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Sauna Hype

The claim

“Regular cold exposure helps you live longer.”

Hot air. Nobody has followed people who use cold water to see how long they live. Reviews of winter swimming find physiological changes in small groups, and they can't tell whether swimmers were healthier to begin with.

Updated Sep 24, 2026 · 2 studies reviewed

Nothing solid supports it, or the evidence points the other way.

People say it in places like these

  • David Sinclair's podcast

    The show notes for his episode on stressors and longevity point to worms that live longer in the cold.

    See an example ↗

  • Fox News

    Hollywood stars take up cold plunges in their chase for the fountain of youth.

    See an example ↗

The research found this

The research on regular cold exposure consists of short experiments and small comparisons of winter swimmers with non-swimmers. A 2019 review of winter swimming called for prospective data to test the benefits it described.Source 1 · ReviewWinter Swimming: Body Hardening and Cardiorespiratory Protection Via Sustainable AcclimationManolis AS, Manolis SA, Manolis AA, et al.. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

A 2022 review judged 104 studies relevant, and many of them found physiological and biochemical effects of cold water. Small single-sex groups and varying water temperatures kept the authors from clear conclusions.Source 2 · ReviewHealth effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debateEspeland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2022.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ They added that it's unclear whether winter swimmers are simply healthier to begin with.

Two other narrative reviews describe benefits for experienced, healthy swimmers who build up gradually. Both warn that people unused to cold water can die from cold shock or hypothermia, and one adds that people with overt or hidden heart disease risk arrhythmias.Source 3 · ReviewCold Water Swimming—Benefits and Risks: A Narrative ReviewKnechtle B, Waśkiewicz Z, Sousa CV, et al.. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 1 · ReviewWinter Swimming: Body Hardening and Cardiorespiratory Protection Via Sustainable AcclimationManolis AS, Manolis SA, Manolis AA, et al.. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ A 1989 review judged the cold shock response probably responsible for most open-water immersion deaths.Source 4 · ReviewThe Initial Responses to Cold-Water Immersion in ManTipton MJ. Clinical Science, 1989.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

The dial reads 88°H for four reasons

How the reading adds up

24 + 18 + 24 + 22 = 88°H

  1. EvidenceWhat kind of evidence exists in people?

    24/25

    No cohort study or trial has measured lifespan or deaths in people who use cold water. A 2022 review of 104 studies found physiological effects in small single-sex groups and couldn't draw clear conclusions from them.Source 2 · ReviewHealth effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debateEspeland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2022.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

  2. ConsistencyHas the finding held up?

    18/25

    With no outcome studies, nothing has been replicated. Narrative reviews range from one that sees cardiovascular benefits for healthy people who adapt gradually to one that finds some claimed benefits still at the level of anecdote.Source 1 · ReviewWinter Swimming: Body Hardening and Cardiorespiratory Protection Via Sustainable AcclimationManolis AS, Manolis SA, Manolis AA, et al.. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 5 · ReviewCold water immersion: kill or cure?Tipton MJ, Collier N, Massey H, et al.. Experimental Physiology, 2017.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

  3. MagnitudeDoes the claim match the size of the effect?

    24/25

    The claim describes a gain in lifespan that no study has measured. The closest results are short-term marker changes, like a rise in insulin sensitivity after ten days in a cold room.Source 6 · Clinical trialShort-term cold acclimation improves insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitusHanssen MJW, Hoeks J, Brans B, et al.. Nature Medicine, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

  4. DoseDoes the studied protocol match how people use it?

    22/25

    Regular cold exposure in the research ranges from 20-second dips in near-freezing water to 14-minute swims, and nobody has tied any of it to survival.Source 7 · Clinical trialEffects of long‐term whole‐body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta‐endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy femalesLeppäluoto J, Westerlund T, Huttunen P, et al.. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 2008.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 8 · Cohort studyHabitual cold-water swimming and upper respiratory tract infectionCollier N, Lomax M, Harper M, et al.. Rhinology journal, 2021.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

The claim drifts from the data here

Winter swimmers choose their hobby, and people who tolerate cold water well may differ from people who don't. The authors of the Søberg study raised that point about their own swimmers, and the 2022 review couldn't say whether winter swimmers were healthier from the start.Source 9 · Cross-sectional studyAltered brown fat thermoregulation and enhanced cold-induced thermogenesis in young, healthy, winter-swimming menSøberg S, Löfgren J, Philipsen FE, et al.. Cell Reports Medicine, 2021.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 2 · ReviewHealth effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debateEspeland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2022.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

The metabolic results behind the idea come from short lab protocols. In the biggest one, ten days of about six hours a day in cold air raised insulin sensitivity 43% in eight men with type 2 diabetes, and a milder repeat found no change.Source 6 · Clinical trialShort-term cold acclimation improves insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitusHanssen MJW, Hoeks J, Brans B, et al.. Nature Medicine, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 10 · Clinical trialMetabolic responses to mild cold acclimation in type 2 diabetes patientsRemie CME, Moonen MPB, Roumans KHM, et al.. Nature Communications, 2021.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

Put it to use

If you like cold water, do it for the enjoyment, and build up gradually if you swim outdoors. About four immersions are enough to blunt the breathing and heart-rate surge of the first minute, and a review of the physiology names that surge as the likely cause of most open-water immersion deaths.Source 11 · Meta-analysisHabituation of the cold shock response: A systematic review and meta-analysisBarwood MJ, Eglin C, Hills SP, et al.. Journal of Thermal Biology, 2024.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 4 · ReviewThe Initial Responses to Cold-Water Immersion in ManTipton MJ. Clinical Science, 1989.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

From our sister magazine

Sauna Monthly compares the cold plunge tubs it tracks

Sauna Monthly · Shop

Cold plunge tubs range from ice barrels to chillers

Sauna Monthly compares every tub it tracks on price and cooling.

Read it on Sauna Monthly

People also ask

Do cold water swimmers live longer?

Nobody knows. Winter swimmers have never been followed to count deaths, and a 2022 review said it's unclear whether swimmers are healthier to begin with.Source 2 · ReviewHealth effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debateEspeland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2022.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

Is cold water swimming good for your heart?

A 2019 review says winter swimming seems to carry cardiovascular benefits for healthy people who adapt gradually. It also warns that people with overt or hidden heart disease risk arrhythmias, and it calls for prospective data to settle the question.Source 1 · ReviewWinter Swimming: Body Hardening and Cardiorespiratory Protection Via Sustainable AcclimationManolis AS, Manolis SA, Manolis AA, et al.. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

Check these claims next

36°H

Likely

Heat

“Regular sauna use helps you live longer.”

One Finnish cohort ties frequent sauna use to fewer deaths. With longer follow-up the gap shrank from 40% to about 14%, and it disappeared in the fittest men and in women's heart deaths.

18°H

Solid

Cold

“The first minute in cold water is the most dangerous part.”

Sudden immersion in cold water sets off a gasp and uncontrollable fast breathing that peak in the first minute, and breathing control usually returns after about a minute. Water-safety researchers attribute about 60% of deaths in the first minutes of immersion to this cold shock.

62°H

Stretched

Cold

“Cold exposure improves insulin sensitivity by 43%.”

The 43% came from eight men with type 2 diabetes who spent about six hours a day in 14–15°C air for ten days. When the same group repeated it at 16–17°C and kept people from shivering, insulin sensitivity didn't improve.

We cited these sources

  1. 01Manolis AS, Manolis SA, Manolis AA, Manolis TA, Apostolaki N, Melita H. Winter Swimming: Body Hardening and Cardiorespiratory Protection Via Sustainable Acclimation. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2019;18(11):401-415. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000653 PMID 31702722
  2. 02Espeland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debate. International Journal of Circumpolar Health. 2022;81(1):2111789. doi:10.1080/22423982.2022.2111789 PMID 36137565
  3. 03Knechtle B, Waśkiewicz Z, Sousa CV, Hill L, Nikolaidis PT. Cold Water Swimming—Benefits and Risks: A Narrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(23):8984. doi:10.3390/ijerph17238984 PMID 33276648
  4. 04Tipton MJ. The Initial Responses to Cold-Water Immersion in Man. Clinical Science. 1989;77(6):581-588. doi:10.1042/cs0770581 PMID 2691172
  5. 05Tipton MJ, Collier N, Massey H, Corbett J, Harper M. Cold water immersion: kill or cure?. Experimental Physiology. 2017;102(11):1335-1355. doi:10.1113/EP086283 PMID 28833689
  6. 06Hanssen MJW, Hoeks J, Brans B, van der Lans AAJJ, Schaart G, van den Driessche JJ, et al.. Short-term cold acclimation improves insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nature Medicine. 2015;21(8):863-865. doi:10.1038/nm.3891 PMID 26147760
  7. 07Leppäluoto J, Westerlund T, Huttunen P, Oksa J, Smolander J, Dugué B, et al.. Effects of long‐term whole‐body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta‐endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy females. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. 2008;68(2):145-153. doi:10.1080/00365510701516350 PMID 18382932
  8. 08Collier N, Lomax M, Harper M, Tipton M, Massey H. Habitual cold-water swimming and upper respiratory tract infection. Rhinology journal. 2021;59(5):485-487. doi:10.4193/Rhin21.068 PMID 34428265
  9. 09Søberg S, Löfgren J, Philipsen FE, Jensen M, Hansen AE, Ahrens E, et al.. Altered brown fat thermoregulation and enhanced cold-induced thermogenesis in young, healthy, winter-swimming men. Cell Reports Medicine. 2021;2(10):100408. doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2021.100408 PMID 34755128
  10. 10Remie CME, Moonen MPB, Roumans KHM, Nascimento EBM, Gemmink A, Havekes B, et al.. Metabolic responses to mild cold acclimation in type 2 diabetes patients. Nature Communications. 2021;12(1):1516. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-21813-0 PMID 33750795
  11. 11Barwood MJ, Eglin C, Hills SP, Johnston N, Massey H, McMorris T, et al.. Habituation of the cold shock response: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Thermal Biology. 2024;119:103775. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103775 PMID 38211547