Story · Heat
Watch the verbs heat up as a sauna study becomes news.
In February 2015 a Finnish paper linked frequent sauna use to fewer deaths, and the coverage took less than a day to turn that link into a promise.Source 1 · Cohort studyAssociation Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality EventsLaukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, et al.. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Scroll through the week's headlines and watch where each one lands on a ladder of verbs.
Scroll to open the paper ↓
PaperJAMA Internal MedicineFeb 23, 2015
Increased frequency of sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of SCD, CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality.
Main verbis associated with
Promises a result
Says it protects
Says it cuts the risk
Says it might
Reports a link
The paper
Monday, Feb 23, 2015
The paper says frequent sauna use is associated with fewer deaths
Researchers followed 2,315 men from eastern Finland for about 20 years. Men who took saunas four to seven times a week died less often than men who went once a week, and the paper's conclusion says frequent sauna bathing is associated with lower risk.Source 1 · Cohort studyAssociation Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality EventsLaukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, et al.. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
An editor's note in the same issue said nobody knows why the frequent bathers lived longer. It could be the heat, the relaxation, the time off or the company.Source 2 · ReviewHealth Benefits of Sauna BathingRedberg RF. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 3 · News reportSauna use associated with reduced risk of cardiac, all-cause mortalityJAMA Network. JAMA Network press release, reposted by ScienceDaily, 2015.Read the page ↗
The same day
A wire story says saunas help you live longer
An Associated Press story ran in The Guardian the day the paper came out. Its headline promised a longer life.Source 4 · News reportSaunas help you live longer, study findsAssociated Press. The Guardian, 2015.Read the page ↗
The line underneath mentioned Finnish men. Nothing near the top said the study only watched habits the men already had.
Also that Monday
The Daily Mail says even one sauna a week halves the risk
The Mail's headline said saunas could save your life and that even once a week halves the risk of dying from heart disease.Source 5 · News reportHow regular SAUNAS could save your life: Getting sweaty even once a week halves the risk of dying from heart diseaseHope J. Daily Mail, 2015.Read the page ↗ Once a week was the study's comparison group. The halving came from the men who went four to seven times a week, measured against the once-a-week men.Source 1 · Cohort studyAssociation Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality EventsLaukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, et al.. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
The article also compared frequent bathers with men who don't use saunas. The study had no such group, since only 12 of the 2,315 men didn't use saunas regularly.Source 6 · News reportStudy Links Sauna Use to Better Health – In FinlandHusten L. CardioExchange, NEJM Journal Watch, 2015.Read the page ↗
Tuesday, Feb 24
The journal's own release sticks with associated
JAMA Network's press release keeps association language from its headline down.Source 3 · News reportSauna use associated with reduced risk of cardiac, all-cause mortalityJAMA Network. JAMA Network press release, reposted by ScienceDaily, 2015.Read the page ↗ Time had already called the finding a strange connection.Source 7 · News reportThe Strange Connection Between Saunas and LongevityWorland J. Time, 2015.Read the page ↗
That Tuesday the Daily Express told its readers to live longer by sweating it out in the sauna.Source 8 · News reportLive longer by sweating it out in the saunaMorgan T. Daily Express, 2015.Read the page ↗
Wednesday, Feb 25
The university's release says saunas protect men
Two days after the paper, the University of Eastern Finland put out a release of its own. The headline says frequent sauna use protects men against cardiac death, and the first line says saunas can reduce the risk.Source 9 · News reportFrequent sauna use protects men against cardiac deathUniversity of Eastern Finland. University of Eastern Finland press release (archived), 2015.Read the page ↗
Of the two official releases we found, this is the one that uses a causal verb.
Through the week
Some outlets kept the link a link
Harvard Health's blog said linked.Source 10 · News reportSauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problemsMerz B. Harvard Health Blog, 2015.Read the page ↗ MinnPost wrote associated and ran a section of caveats on why this kind of study can't prove cause, with the absolute risks included.Source 11 · News reportFinnish saunas associated with living longer, say researchersPerry S. MinnPost, 2015.Read the page ↗
MinnPost still labelled the figures for death from any cause as heart deaths.
Six weeks later
The university's verb kept traveling
In April the Anchorage Daily News ran the study under a headline saying saunas protect against fatal coronary problems.Source 12 · News reportFinnish study: Saunas protect against fatal coronary problemsRosen Y. Anchorage Daily News, 2015.Read the page ↗ Protect is the verb from the university's release. Further down, the article said correlated and gave the men's ages.
The same men, three more times
The next papers from the same cohort drifted the same way
Dementia · December 2016
The paper
“Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men”Source 13 · Cohort studySauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish menLaukkanen T, Kunutsor S, Kauhanen J, et al.. Age and Ageing, 2017.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
The university
“Frequent sauna bathing protects men against dementia”Source 14 · News reportFrequent sauna bathing protects men against dementiaUniversity of Eastern Finland. University of Eastern Finland press release (archived), 2016.Read the page ↗
Daily Mail
“elderly men are 66% less likely to be diagnosed”Source 15 · News reportCan daily saunas reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's? Finnish study finds elderly men are 66% less likely to be diagnosed if they take hot treatments frequentlyDaily Mail. Daily Mail, 2016.Read the page ↗
The men were 42 to 60 when they joined the study. The Sun's story the same day called the sauna a steam room.Source 16 · News reportWorking up a sweat in the sauna 'lowers your risk of Alzheimer's disease'The Sun. The Sun, 2016.Read the page ↗
Read the claim on the dial →Stroke · May 2018
The paper
“Sauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke in Finnish men and women”Source 17 · Cohort studySauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke in Finnish men and womenKunutsor SK, Khan H, Zaccardi F, et al.. Neurology, 2018.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
The neurologists
“Saunas may be linked to lower stroke risk”Source 18 · News reportMore than relaxation? Saunas may be linked to lower stroke riskAmerican Academy of Neurology. EurekAlert! (archived), 2018.Read the page ↗
Daily Mail
“could cut your risk of STROKE by as much as 61%”Source 19 · News reportWhy a daily sauna could cut your risk of STROKE by as much as 61%: Study finds relaxing in high temperatures can reduce blood pressureDaily Mail. Daily Mail, 2018.Read the page ↗
This time the causal verb sat in the paper's own title, and the American Academy of Neurology's release was the careful one. The Mail's subhead said relaxing in the heat can reduce blood pressure, and this study didn't test that.
Read the claim on the dial →Blood pressure · September 2017
The paper
“Regular sauna bathing is associated with reduced risk of hypertension”Source 20 · Cohort studySauna Bathing and Incident Hypertension: A Prospective Cohort StudyZaccardi F, Laukkanen T, Willeit P, et al.. American Journal of Hypertension, 2017.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
The university
“Frequent sauna bathing keeps blood pressure in check”Source 21 · News reportFrequent sauna bathing keeps blood pressure in checkUniversity of Eastern Finland. University of Eastern Finland press release (archived), 2017.Read the page ↗
Daily Mail
“Want to lower your blood pressure? Go to a sauna”Source 22 · News reportWant to lower your blood pressure? Go to a saunaDaily Mail. Daily Mail, 2017.Read the page ↗
The Mail's article said the men cut their blood pressure by nearly half. The study measured their risk of developing high blood pressure.
Read the claim on the dial →Cold
The dopamine number grew with every retelling
The cold plunge dopamine figure made a similar trip, and its number grew along the way. Scroll to watch it grow.
In a 2022 episode on cold, Andrew Huberman gave the Prague study's dopamine rise as 250%, which he put as 2.5 times.Source 23 · PodcastUsing Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance (episode 66)Huberman A. Huberman Lab podcast, 2022.Read the page ↗ The study had measured dopamine in the blood of ten young men after an hour in 14°C water.Source 24 · Clinical trialHuman physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperaturesŠrámek P, Šimečková M, Janský L, et al.. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2000.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
This story touches these claims
We placed each headline by its strongest verb
We put each headline on the rung that matches its strongest verb, from reporting a link at the bottom to promising the reader a result at the top. The rungs are our judgment. The headline text is quoted exactly as each page printed it, from pages we loaded directly or through the Internet Archive in September 2026.
Coverage we couldn't load, including pages behind bot walls, is left out, so the ladder shows the headlines we could check and doesn't count every outlet that ran the story.
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We cited these sources
- 01Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2015;175(4):542-548. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187 PMID 25705824
- 02Redberg RF. Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2015;175(4):548. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8206 PMID 25706401
- 03JAMA Network. Sauna use associated with reduced risk of cardiac, all-cause mortality. JAMA Network press release, reposted by ScienceDaily. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 04Associated Press. Saunas help you live longer, study finds. The Guardian. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 05Hope J. How regular SAUNAS could save your life: Getting sweaty even once a week halves the risk of dying from heart disease. Daily Mail. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 06Husten L. Study Links Sauna Use to Better Health – In Finland. CardioExchange, NEJM Journal Watch. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 07Worland J. The Strange Connection Between Saunas and Longevity. Time. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 08Morgan T. Live longer by sweating it out in the sauna. Daily Express. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 09University of Eastern Finland. Frequent sauna use protects men against cardiac death. University of Eastern Finland press release (archived). 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 10Merz B. Sauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems. Harvard Health Blog. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 11Perry S. Finnish saunas associated with living longer, say researchers. MinnPost. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 12Rosen Y. Finnish study: Saunas protect against fatal coronary problems. Anchorage Daily News. 2015. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 13Laukkanen T, Kunutsor S, Kauhanen J, Laukkanen JA. Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men. Age and Ageing. 2017;46(2):245-249. doi:10.1093/ageing/afw212 PMID 27932366
- 14University of Eastern Finland. Frequent sauna bathing protects men against dementia. University of Eastern Finland press release (archived). 2016. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 15Daily Mail. Can daily saunas reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's? Finnish study finds elderly men are 66% less likely to be diagnosed if they take hot treatments frequently. Daily Mail. 2016. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 16The Sun. Working up a sweat in the sauna 'lowers your risk of Alzheimer's disease'. The Sun. 2016. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 17Kunutsor SK, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen T, Willeit P, Laukkanen JA. Sauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke in Finnish men and women. Neurology. 2018;90(22):e1937-e1944. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000005606 PMID 29720543
- 18American Academy of Neurology. More than relaxation? Saunas may be linked to lower stroke risk. EurekAlert! (archived). 2018. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 19Daily Mail. Why a daily sauna could cut your risk of STROKE by as much as 61%: Study finds relaxing in high temperatures can reduce blood pressure. Daily Mail. 2018. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 20Zaccardi F, Laukkanen T, Willeit P, Kunutsor SK, Kauhanen J, Laukkanen JA. Sauna Bathing and Incident Hypertension: A Prospective Cohort Study. American Journal of Hypertension. 2017;30(11):1120-1125. doi:10.1093/ajh/hpx102 PMID 28633297
- 21University of Eastern Finland. Frequent sauna bathing keeps blood pressure in check. University of Eastern Finland press release (archived). 2017. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 22Daily Mail. Want to lower your blood pressure? Go to a sauna. Daily Mail. 2017. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 23Huberman A. Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance (episode 66). Huberman Lab podcast. 2022. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 24Šrámek P, Šimečková M, Janský L, et al.. Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2000;81(5):436-442. doi:10.1007/s004210050065 PMID 10751106
- 25Brain Mindset. Neuroscientist: 'Cold Showers increase Your Dopamine by 250%'. YouTube. 2022. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.
- 26Agate S. Cold Plunges Spike Dopamine Up to 500x and Rewire Your Brain. Kansas City Star, syndicated on Yahoo Health. 2026. Accessed Sep 24, 2026.