At a glance
Mixed
The findings vary by study and population. The trials below do not establish sauna as a treatment for high blood pressure.
What researchers tested
Lee and colleagues assigned 47 adults with cardiovascular risk factors to exercise, exercise followed by sauna, or a control group. After eight weeks the exercise-plus-sauna group showed a larger improvement in systolic blood pressure than the exercise-only group. There was no sauna-only group.
Debray and colleagues tested eight weeks of Finnish sauna bathing in adults with coronary artery disease and found no improvement in blood pressure or several measures of vascular function. It was a different population and a different intervention.
What this means for readers
These studies give a limited view of short-term effects. They leave open whether sauna alone produces a durable benefit for people with high blood pressure. Discuss sauna use with your care team if you have a heart condition or are considering it in connection with blood pressure treatment.
Sources
- Lee et al. (2022), randomized exercise and sauna trial | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35785965/
- Debray et al. (2023), randomized sauna trial | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37650138/