David PerlmutterPresident,, Perlmutter Health Center · Board-Certified Neurologist | Functional Medicine Pioneer | #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author | International Speaker | Host of The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

Can Sauna Use Lower Your Alzheimer’s Risk?

17 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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1:17

In this brief monologue, Dr. David Perlmutter, a board‑certified neurologist, proposes that regular sauna bathing may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. He notes observational studies showing an association between frequent sauna use and reduced incidence of these conditions, while acknowledging that sauna users often adopt healthier lifestyles, which must be accounted for as confounders. He suggests a possible biological mechanism: heat (or cold) stress activates gene pathways and induces thermal shock proteins that could protect the brain. He concludes by emphasizing the relaxation benefits of sauna and encouraging viewers to consider it as a lifestyle habit that might support brain health.

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What if a simple activity like sitting in a sauna could help reduce your risk for Alzheimer's disease? Hello, I'm Dr. David Perlmutter. I'm a board-certified neurologist, and my interest is in looking at— I hate to call them hacks— but lifestyle issues that relate to either increasing risk of things like Alzheimer's or other neurodegenerative conditions, or decreasing your risk. And sauna seems to be on the list of the latter. In other words, we see a lot of data that associates people who frequently use a sauna with having a lowered risk for Alzheimer's disease. Now, people who use saunas are generally involved a little bit more in healthy lifestyle choices, so you have to correct for that. But by and large, if we take it apart, we understand that raising your body temperature, or in that, in fact, lowering your body temperature with cold plunging, challenges certain gene pathways, turns them on, And these thermal shock proteins that are produced may actually be very beneficial to the brain. That's at least one possible mechanism. But having said that, gosh, it's a relaxing way to spend some time. And as I mentioned, the literature really does show a significant association between frequent sauna use and a lowered rate of cardiovascular disease as well as Alzheimer's. So give it some thought. Bye-bye, everyone.