The effects of sauna on sleep and climate adaptation

The use of saunas (and passive heating) has been shown to help humans acclimate to heat, improve cardiovascular physiology, and alter sleep quality. However, naturally occurring high temperatures, such as heat waves, have been shown to negatively affect human physiology and sleep. With the frequency and duration of extreme heat events increasing, simple and inexpensive interventions are needed to mitigate their impact on the general public. Our aim is to understand the physiological and psychological mechanisms by which heat alters sleep in a community setting and to determine if the use of saunas can help people adapt to extreme heat events. This project presents an exciting opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary team to examine whether saunas affect sleep and if their use can help humans adapt to extreme heat events.