“Regular use of dry Finnish sauna improves cardiovascular health markers, including blood pressure and arterial flexibility.”

Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing is linked with several health benefits, including a reduction in the risk of high blood pressure or hypertension. Acute sauna exposure has been shown to produce blood pressure lowering effects, decrease peripheral vascular resistance and arterial stiffness, and improve arterial compliance. Repeated sauna exposure improves endothelial function, suggesting a beneficial role of thermal therapy on vascular function.

Regular sauna bathing has been linked to reduced risk of hypertension, cardiovascular mortality, stroke, neurocognitive diseases, and improved endothelial function and arterial stiffness. Acute effects include lowered blood pressure and reduced arterial stiffness; chronic use improves vascular compliance.

Finnish sauna bathing is associated with significant cardiovascular benefits, especially in lowering the risk of hypertension and reducing cardiovascular disease mortality. Mechanistically, acute sauna exposure induces plasma volume redistribution and chronic adaptations such as heat shock protein upregulation, reducing oxidative stress and arterial stiffness. Moreover, sauna bathing's hemodynamic effects—characterized by increased heart rate and cardiac output akin to moderate-intensity exercise, may enhance cardiovascular reserve and arterial compliance, contributing to long-term SBP reduction.

The Finnish saunas have the most consistent and robust evidence regarding health benefits and they have been shown to decrease the risk of health outcomes such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease. The Finnish saunas have the most consistent and robust evidence regarding health benefits.

Sauna bathing improves arterial compliance, leading to a measurable reduction in arterial stiffness. Studies have shown that frequent sauna exposure is linked to a significant decrease in cf-PWV, a key quantitative indicator of better vascular flexibility and reduced cardiovascular risk. In a 2017 experimental study, a single 30-minute Finnish sauna session led to an acute drop in systolic blood pressure from 137 to 130 mmHg and diastolic from 82 to 75 mmHg.

Heat exposure elicits protective responses that promote cardiovascular health, mirroring the beneficial adaptations associated with exercise training. In a randomized controlled trial, the combination of sauna exposure and exercise was demonstrated to synergistically enhance cardiorespiratory fitness, resulting in greater reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as total cholesterol levels, compared to either exercise or sauna alone. Passive heat therapy through whole-body water immersion promotes vasodilation and concurrently impacts arterial stiffness, wall thickness, and blood pressure.

The Finnish researchers suggest that saunas may provide some cardiovascular conditioning because the high temperatures can drive heart rates to levels comparable to moderate exercise. Frequent sauna use was associated with a lower risk of sudden cardiac death, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality.

Evidence for cardiovascular benefits is promising but primarily from low-moderate quality studies; further RCTs required to confirm effects on blood pressure and arterial flexibility independent of confounders.

This study determined if an 8-wk Finnish sauna intervention improves peripheral endothelial function, microvascular function, central arterial stiffness, and blood pressure in adults with coronary artery disease (CAD). These results demonstrate that four sessions of Finnish sauna bathing per week for 8 wk does not improve markers of vascular health in adults with stable CAD.

Studies demonstrate similar benefits to moderate exercise, including improved vascular function, lower blood pressure, reduced arterial stiffness, and better cholesterol profiles. The heat stress prompts blood vessel dilation, increases circulation, and trains your cardiovascular system to adapt efficiently. Key cardiovascular improvements include: Reduced arterial stiffness and improved endothelial function; Lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.

Sauna bathing (and an increased heart rate) causes your blood vessels to open, increases circulation and reduces stress levels — like the effects of exercise. Research shows that sauna bathing following exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness more than exercise alone and reduces risk of heart-related death.

A prospective cohort study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings followed over 2,300 Finnish men for two decades. The study revealed that frequent Finnish sauna bathing (4–7 times a week) was associated with significantly lower risk of developing arterial hypertension compared to those who used the sauna once per week. Regular sauna use has been associated with improved cardiac responses, including reduced arterial stiffness, lower resting heart rate, and improved oxygen delivery. A 2025 update from Mayo Clinic Proceedings further reinforced that sauna sessions reduced systemic inflammation, enhanced arterial elasticity, and supported healthy cholesterol levels.

It has been postulated that regular sauna bathing may improve cardiovascular function via improved endothelium-dependent dilatation, reduced arterial stiffness, modulation of the autonomic nervous system, beneficial changes in circulating lipid profiles, and lowering of systemic blood pressure. Emerging evidence suggests that beyond its use for pleasure, sauna bathing may be linked to several health benefits, which include reduction in the risk of vascular diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and neurocognitive diseases.

Several studies link frequent sauna use (four to seven times a week) to lower blood pressure and a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, including sudden cardiac death and stroke. According to the authors, these benefits may stem from better blood vessel function, improved cholesterol levels, and less inflammation observed in frequent sauna users. But it's also possible that the relaxation from taking a sauna — not to mention a lifestyle that allows for frequent saunas — may explain the heart-related outcomes.

It has been suggested that regular sauna bathing exerts effects on the cardiovascular system via endothelium dependent dilation, reduced arterial stiffness, nervous system modulation, changes in circulating lipids, and a reduction in blood pressure. Two recent experimental studies conducted in 100 men and women who had at least one cardiovascular risk factor demonstrated reductions in the systolic and diastolic blood pressures following a 30-minute session. In addition, sauna bathing led to beneficial changes in arterial stiffness as measured by pulse wave velocity.

Saunomisen vaikutusta verenpaineeseen on tutkittu paljon. Tulokset ovat osin ristiriitaisia, mutta useimmiten verenpaineen on todettu saunassa pienenevän. Yksilölliset erot ovat suuria: joillakin henkilöillä verenpaine voi saunassa jopa vähän nousta, joillakin pysyä muuttumattomana ja joillakin pudota jopa useita kymmeniä elohopeamillimetrejä.

An international group of researchers has demonstrated that sauna bathing for 30 min reduces blood pressure and increases vascular compliance, while 'also increasing heart rate similarly to medium-intensity exercise.' Immediately after 30 minutes of sauna bathing, test subjects' mean systolic blood pressure reduced from 137 mmHg to 130 mmHg, and their diastolic blood pressure from 82 mmHg to 75 mmHg. Furthermore, their systolic blood pressure remained lower even after 30 minutes of sauna bathing. Test subjects' mean carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, which is an indicator of vascular compliance, was 9.8 m/s before sauna, decreasing to 8.6 m/s immediately after.

A review of 40 studies found potential health benefits of regular dry sauna use across cardiovascular, rheumatologic, pain, and respiratory conditions. Evidence shows reduced risk of hypertension, CVD, dementia, and respiratory issues, plus better sleep, mood, and longevity. Sauna therapy significantly increased flow-mediated dilation (%FMD), showing better blood vessel function.

A review paper published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings on Finnish Sauna Bathing showed that regular and frequent sauna bathing reduces the risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Over time, a regular sauna practice leads to blood pressure reduction, reduced arterial stiffness and greater pliability, and several other heart and lung mechanisms that impact blood vessel function.

Many studies have found a link between sauna bathing and heart health, including reductions in total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels and increases in HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels; decreased blood pressure; increased heart rate variability; and improved cardiac function markers. As your internal temperature rises and you start to sweat, your heart pumps more and more blood, with output increasing by as much as 70%. This mimics the effects of a cardio workout.

Facilities offering sauna bathing often claim health benefits that include improved cardiovascular function. However, rigorous medical evidence to support these claims is scant and incomplete, as emphasized in a recent multidisciplinary review of sauna studies.

While numerous observational studies from Finland support improvements in blood pressure and arterial stiffness with regular dry sauna use, high-quality RCTs are limited, and mechanisms are not fully established; no major health authority has issued formal guidelines endorsing sauna for cardiovascular prevention.