Oslo floating-sauna couple runs early study of heat and mood
Researchers are beginning to test whether heat can do for the brain what it already does for the heart, according to a Morning Edition consumer-health segment that NPR published Oct. 5. The report arrives as more people turn to saunas for their mental health even as researchers say the evidence behind that use remains limited.
Scientists have a decent understanding of how sauna use and other forms of heat exposure exercise the cardiovascular system, Will Stone reported for NPR. They know relatively little about heat’s impact on depression, anxiety, and mood. The new wave of studies is aimed at closing that gap.
Stone visited a floating sauna village in Oslo, where a husband-and-wife team is running one of the first trials on the link between sauna use and mental health. He also spoke with one of the leading researchers in the U.S. about her efforts to study the connection between heat and mood.
The central puzzle, Stone reported, is why heat appears to act as a powerful antidepressant. More studies are underway to understand the connection, and scientists know relatively little about heat’s impact on depression, anxiety, and mood, according to NPR.
The segment is part of NPR’s Morning Edition consumer-health coverage.