You may not think of heat as something that could help your heart, but a new study shows that warming up your body—especially with heated clothing—might lower your blood pressure.
In research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, scientists from UNT Health Fort Worth discovered that older adults who wore special heated pants for one hour a day, four times a week, saw real improvements in their blood pressure.
After eight weeks of this heat therapy, participants had better blood flow, and their systolic blood pressure—the top number in a reading—dropped by about 5 points.
This finding is important because nearly 120 million adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, and only one in four has it under control. High blood pressure is a leading cause of strokes, heart attacks, and early death. In 2023 alone, it contributed to more than 664,000 deaths in the U.S., according to the CDC.
While heat therapy is not meant to replace medication, doctors say it could be a helpful addition. Dr. Amit Khera, a heart doctor at UT Southwestern who was not involved in the study, called it a “proof-of-concept” and said it might one day support other treatments for heart disease.
Most people know how good it feels to sit in a sauna or hot tub. Research backs that up. Previous studies have shown that soaking in hot water can lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and even help the body handle heat better.
In fact, heat therapy can produce effects that are surprisingly similar to exercise. When the body heats up, heart rate increases, muscles react, and blood vessels widen—just like during a workout.
But not everyone has access to a sauna or hot tub. To make heat therapy more practical, the research team used pants lined with tubes that circulate hot water. The design was inspired by NASA suits made for heat experiments.
The scientists tested the pants on 19 adults aged 55 to 80. Half wore pants filled with hot water (about 124°F), which warmed their skin to around 104°F. The other group wore warm, but not hot, pants that felt comfortable but didn’t raise the body’s temperature.
The participants continued their usual daily routines but wore the pants for an hour each session. The researchers measured their blood pressure in three ways: before the study, during the eight weeks, and after. They also used ultrasound to check how well the blood vessels could expand, which is an important sign of heart health.
The results were promising. After eight weeks, those in the heat therapy group had lower systolic blood pressure and better blood vessel function. The lining of their arteries, which helps blood flow smoothly, also improved.
The researchers are still figuring out exactly why this works. One idea is that the brain changes how flexible the blood vessels are after repeated heat exposure. Another is that the heat actually strengthens the vessels over time.
Although the study was small and didn’t include people officially diagnosed with high blood pressure, it shows that heat therapy could be a useful tool. A 5-point drop in blood pressure may not seem huge for one person, but across a large population, it could prevent many heart problems.
The researchers hope future studies will test how long the effects last and whether heat therapy works as well for people who already have high blood pressure. They’re also exploring whether it can help older adults get used to extreme heat, especially during hot summers in places like Texas.
As heat waves become more common, helping older adults build heat resistance may save lives. The team believes heated clothing could be a simple way for people to stay healthier and safer—without having to leave their homes.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about How to eat your way to healthy blood pressure and results showing that Modified traditional Chinese cuisine can lower blood pressure.
The study is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
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