Safety · 14
4–8 wk
to wait after a heart attack before using a sauna, per a Finnish review
Heart patients and pregnant women should check with a doctor first.
In small studies, people with stable heart disease handled sauna sessions well. Finnish experts advise staying out for four to eight weeks after a heart attack and whenever chest pain is prolonged or unstable.Source 1 · ReviewHealth effects and risks of sauna bathingKukkonen-Harjula K, Kauppinen K. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2006.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ In pregnancy, the reassuring data cover up to 20 minutes at around 70°C.Source 2 · Systematic reviewHeat stress and fetal risk. Environmental limits for exercise and passive heat stress during pregnancy: a systematic review with best evidence synthesisRavanelli N, Casasola W, English T, et al.. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
Try this
If you have heart disease or you're pregnant, talk to your doctor or midwife before you start, and keep sessions shorter and cooler if you get the go-ahead.
