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[@BryanJohnson] Is Sauna ACTUALLY Good For You? (90-Day Experiment)

· 6 min read
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@BryanJohnson - "Is Sauna ACTUALLY Good For You? (90-Day Experiment)"

Link: https://youtu.be/kiUM92VDI1Y

Short Summary​

Brian Johnson, known for his extreme health protocols, conducted a 30-day experiment with daily dry saunas (20 minutes at 200°F) and discovered significant improvements in cardiovascular health and toxin reduction. However, he also learned the importance of electrolyte replenishment and testicular cooling, demonstrating the power and potential risks of sauna therapy.

Key Quotes​

Here are five quotes extracted from the provided transcript:

  1. "Multiple long-term studies linked four or more sessions of dry finished sauna per week with a 40% reduced risk of all-cause mortality. In other words, they were about 40% less likely to die from anything during the study compared to people who didn't do sauna. That number is gigantic."

  2. "By heating up your skin way faster than your core, Finnish Sauna quickly flips your core to skin temperature gradient. This makes your body work on overdrive. The heart pumps blood up to 70% faster to get sweat to your skin to cool down. This gives cardiovascular effects similar to zone 1 or two cardio."

  3. "After 23 sessions, my cardiovascular results also continued to improve. Central pressure readings were down significantly, putting even less pressure on my organs, and my resting heart rate, a major marker for recovery and fitness, had dropped by 4.4%."

  4. "There were significant reductions in the levels of toxins inside my body. Three went from being abnormally high to undetectable, and there was a huge drop across the board. This was beyond anything we'd expected. It was the best toxins result I'd ever received. As far as we could tell, this result was a pretty unique outcome according to the scientific literature. It seemed to suggest that sauna is potentially one of the best things you can do to detox your body."

  5. "A 200° sauna with no ice protection led to a 50% reduction of my fertility markers across the board. So, boys, definitely ice your boys. But the good news is my blood pressure and my vascular health improved a lot. My arteries became 25 to 50% more flexible, effectively deaging them by about 10 years and giving me the vascular markers of a healthy 20-year-old."

Detailed Summary​

Here's a detailed summary of the YouTube video transcript, broken down into bullet points:

Introduction & Initial Hesitation:

  • The speaker (Brian) has experimented with numerous health protocols.
  • He initially hesitated to try sauna, despite its popularity and long history.

Sauna's Popularity and Finnish Research:

  • Sauna use is incredibly common in Finland (more saunas than cars).
  • Finnish studies show a correlation between frequent dry sauna use (4+ times per week) and a significant (40%) reduction in all-cause mortality.
  • This mortality reduction rivals that of weight loss for obese individuals or quitting smoking.
  • Initial concerns: Results mainly from Finland, a cold climate, and a population with a small gene pool. Could it work for everyone? Does sauna add anything if you already exercise?

Starting the Sauna Protocol (Blueprint):

  • Motivated by his physician, Dr. Mike Malin.
  • Aims to find the best 30-day protocol based on scientific literature.
  • Installed a dry Finnish sauna at home.
  • Protocol: 20 minutes at 200°F (83°C), 7 days a week.
  • Challenges: Initial sessions felt extremely hot and intense. Used breathing exercises and an ice pack on head to cope.

Experiments & Initial Issues:

  • Questions to answer: Does sauna stack with exercise benefits? Does it help remove toxins? What is the impact on fertility?
  • Plan: Baseline biomarker testing followed by testing after 21 sessions.
  • Problem: Severe leg cramps and worsening sleep.

Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalance:

  • Dr. Mike's hypothesis: Rapid skin heating causes the body to work hard to cool down via sweating, leading to dehydration and mineral loss.
  • Confirmed using a Gatorade patch: the speaker is a "salty sweater" losing a lot of sodium.
  • Solution: Increased electrolyte intake before and after sauna sessions.

Early Results (After 7 Sessions):

  • Fewer cramps.
  • Vascular markers improved.
  • Central systolic blood pressure decreased (5.83% less pressure on organs).
  • Improved arterial flexibility (heat-induced vasodilation).

Concerns About Toxins and Solutions:

  • Worried about potential toxins in sauna materials and clothing.
  • Solutions: Use cotton clothing, avoid putting water on the rocks, shower immediately after the sauna.

Fertility Concerns and Ice Diaper:

  • Concerned that heat could negatively impact fertility markers.
  • Solution: Wears an "ice diaper" (ice packs) to keep testicles cool during sauna sessions.
  • Human testes operate at a cooler temperature, and even a small rise in temperature can impair sperm production.

Type of Sauna:

  • Focuses on dry Finnish sauna because most research is based on it.
  • Dry saunas have lower humidity (10-20%) and higher temperatures (175-200F) to provide thermal and cardiovascular stress.
  • Wet saunas can't reach high temperatures without burning due to the high humidity (100%).
  • Infrared saunas do not get hot enough to match existing studies on sauna benefits.

Results After 23 Sessions:

  • Significant reduction in toxins in the body. Three toxins became undetectable.
  • Cardiovascular results continued to improve.
  • Resting heart rate dropped by 4.4%.
  • Fertility markers unexpectedly improved by 31%.

Second Phase: Effects Without Icing & Extended Use:

  • Traveled to Europe and could not continue sauna sessions.
  • Resumed for second phase - goal of 48 total sessions.
  • Objectives: See if results continued, stayed the same, or worsened. Stop icing testicles to assess the impact.

Results After 48 Sessions (Without Icing):

  • Fertility markers plummeted (50% reduction across the board) due to cooking the boys.
  • Blood pressure and vascular health improved significantly. Arteries became 25-50% more flexible.
  • VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) surged.
  • Concludes that sauna and exercise together are worth stacking for benefits.

Recommendations for Doing Sauna Safely:

  • Frequency: 3-5 sessions per week.
  • Duration: 15-20 minutes per session.
  • Temperature: 175-200°F (80-93°C).
  • Type: Dry over wet or infrared.
  • Timing: After exercise.
  • Safety: Gradually increase temperature, use a damp cloth for breathing if needed, stay hydrated with electrolytes.
  • Men: Cool testicles with non-toxic ice packs.
  • Toxins: Wear cotton, bamboo, or go naked. Avoid synthetic fabrics. Don't put water on the rocks. Shower immediately after.
  • Sauna Choice: Choose non-toxic materials; check air quality.
  • Contraindications: Pregnancy, heart conditions, etc.
  • Alternative: Exercise.

Concluding Notes:

  • Started icing testicles again, and fertility markers are improving.