greetings from Scandinavia

[@Sinekyre14]

Jumping into snow after taking a sauna is a meme, no one does that. You go from a warm house to the sauna and back.

[@06eyM3]

​@@Sinekyre14Uum tons of spas with hot tubs and saunas also have cold dunk pools. Ppl do this hot-cold-hot-cold ALL THE TIME

[@nidhishshivashankar4885]

Perhaps your cold plunging ancestors just think you guys are cringe lol

[@Sinekyre14]

@@06eyM3 I've visited hundreds of saunas and have one in my home. I take the sauna every week. "All the time." Not at all. I'd say maybe 5% of the people taking sauna do cold exposure too. The point is, cold shock is not healthy. Restricts blood flow and harmful for the heart. Overall terrible for your health. The cold plunge BS coming out of California and Texas should be ignored for the vast majority of people.

[@janivahakangas2281]

A guy from Finland here. You couldn't more wrong. Sure I cannot say anything about Norwegians because I don't live there but here in Finland we LOVE the cold. For example swimming in a river during winter is a common practice. Finnish scientists have studied cold exposures A LOT! And it has been shown to have tons of health benefits. You get added benefits by doing both heat+cold exposures. Just remember not to do cold baths right after exercise because it decreases the inflammation in the body so it blunts the hypertrophy effects. I'm not an tropical animal. I cannot stand staying outside during hot summer days because I've more used to be in cold conditions.

[@dadbod_way6916]

Thanks Mike good stuff

[@LatimusChadimus]

👍 give 👍 a 👍 like 👍 for 👍 Mike! 👍

[@salinafox3651]

What time of day is best for heat therapy?

[@Terror1Void]

What about going outside when its 105 with 80 percent humidity in the south?

[@jasonjohnston94]

I guess this can make me feel better about 104° in central Texas, with a feels like temperature of 113° 🥵

[@nemonemo6285]

What about hot baths? Most people have access to a simple bath tub, I use mine at 110 degrees F.

[@WilliamStimpler]

I use the wet sauna not dry. I don't trust the stain my local gym used when they redid the wood benches. Are wet saunas okay too?

[@Boss0Leeny]

Does the STEAM Room gives the same benefits as Sauna ❓❓

[@ginabrian2323]

How about a steam shower?

[@kuoppa2559]

Mike, it's really good that you explain the importance of Löyly 😀 water for stones = Löyly. The sauna is sacred, of course I have a wood sauna at home and an old refrigerator outside where I can cool off. Hopefully the climate alarmists won't soon be banned from burning wood. thanks for your content, it's being followed up here in Finland as well🇫🇮

[@yourenough3]

Are steam tents okay ? I know mine gets up to 115 degrees

[@MsMousepusher]

I've just seen a very interesting video about the beneficial effects of red to infrared light on mitochondria. It affects cognition, energy levels and general health, even eyesight.

[@TonyMoze]

I just got a MiHigh sauna blanket

[@philjchow]

Make sauna great again Where have I heard that phrase before? 🙂

[@MikeWoot65]

Keep the electric saunas out of Finland! 😅

[@gamaduro5577]

Excellent! Thank you!

[@pilatesfitness8766]

I am already feeling too hot TODAY from being outside in the sun 10 minutes yesterday. What is the relationship between SUBJECTIVE feeling of heat and heat-related benefits? I'd like the benefits without the discomfort of the heat (including postural hypotension, feeling too hot, anger, redness, hunger...)

[@trevor6485]

Is there any benefit from longer sessions? I prefer to spend at least an hour in a sauna.

[@b-sideplank]

What benefit I'm getting by enduring 38-40 degree (feel like temp often 45+) and sweating like a whichever animal sweats the most? Man... it's hot as shit in my country in South East Asia. Btw, what about those sauna tents? That's like my only feasible option.

[@bambigrage8464]

What about a steam cabinet with head out the top?

[@grisdon1]

What about hot tubs? Any similarity?

[@fredsmit3481]

It's important to mention that associations are very weak evidence. Yes, it might help, but also people that sauna may also care more about their health and eat healthier. It is possible that all improvements are from eating and exercise and not due to the sauna.

[@janivahakangas2281]

Finnish guy here. Yeah, only decades worth of evidence studied with tens of thousands of people by different scientists/doctors/universities etc. This one study has just scratched the surface. We've heard these a million times in the news etc

[@fredsmit3481]

@@janivahakangas2281 I'm not aware of the evidence that you mention. I was just talking about the evidence he presented in the video - very weak evidence. If there is stronger evidence then maybe he should cite that.

[@janivahakangas2281]

@@fredsmit3481 The problem is that majority of Finnish studies don't end up in PubMed

[@AliceFarmer-bg4dw]

Does the High Tech Health Far infrared pull metals from deep tissue? Are there studies to support that sauna?

[@Highintensityhealth]

Yes there are studies on this!

[@AliceFarmer-bg4dw]

@@Highintensityhealth on they available on? Where?

[@R27035]

You didn't address near infrared saunas

[@SaveThatMoney411]

I can only afford a sauna blanket. All the gym saunas close to me are closed DuE tO cOvID! So how long (how many minutes) do i need to stay in the sauna blanket four times a week?

[@DK-Effective-Living]

Mike, does the time efficiency include the time needed to heat up the sauna?

[@toomanymarys7355]

Nope

[@vincentgray463]

Also can buy a sauna tent.

[@mlad9944]

The problem with sitting in your car on a hot day is the amount of plastics in the car.

[@CK3CK3]

Hi, where are the studies that point to lower temperature requires more time? Are the same benefits achieved and at what percentages? For instance all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. Thank you to anyone who can point these out.

[@RAMRA10]

Ultimately is it the amount of sweat perspiration from the heat that that has the health benefits? How about running with a sweater? Because I get extremely hot and end up drenched after tuning for about 30-40 minutes

[@brianbachmeier34]

Facts. I have been doing sauna.

[@peggidoug]

Buy from Bon Charge at your own risk. Should you have product issues it's doubtful they will replace. Their $30 Full-Spectrum bulbs are lasting less than six months and although it is not stated on their product page they now claim the warranty on these super expensive bulbs is only 90 days. However they do use the verbage "durable and long-lasting" which is very misleading in my opinion since the cheap LED bulbs they replaced lasted literally for YEARS.

[@JustMe-mn4gr]

Heat gives me a headache and makes me feel like I'll pass out.

[@nathanielswan909]

HMMM how come hot tubs aren't on the "heat List"?

[@corrinnereynolds4091]

Tell the hot tub helps the heart to Matthew Perry, died of cardiac arrest in his hot tub; only 54

[@shmoo1000]

Does accumulated time of 20 Mins (ie two rounds of 10 mins per day) equate with the same positive outcomes as just one 20 Min straight sauna session?

[@TacticalStrudel]

How do you clean the sauna blanket that’s drenched in sweat?

[@thestigs8007]

Please answer this. I’ve always wondered my job as a chef on my feet all day and in the summer gets 90-110 degrees regualary. 10-12 hour days no breaks do you think this is concidered excersize ?

[@-astrangerontheinternet6687]

Exercise is movement that develops or maintains fitness and skills. There’s benefits to being so active- but, doing the same thing every day isn’t improving skills. And if you have poor movement patterns, you’re likely to develop imbalances that means you’re not maintaining either.

[@mbrochh82]

Wait, last week or so, we were told that everyone must have an ice-barrel. Now suddenly everyone needs to have a sauna??

[@nidhishshivashankar4885]

lol it’s not as absurd as you’re making it sound. The original Scandinavian sauna practice would have people jumping into ice water intermittently. Intense contrast away from homeostasis is what’s important

[@nidhishshivashankar4885]

You can just do a hot bath followed by a cold shower or vice versa how deep you go is just dependent on your budget

[@adamlipford7915]

Does living in Florida count?

[@StuartCrabtree]

Can I wear a thick jumper?

[@ybaggi]

At what heat does the 4x/week for 15-20min apply?

[@solomoe2]

What about the hot tub?

[@brianbachmeier34]

Make Saunas Great Again

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Heat therapy by increasing your own heat through high intensity exercise. Fitness, detoxification, leg muscle strength returning blood to the heart, stronger heart, movement engaging the lymphatic system, expanding the VO2 max and circulatory system, chest ribcage expansion and improved oxygen intake, higher levels of detoxification through high level respiration, mitochondria energy production increased and greater efficiency of energy production, ....and more....

[@bannanaization]

The thing about hot tubs is that you’re basically bathing in a chemical soup made with tap water…