Sauna – is it safe if you have high blood pressure?

Especially in Nordic countries, regular sauna visits are a natural part of everyday life. Besides being a way to maintain social contacts, they are also said to benefit health. But does that hold true when blood pressure is elevated? Could sauna even have a positive effect on blood pressure levels?

Sauna can also broadly mean a steam room or an infrared cabin, but here we refer to the classic Finnish sauna. This is characterized by very high temperatures of 80 – 100 degrees Celsius with relatively low humidity. The wooden sauna cabin is heated by a stove with stones on it. Pouring water, often mixed with fragrant essences, onto these stones briefly raises the humidity and promotes sweating.

Sauna sessions usually don't last very long, typically between 10 and 15 minutes, and may be shorter depending on how you feel. They end with a cold shower or a brief plunge into cold water. This is followed by a rest period before the next sauna session.

It is well established that this practice strengthens the immune system and that regular sauna users catch colds less often, provided that they are healthy.

So what about existing high blood pressure? Are regular visits to the hot room possible or even recommended for people with hypertension?

A sauna session does put strain on the cardiovascular system - that's a fact. Due to the heat exposure, the body's temperature rises to as high as 40 °C while in the sauna, triggering a stress response comparable to light physical exercise. Stress hormones are released, heart rate increases, and blood pressure rises while you are sitting or lying in the sauna. Only during the rest period after or between sauna sessions does blood pressure fall, and it often remains lower than before for an extended period.

Therefore, for people with high blood pressure, sauna visits are possible provided blood pressure is well controlled, including under stress. However, especially for people who are untrained or who have other medical conditions, a doctor should first check whether they can tolerate the strain. Some conditions, such as heart failure or repeated severe blood pressure spikes, may rule out sauna visits.

If the doctor gives the green light, you should ease into sauna sessions and first get used to the heat in lower-temperature saunas, such as a bio-sauna or a steam sauna, which also has much higher humidity. You should also increase the time spent in the sauna gradually until a training or habituation effect sets in.

It is important for people with high blood pressure to cool down gently after a sauna session. That means avoiding the ice-cold waterfall shower or plunge pool and instead cooling down slowly in the air or taking a lukewarm shower. The mandatory rest period between two sauna sessions should not be shortened; the 30 minutes of rest should be observed.

According to studies, those who follow these recommendations also do their blood pressure some good in the long term. Blood pressure does not only drop briefly or immediately after a sauna session, but often remains lower over the long term. This was observed in studies that were, admittedly, not randomized. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure fell significantly in people with hypertension who regularly used a sauna. After 3 months, systolic pressure had decreased by 23 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 9 mmHg.

Studies suggest that regular sauna visits particularly benefit the blood vessels. Heat appears to have anti-inflammatory effects and also reduces stress. This also applies to the cardiovascular system; sauna sessions seem to have a positive effect on cardiovascular health. Some researchers even suggest that regular sauna bathing could, in some cases, replace a workout session.

Conclusion:

Regular sauna sessions are also possible for people with high blood pressure and can offer them health benefits. However, blood pressure must be well controlled, and there must be no other medical conditions that argue against sauna use. Before your first sauna, consult a doctor if necessary to determine whether and at what intensity sauna visits are possible. After each session, avoid the cold shock of a plunge pool or waterfall shower; instead, cool down gradually in the air or take a lukewarm shower.

Sources:

This article is from Tensana – the leading app since 2011, helping hundreds of thousands of people monitor their blood pressure every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 01/2026).

Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as outpatient care, and has headed the specialist editorial team at Tensana since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as an emergency medical technician, first responder, and in various areas of therapy and emergency care, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably verified information.

Sauna – is it safe if you have high blood pressure?

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