642: The science of sweat, saunas & stress | best-selling author Bill Gifford

“Sweating is our superpower," explains Bill Gifford.

Gifford, a veteran science journalist and author of Spring Chicken, a New York Times bestseller on longevity. His latest book, Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger, dives deep into the emerging science of heat, sweating, and what happens when we stop running from discomfort.

• ​​00:00 — Sweating as an evolutionary superpower

• 03:00 — The science of ancient heat rituals

• 05:45 — How long & how hot?

• 07:55 — The dehydration trap

• 09:52 — All about Finnish sauna culture

• 12:50 — Heat acclimation training

• 16:41 — Elite athletes & what they can teach us

• 18:50 — The science on hot-cold contrast

• 21:49 — The case against cold plunging

• 29:08 — Sauna as a social ritual

• 33:20 — Heat as a mental health tool

• 36:34 — A beginner's guide to safe heat exposure

Referenced in the episode: 

• Find Bill Gifford on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billgifford/ 
• Get his book here: https://a.co/d/01osyyRH 
• Learn more about The Culture of Bathing here: https://www.instagram.com/thehighlineguy/?hl=en
• Mayo Clinic review of the effects of Finnish sauna bathing (2018): https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext 
• Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness study on the effects of hot yoga (2011): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X12600033 

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