Trial reportJournal of human hypertension2018
Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function.
Trial report in Journal of human hypertension, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04556422 (Standalone Sauna Versus Exercise Followed by Sauna on Cardiovascular Function in Non-naïve Sauna Users), which is not on this map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Standalone Sauna Versus Exercise Followed by Sauna on Cardiovascular Function in Non-naïve Sauna Users
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 85 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Post-Exercise Heat Exposure on Acute Recovery and Training-Induced Performance Adaptations: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2025Pooled it
- Japanese steam sand bath heat therapy mediates comparable reductions in blood pressure with smaller discomfort and respiratory strains than hot water immersion and sauna.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Trial
- Far-Infrared Therapy: Mechanisms of Action.Circulation reports · 2026Review
- Common and Divergent Physiological Responses to Hypoxia and Heat.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Temperature and humidity independently influence thermoregulatory responses during Finnish sauna bathing.Temperature (Austin, Tex.) · 2026Article
- Acute Finnish sauna heat exposure induces stronger immune cell than cytokine responses.Temperature (Austin, Tex.) · 2026Article
- Acute Finnish sauna heating and cold water immersion effects on cardiovascular dynamic response in normotensive women.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Systemic cardiovascular and carotid baroreflex support of arterial pressure during recovery from passive heat stress in young and older adults.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Improving glycemic control via heat therapy in older adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease (FIGHT-AD): a pilot study.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2025Article
- Bathing-Related Ischemic Stroke: Association between Stroke Subtype and Cerebral Small Vessel Disease.Journal of atherosclerosis and thrombosis · 2024Article
- The multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan: A comprehensive review with a focus on Finnish sauna.Temperature (Austin, Tex.) · 2024Review
- Synchronized wearables for the detection of haemodynamic states via electrocardiography and multispectral photoplethysmography.Nature biomedical engineering · 2023Article
- Impact of high intensity interval exercise with and without heat stress on cardiovascular and aerobic performance: a pilot study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Heart Rate and Body Temperature Evolution in an Interval Program of Passive Heat Acclimation at High Temperatures (100 ± 2 °C) in a Sauna.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- The Interplay between Systolic Blood Pressure, Sauna Bathing, and Cardiovascular Mortality in Middle-Aged and Older Finnish Men: A Cohort Study.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2023Article
- The influence of extreme thermal stress on the physiological and psychological characteristics of young women who sporadically use the sauna: practical implications for the safe use of the sauna.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Inflammation, sauna bathing, and all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older Finnish men: a cohort study.European journal of epidemiology · 2022Article
- Serum copper-to-zinc ratio and risk of incident pneumonia in caucasian men: a prospective cohort study.Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2022Article
- The Effects of Repeated Thermal Stress on the Physiological Parameters of Young Physically Active Men Who Regularly Use the Sauna: A Multifactorial Assessment.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests beneficial effects of sauna bathing on the cardiovascular system. However, the effects of sauna bathing on parameters of cardiovascular function and blood-based biomarkers are uncertain. We aimed to investigate whether sauna bathing induces changes in arterial stiffness, blood pressure (BP), and several blood-based biomarkers. We conducted an experimental study including 102 participants (mean age (SD): 51.9 (9.2) years, 56% male) who had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Participants were exposed to a single sauna session (duration: 30 min; temperature: 73 °C; humidity: 10-20%). Cardiovascular as well as blood-based parameters were collected before, immediately after, and after 30-min recovery. Mean carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was 9.8 (2.4) m/s before sauna and decreased to 8.6 (1.6) m/s immediately after sauna (p < 0.0001). Mean systolic BP decreased after sauna exposure from 137 (16) to 130 (14) mmHg (p < 0.0001) and diastolic BP from 82 (10) to 75 (9) mmHg (p < 0.0001). Systolic BP after 30 min recovery remained lower compared to pre-sauna levels. There were significant changes in hematological variables during sauna bathing. Plasma creatinine levels increased slightly from sauna until recovery period, whereas sodium and potassium levels remained constant. This study demonstrates that sauna bathing for 30 min has beneficial effects on arterial stiffness, BP, and some blood-based biomarkers. These findings may provide new insights underlying the emerging associations between sauna bathing and reduced risk of cardiovascular outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.