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How Long to Sauna Cold Plunge for Key Benefits Dr Susanna S berg Dr Andrew Huber

Key Takeaways

11 minutes of total cold and heat exposure per week is sufficient for health benefits.
Cold exposure should be 1-2 minutes per session, while sauna sessions should last 10-15 minutes.
Exceeding 30 minutes in the sauna does not provide additional health benefits.
Dividing exposure into multiple sessions is more beneficial than a single long session.
The goal is to maintain a hormetic stress response without becoming too cold adapted.

11

Total minutes of cold exposure recommended per week

57

Total minutes of sauna use recommended per week

30

Maximum sauna time for additional benefits

Cold Exposure Benefits

1-2 minutes of cold exposure per session is effective.
Total of 11 minutes of cold exposure per week is recommended.

Sauna Benefits

10-15 minutes per sauna session is optimal.
Total of 57 minutes of sauna use per week is suggested.

Hormetic Stress Response

Short, repeated exposures are key for health benefits.
Avoid becoming too cold adapted to maintain effectiveness.

Notable Quotes

"You don't have to expose yourself very much to the heat or very much actually to the cold to get these healthy benefits."

"The goal is not to get so cold adapted that you can sit in for the full 11 minutes in one session."

"Dividing exposure into multiple sessions is more beneficial than a single long session."