Benefits of Using the Sauna

Brian Carlson
Aug 25, 2017 · 4 min read

The history of the sauna goes back over 2,000 years, where they were created by digging into dirt embankments in Finland. They didn’t gain mainstream attention in the United States until the electric sauna stove was invented in the 50’s. Since then the popularity of the sauna has continued to grow, and now you can find one in almost every health club or larger fitness facility. When used correctly the sauna can be a great tool for recovery and potentially performance enhancing effects.

Key Word: Consistency

The human body is an incredible machine that can adapt to almost any stress placed on it and become stronger. Exercise is a form of stress, fasting or overall decreased caloric intake is a form of stress, and heat from a sauna is a form of stress. When used correctly these types of stress give the body a chance to grow stronger. Heat may be the easiest and is certainly the most passive way to introduce healthy stress to the body. Heat acclimation via a sauna can produce physiological adaptations that can result in a whole host of positive benefits from increased endurance to potentially greater hypertrophy. Dr. Rhonda Patrick who has two great pieces on Tim Ferriss’s podcast on sauna and heat exposure therapy refers to this as “hyperthermic conditioning.”

Exercise, especially longer duration endurance work, increases the body core temperature and will increase strain on the body. Acclimating yourself to this increase of core temperature outside of training can work to reduce this stress on the body in later training sessions. Heat improves body functions like improved cardiovascular functions, lower core temperature in training sessions, higher sweat rate and thermoregulatory control, improved blood flow, increased red blood cell count, increase overall efficiency.

The mechanisms behind why this heat exposure can become complex, but the core idea is that heat increases plasma volume which in turn increases stroke volume which leads to less strain on the heart, lower heart rate during activity, and increased blood flow.

Now, on to hypertrophy. The determining factor in muscle hypertrophy (increase muscle size) is the protein synthesis to protein breakdown ratio. Your body is constantly in a state of balancing old cell death with new cell growth. If you can limit the amount of protein degradation you go through you can increase this ratio between break down and build up and have a greater overall increase in muscle mass and strength. As you have probably guessed by now heat decreases the amount of protein degradation through a number of complex mechanisms (mainly heat shock proteins and their relationship with oxidative stress). Exercise induces both a buildup and a breakdown of protein, but it is the net protein synthesis number that is most important.

The benefits of this hyperthermic conditioning after a 30-minute session can last up to 48 hours. Heat also can result in an increase in growth hormone. These effects have been shown to increase through rounds of higher heat for short durations with periods of cooldown between.

Heat has also been shown to have positive effects on injury recovery, longevity, brain health and the growth of neurons.

Life is all about adapting to stress in all its forms. It is through this stress that we grow and become stronger. Hyperthermic conditioning can be a tool to effectively increase this healthy stress and become stronger, faster, and increase overall health.

The Science:

One study shows that a 30-minute sauna session two times a week for three weeks post-workout increased the time that it took for participants to run until exhaustion by 32% compared to baseline there was also 7% increase in plasma volume and 3.5% increase in red blood cells.)

Another study has shown that 30-minute intermittent hyperthermic treatment in rats resulted in 30% more muscle regrowth than a control group after seven days of immobilization.

Another study has shown that two one-hour sauna sessions a day at 80°C (176°F) dry heat for 7 days was shown to increase growth hormone by 16-fold on the third day.

In another study insulin resistant diabetic mice were subjected to 30 minutes of hyperthermic treatment, three times a week for twelve weeks. This resulted in a 31% decrease in insulin levels and a significant reduction in blood glucose levels, suggesting re-sensitization to insulin.

My Recommendation:

Start out with 15–20 minute sessions two to three times a week to assess your tolerance to the heat. An ideal routine would be two rounds of 15 minutes at a higher heat post-workout with a cool down between, three to four times a week.

Further Reading:

https://tim.blog/2014/04/10/saunas-hyperthermic-conditioning-2/

https://tim.blog/2017/05/04/smart-drugs-fasting-and-fat-loss/

https://tim.blog/2014/06/10/the-tim-ferriss-show-rhonda-patrick-life-extension/

Disclaimer:

The material is for informational purposes only. As each individual situation is unique, you should use proper discretion, in consultation with a health care practitioner, before using the sauna. The author expressly disclaims responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of the information contained herein.

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CSCS USAW-1 — Graduate Student — Strength Coach — Personal Trainer — Online Writer/Coach

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