Your body temperature naturally falls in the evening, and that drop is one of the signals that it is time to sleep.

The sauna warms you up. As you cool down afterwards, the blood vessels in your skin release the heat and the drop becomes steeper.

Timing

Finish your session 1 to 2 hours before bed, so you have time to cool down and your heart rate can settle. Studies of warm baths and showers found that this timing helps people fall asleep faster.

Most people in a large international survey of sauna users said the sauna improved their sleep.

Keep it calm

For sleep, choose a moderate session and a lukewarm shower rather than an intense round and an ice bath.

Sudden cold triggers a stress response that makes you more alert: the opposite of what you want before bed.

Compare the Health data you have

With your permission, compare available heart rate, HRV and sleep data. Missing measurements stay missing, and comparisons do not establish that sauna caused a change.

Keep temperature, humidity, sauna type and notes together. Return to your session history to compare your routine over time.

Explore the sauna timer and session log

Sources

  1. Hussain J., Greaves R., Cohen M. A hot topic for health: results of the Global Sauna Survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019.
  2. Haghayegh S. et al. Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2019.

General information, not medical advice.