Essentials: Benefits of Sauna & Deliberate Heat Exposure

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 30.3K Ratings

🗓️ 12 March 2026

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I discuss the mechanisms through which deliberate heat exposure enhances both physical and mental health. I outline specific protocols for deliberate heat exposure, including recommended temperature ranges, frequency, timing, duration and sauna alternatives. In addition, I explain how to tailor your heat protocols to support your specific goals, such as increasing growth hormone, reducing cortisol or supporting cognitive health. Read the show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Heat Exposure (00:00:47) Shell vs Core Temperature; Heat Caution & Hyperthermia (00:02:24) Body & Brain Circuit to Heat Up & Cool Down (00:05:31) Sponsor: AG1 (00:06:55) Deliberate Heat Exposure & Health Benefits; Tool: Sauna Temperature Range, Duration, Frequency (00:112:09) Sauna Types, Alternatives to Sauna (00:13:50) Sauna Mechanism; Reduced Cortisol; Tool: Hot/Cold Contrast (00:17:38) Sponsor: LMNT (00:19:10) Heat Shock Protein Activation & Sauna (00:20:50) DNA Repair, FOXO3 & Sauna, Cognition & Health Benefits (00:24:21) Sauna & Increase Growth Hormone (00:30:18) Sponsor: Eight Sleep (00:31:36) Sauna Timing, Sleep & Growth Hormone, Tools: Fasting; Hydration (00:34:56) Improve Mood, Endorphins & Sauna; Dynorphins (00:40:04) Recap Sauna Protocols: Benefits, Frequency, Duration & Timing Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Huberman Lab Essentials,
0:02.4	where we revisit past episodes
0:04.4	for the most potent and actionable science-based tools
0:07.6	for mental health, physical health, and performance.
0:11.9	I'm Andrew Huberman and I'm a professor
0:13.7	of neurobiology and ophthalmology
0:15.9	at Stanford School of Medicine.
0:17.7	Today we are talking about the science of heat.
0:20.5	Heat is a remarkable stimulus,
0:23.2	meaning when we are in a hot environment,
0:25.5	it has a profound effect on our biology.
0:28.4	So we're going to talk about the science of heat and heating,
0:31.3	both in terms of their mechanisms,
0:33.3	and as I know many of you are interested in,
0:36.0	the tools related to the use of heat,
0:38.5	things like sauna, how often to do sauna,
0:41.7	how long to be in the sauna,
0:43.1	how hot to be in the sauna for particular goals and outcomes.
0:47.4	We heat up two ways.
0:49.7	We heat up from the outside,
0:52.0	meaning the things that we come into contact with, the clothing that we put on our body, whether or not there's heat in the outside, meaning the things that we come into contact with,
0:54.4	the clothing that we put on our body,
	...

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