Inhaling hot sauna air does not meaningfully reduce overall common-cold symptoms.
Inhaling hot, dry sauna air after a common cold begins does not appear to meaningfully reduce its overall symptom burden. In a randomized, single-blind trial, researchers assigned 157 adults with a newly acquired cold to inhale either hot, dry air or room-temperature dry air while seated in a sauna. Treatment continued for three days, with follow-up through day seven.
Overall symptom severity over time did not differ significantly between groups. The mean area-under-the-curve difference was -3.9 points (95% CI, -9.7 to 1.9; p = 0.19). The investigators observed differences in a few secondary measurements on individual days, but these did not translate into a significant overall treatment effect.
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This study addressed treatment, not prevention. Its null result does not rule out the possibility that repeated sauna exposure affects future susceptibility to respiratory illness, but it does indicate that inhaling hot air after cold symptoms begin is not an effective stand-alone treatment.