ReviewEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2018
Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review.
Review in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effects of hot-water immersion on cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health of healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Physiological reports · 2026Pooled it
- Factors Confounding the Athlete Biological Passport: A Systematic Narrative Review.Sports medicine - open · 2021Pooled it
- Passive heating and glycaemic control in non-diabetic and diabetic individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2019Pooled it
- Can We Protect Our Hearts by Sweating Out Excess Sodium?Exercise and sport sciences reviews · 2026Review
- Acute Heat Exposure-Related Illness: A Unified Emergency Medicine Framework for Hot Baths, Hot Springs, and Saunas-A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Sweating out stress: sauna bathing's rising role in mental health recovery.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Article
- Thermal stress: an untapped potential in rehabilitation? An opinion paper on Finnish sauna and whole-body cryostimulation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Review
- Women's perceptions of sauna bathing and its impact on health and well-being: insights from a cross-sectional study.International journal of circumpolar health · 2025Article
- Acute Finnish sauna heating and cold water immersion effects on cardiovascular dynamic response in normotensive women.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Synergistic Effect of Heat Therapy and Electroacupuncture Treatment in Inflammatory Pain Mouse Models.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Effects of Fish Oil with Heat Treatment on Obesity, Inflammation, and Gut Microbiota in Ovariectomized Mice.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Sauna use as a novel management approach for cardiovascular health and peripheral arterial disease.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Review
- Examining the Impact of Far-Infrared Technology on Quality of Life in Older Adults.International journal of aging & human development · 2024Article
- Physical properties and biological effects of ceramic materials emitting infrared radiation for pain, muscular activity, and musculoskeletal conditions.Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine · 2023Review
- 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
- The Influence of Ambient Temperature Changes on the Indicators of Inflammation and Oxidative Damage in Blood after Submaximal Exercise.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Engineering 2D Silicene-Based Mesoporous Nanomedicine for In Vivo Near-Infrared-Triggered Analgesia.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2022Article
- The Impact of High Ambient Temperature on Human Sperm Parameters: A Meta-Analysis.Iranian journal of public health · 2022Review
- Physiological Response to Thermal Stress in Obese vs. Non-Obese Physically Inactive Men.Biology · 2022Article
- The impact of heat therapy on neuromuscular function and muscle atrophy in diabetic rats.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionMany health benefits are claimed by individuals and facilities promoting sauna bathing; however the medical evidence to support these claims is not well established. This paper aims to systematically review recent research on the effects of repeated dry sauna interventions on human health.
methodsA systematic search was made of medical databases for studies reporting on the health effects of regular dry sauna bathing on humans from 2000 onwards. Risk of bias was assessed according to the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines.
resultsForty clinical studies involving a total of 3855 participants met the inclusion criteria. Only 13 studies were randomized controlled trials and most studies were small (
conclusionsRegular dry sauna bathing has potential health benefits. More data of higher quality is needed on the frequency and extent of adverse side effects. Further study is also needed to determine the optimal frequency and duration of distinct types of sauna bathing for targeted health effects and the specific clinical populations who are most likely to benefit.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.