Joe Rogan is almost singlehandedly responsible for the massive marketing and consumption boost in nootropics, namely Alpha Brain by Onnit. Now, the world turns its eye to another of Rogan’s health regimens—saunas.
We all know that saunas are a distinct part of many professional athletes’ own health regimens and Joe Rogan backs that up with his own. What do saunas have to offer that is so special in terms of health? Is Joe Rogan right?
There’s little doubt that nootropics in general have a lot to offer and the same can be said of saunas. Professional athletes don’t use these things because they just like to sit around and sweat, after all.
What Sauna Does Joe Rogan Use?
Joe Rogan uses both traditional saunas and infrared saunas, both of which provide exactly what he’s looking for, which is an extreme temperature challenge that results in both mental and physical improvements.
Recently, he endorsed Salus Saunas and, if you know much about Joe Rogan at this point, you know that he doesn’t blithely endorse anything. Instead, he endorses the things that he uses or things that produce the same results as his own methodologies produce.
With all of the recent hoopla over saunas and their efficacy, there are numerous studies opening up and some have already come and gone. These studies indicate that infrared saunas improve your overall health, specifically in terms of cardiovascular health.
They improve the circulatory system and better blood flow has a direct impact on a number of physical and mental attributes. For instance, blood is responsible for delivering oxygen to the cells. A better highway for the transportation of oxygen means that all of your organs, including your brain, are better supplied.
What is Joe Rogan’s Sauna Routine?
Joe doesn’t play around when it comes to a sauna routine. He is known for cranking the temperature up to well north of 150°F. Since the current studies suggest 4x a week for optimal health benefits, Rogan follows that routine, visiting the sauna 4x per week.
He only spends between 15 and 20 minutes inside the sauna but that makes sense. When the thermostat is set to 190°F, the body can’t physically tolerate that level of heat for prolonged periods.
Once the temperature of your body elevates beyond 105°F, bad things start to happen, including the potential for heat stroke as your brain begins to slow cook inside of its shell. Of course, Joe drinks plenty of water as well, because staying hydrated is critical to using a sauna on a regular basis.
How Often Does Joe Rogan Discuss Saunas and Their Benefits?
The first time that saunas entered the realm of public discourse, with Joe Rogan serving as the conduit, was when Dr. Rhonda Patrick joined Joe’s podcast and discussed their many health benefits.
If not for her, Joe may never have gotten into the entire sauna thing. It’s possible that he still would have but it might have taken a little longer for the prospect to entice him. Since that particular podcast, there have been a large and varied number of instances where saunas became the topic of discussion on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
What we do know from his discussions is that Joe doesn’t necessarily stick to either a traditional sauna or an infrared sauna setting. What he does is switch them out depending on what kind of health benefits he’s looking for on that particular day.
According to various studies, traditional saunas are supposed to reduce the mortality rate by up to 40%, while infrared saunas improve your cardiovascular system. Of course, that’s not the only health benefit you get from each type of sauna.
In fact, both types of saunas offer a reduction in mortality and cardiovascular health benefits. It’s just that one does so better than the other and vice versa.
Benefits of an Infrared Sauna
- Reduction in aches and pains
- Skin improvement
- Reduction in visible cellulite
- Heart rate increase, mimicking exercise
- Increased immunity function
- Detoxification
- Improved metabolism
- Reduction in stress and fatigue
Benefits of a Traditional Sauna
- Detoxification
- Improved circulation
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Reduces signs of aging
- Stress reduction
- Hormonal balance
- Weight loss
- Improved healing
What Joe Rogan Thinks the Benefits Are
The above-listed benefits are exactly what Joe Rogan thinks the health benefits of saunas are. It’s because of those known factors that Rogan got into the whole sauna routine, to begin with.
According to Joe Rogan, “Discomfort is your friend. Deep breathing in the sauna leaves me with a strange euphoria, and a general sense of calm when it’s over.” He’s describing the mental health benefits of the process, most of which are improved by the health benefits to the body.
For instance, when you experience runner’s high, your brain is pumping out endorphins from the exercise. The existence of those endorphins is obviously going to improve your overall mental health because you feel good. It’s the same thing here.
It’s often been said that 90% of working out is mental and that’s true to a very large degree. When you’re in the gym and your mind is focused on mass or muscular improvement or weight loss, the process becomes easier and the effects are compounded.
Joe Rogan feels like his friend, Ethan Suplee, was able to lose weight when he was north of 500lbs, all thanks to the weight loss health benefits of saunas. After Joe climbs out of the 190° sauna, he takes a shocking submersion into an ice bath, which lasts an additional two minutes.
All-in-all, the entire process takes about 22 minutes in total. The shocks to the body are significant but it’s clear that Joe Rogan believes in the multitude of health benefits offered by saunas and there is enough science out there now to bear him out.
Bottom Line
Fortunately, Joe Rogan’s rapacious approach to saunas isn’t something that is only available to the rich. Saunas are decently affordable. You may not be able to grab one of those crazy, high-tech versions that he has but something far simpler will do the exact same thing and offer the same benefits.
Joe Rogan is clearly sold on the benefits of saunas and there are enough in terms of scientific studies to support his belief in them. Perhaps its time to take him up on it and try it for yourself.
If you enjoyed this article, check out our page listing the books mentioned on the Joe Rogan Experience!