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Therapies · lesson 10 of 10

Build your therapy routine

Rank by evidence per hour and dollar, fit it around sleep and training — or skip it.

6 min read · reviewed October 2026

The garnish, not the meal

None of these devices comes close to the effect of regular exercise, enough sleep, not smoking and a decent diet. Even in the Finnish sauna cohort, the lowest risk of sudden cardiac death was in men who were both fit and frequent sauna users. Therapies are worth adding when the foundations are in place — and only if you'll actually use them.

Evidence per hour and dollar — a rough ranking

1. Morning daylight — free

Outdoor light soon after waking anchors your body clock and supports mood and sleep. No purchase needed.

2. Light box — for winter low mood

Inexpensive, 30 minutes you can pair with breakfast, and the best-proven device on this shelf for its specific use.

3. Traditional sauna — if you can use one often

The strongest long-term association data, but observational and time-hungry: 3–4 sessions a week is roughly an hour or more of heat, plus warm-up and cool-down time. A gym or public sauna tests the habit before you buy.

4. Cold exposure — for alertness, soreness or enjoyment

Cheap to try with cold showers. Short-term effects are real; long-term health effects are unproven, and badly timed cold can blunt strength gains.

5. Red light — for a specific skin or hair goal

Moderate evidence for targeted uses with the right device and dose; weak for whole-body claims.

6. PEMF wellness mats — lowest

Little good evidence for general wellness claims. The regulated uses are prescription devices.

Fitting therapies around sleep and training

  • Put bright light and cold earlier in the day — both are alerting.
  • A sauna or warm bath can help you fall asleep as your core temperature falls afterward; finish it an hour or two before bed.
  • If muscle growth is a goal, keep cold plunges off strength days or well separated from lifting — the ideal gap hasn't been established.
  • Sauna after training is fine: rehydrate, and keep alcohol out of it.
  • Never let a therapy session eat into the time you'd spend exercising or sleeping.
Key concept

When to skip them entirely

Skip or pause therapies if you're not yet getting 7+ hours of sleep or exercising regularly (fix those first), if any contraindication in this track applies to you, if you're pregnant or trying to conceive (heat especially), or if the purchase would strain your budget. None of them is essential.

Check yourself

Sam sleeps 6 hours a night, doesn't exercise, and is deciding between an expensive home sauna and a cold plunge. What's the best next step?

  1. Buy the sauna — it has the best evidence
  2. Buy both and alternate them
  3. Fix sleep and start exercising first, and test the habit cheaply with a gym sauna or cold showers
  4. Buy a PEMF mat instead — it's the most convenient
Show the answer →

C.Fix sleep and start exercising first, and test the habit cheaply with a gym sauna or cold showers

Sleep and exercise dwarf any therapy's likely effect, and the sauna evidence itself is strongest alongside fitness. Trying a gym sauna or cold showers first shows whether the habit sticks before spending thousands.

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Browse the Therapies shelf

Compare saunas, cold plunges, light boxes, red-light panels and PEMF devices using the specs and red flags from this track.

Try it in the app
Lay the foundations first

Training is the lever every therapy on this shelf is trying to imitate — start there.