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From floating saunas to clinical trials: How heat might help mental health

Oct 5, 2026 · Will Stone

Originally published by NPR News Read the original

From floating saunas to clinical trials: How heat might help mental health
Tony Stepanow, from Finland, attends a sauna during the International Sauna Congress 2026 in Oslo, Norway, Sept. 25, 2026.
Tony Stepanow, from Finland, attends a sauna during the International Sauna Congress 2026 in Oslo, Norway, Sept. 25, 2026.

While scientists have a decent understanding of how sauna and other forms of heat exposure exercises our cardiovascular system, they know relatively little about its impact on mental health.

(Image credit: Siv Dolmen for NPR)

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