What is the association between the frequency and duration of sauna bathing and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality?
Cold Plunge & Ice-Bath Systems, a prospective cohort study in 2315 middle-aged men (JAMA Internal Medicine 2015, PMID 25705824) — men who had 4 to 7 sauna sessions per week had a hazard ratio of 0.37 for SCD compared to those with 1 session per week, and similar inverse associations were found for CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality. Scope: 2315 middle-aged men, and the abstract states no limitations.
Source: JAMA Internal Medicine 2015, PMID 25705824 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
JAMA Internal Medicine · 2015 · PMID 25705824 · DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187
More frequent and longer sauna bathing sessions are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in middle-aged men.
The question
What is the association between the frequency and duration of sauna bathing and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality?
What they tested
The study aims to investigate the association of sauna bathing with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, as this relationship is currently unknown despite sauna bathing being linked to better hemodynamic function.
How they did it
This was a prospective cohort study (Finnish Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study) involving 2315 middle-aged men (42-60 years) from Eastern Finland. Baseline examinations were conducted from March 1, 1984, through December 31, 1989, and the frequency and duration of sauna bathing were assessed at baseline. Participants were followed for a median of 20.7 years.
What they found
During the follow-up, there were 190 SCDs, 281 fatal CHDs, 407 fatal CVDs, and 929 all-cause mortality events. Men who had 4 to 7 sauna sessions per week had a hazard ratio of 0.37 for SCD compared to those with 1 session per week, and similar inverse associations were found for CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality. For duration, sessions lasting more than 19 minutes had a hazard ratio of 0.48 for SCD compared to sessions less than 11 minutes, with similar findings for fatal CHDs and fatal CVDs, but not for all-cause mortality.
| 1 time/week | 10.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 times/week | 7.8 | |
| 4-7 times/week | 5 |
Percentage of sudden cardiac deaths among men based on their reported frequency of sauna bathing.
What it means
Increased frequency of sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of sudden cardiac death, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. Longer duration of sauna bathing is also associated with reduced risks of SCD, fatal CHD, and fatal CVD.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the study. It does suggest that further studies are warranted to establish the potential mechanism linking sauna bathing and cardiovascular health.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events |
|---|---|
| Journal | JAMA Internal Medicine |
| Year | 2015 |
| PMID | 25705824 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187 ↗ |
| Topic | Immunity, inflammation & resilience |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.
Cold Plunge & Ice-Bath Systems
Brief cold exposure is a hormetic stress that activates the sympathetic nervous system, brown adipose tissue and cellular stress-response pathways, and is widely used to influence inflammation and recovery. It is a core component of contrast-therapy protocols aimed at resilience and metabolic health.
Contrast Therapy Systems (Sauna + Cold + Light)
Heat, cold and light each trigger hormesis — a mild stress that prompts adaptive, protective cellular responses including heat-shock proteins, brown-fat and anti-inflammatory signalling, and mitochondrial stimulation.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What is the association between the frequency and duration of sauna bathing and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality? [Plain-English summary of JAMA Internal Medicine 2015, PMID 25705824, DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/sauna.html@misc{magellan_sauna,
title = {What is the association between the frequency and duration of sauna bathing and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/sauna.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 25705824; DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187; JAMA Internal Medicine 2015. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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