{"id":574176,"date":"2026-07-29T18:23:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T18:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/574176\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T18:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T18:23:08","slug":"repeated-use-of-saunas-could-help-people-cope-better-in-heatwaves-scientists-say-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/574176\/","title":{"rendered":"Repeated use of saunas could help people cope better in heatwaves, scientists say | Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even as summer temperatures soar, the sauna trend is booming<\/a>, with some venues touting them as a way to beat the heat<\/a>. But while experts have urged caution about sweating it out in hot weather, a growing number of studies<\/a> are considering whether heat training could help<\/a> people prepare for heatwaves.<\/p>\n

With parts of the UK experiencing their fourth heatwave of the year<\/a>, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts across much of England. The warnings follow an unprecedented summer, with western Europe experiencing its hottest June<\/a> on record.<\/p>\n

Nicola Pegues, head of operations at the not-for-profit Community Sauna Baths, said that initially bookings fell as temperatures rose. \u201cBut now we\u2019re seeing bookings come back,\u201d she said, adding all of the sites are outdoors with saunas and cold plunges, allowing people to cycle between the two. \u201cYou get real relief out of it actually,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Prof Jari Laukkanen, a cardiologist at the University of Eastern Finland who has carried out research into the health benefits of saunas<\/a>, argues that repeated exposure to heat can help the body gradually become better at coping with heat exposure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is well established in sports physiology, where athletes deliberately use repeated heat exposure to improve heat tolerance before competing in hot environments,\u201d he said. \u201cIndeed, quite similar physiological adaptations may also occur with passive heat exposure, such as sauna bathing and hot water immersion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laukkanen noted heat adaptations include earlier and more efficient sweating, improved skin blood flow, expansion of plasma volume and reduced cardiovascular strain during subsequent heat exposure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other words, regular heat exposure may help the body regulate temperature more efficiently,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Community Sauna Baths in Hackney Wick, London. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Dr Jessica Mee, of the University of Worcester, who is recruiting<\/a> participants to study whether regular hot water immersion could improve how the body responds to heat, said regular heat exposure also changed how hot people felt and how they behaved.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who are accustomed to heat pace themselves more sensibly, hydrate more consistently and recognise their own warning signs earlier,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But heat acclimation may not benefit everyone equally. \u201cThe adaptations rely heavily on the body\u2019s ability to increase sweating and skin blood flow,\u201d said Dr Heather Massey, an expert in extreme environments and physiology at the University of Portsmouth.<\/p>\n

There are also safety concerns around saunas and hot baths for people with an acute illness or fever, unstable angina, a recent heart attack, or uncontrolled low blood pressure, with Laukkanen noting that they should avoid such exposure until medically assessed or treated.<\/p>\n

Experts add that heat training typically takes 40\u201360 minutes of heat exposure each day for at least four to six days, and that the benefits last for about a week \u2013 although longer training leads to longer-lasting effects.<\/p>\n

But while some saunas are already advertising themselves as an unexpected solution to heatwaves, whether they are a good idea during a heatwave depends upon the context \u2013 such as the fitness of the individual and the level of monitoring.<\/p>\n

Laukkanen stressed heat adaptation was not the same as heat protection. \u201cThere is currently limited evidence that going to a sauna during a heatwave itself protects people from heat-related illness or other conditions,\u201d he said. \u201cThe benefits are more likely related to long-term adaptation through regular heat exposure rather than using a sauna as an acute treatment during very hot weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mee said: \u201cHeat acclimation is a preparation strategy for the mild months, not a coping strategy for the hottest day of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mee said one issue on a hot day was that there was no meaningful recovery when using a sauna or hot bath.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are stacking one thermal challenge on top of another, on a body that in all likelihood is already dealing with several consecutive nights of poor sleep, some degree of dehydration and cumulative cardiovascular strain,\u201d she said. \u201cThat is precisely the profile in which heat-related illness develops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another issue, said Mee, was that studies were carried out in a supervised laboratory or controlled settings, where temperature was monitored, exposure time was controlled and someone was present throughout.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not yet know how safely or effectively this transfers to people doing [hot baths] unsupervised at home,\u201d she said, adding the most immediate risk was fainting.<\/p>\n

Laukkanen encourages following public health advice during a heatwave. \u201cRegular heat exposure is not a substitute for staying hydrated, avoiding strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day, and looking after vulnerable people,\u201d he said. \u201cThose remain the most important measures.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even as summer temperatures soar, the sauna trend is booming, with some venues touting them as a way…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":574177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,61,60],"class_list":["post-574176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/574177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=574176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=574176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}