What Are The Benefits Of Sauna After Working Out?

Have you ever experienced that post-exercise slump, where your muscles are crying out for some nurturing after a rigorous workout? We've all been there. Using infrared devices after workout - a modern twist to an ancient relaxation technique, is fast becoming a favorite in the fitness community.

A quick tour of the blog post

Saying Goodbye to Post-Workout Stiffness

The days when your muscles feel like bricks after a workout? The infrared sauna, sauna blanket or PEMF mat can be your remedy. It deeply relaxes, dissolves stiffness and discomfort. Much like the sensation of sinking into a hot bath that strips away all the physical stress.

Post-Workout Sauna

The concrete benefits of sauna after workout? You'll see a reduction in post-workout inflammation, expedited healing, and a tangible and welcome relief from muscle aches. It’s essentially a hidden gem for athletic recuperation.

Unlike conventional saunas, that depends for its effects on warming up the environment, infrared rays directly warm your deeper tissues, stimulating blood flow and oxygen transport for muscle recovery and other health benefits.

What's the secret? Let's take a closer look at how the infrared sauna contributes to muscle recovery.

Muscle recovery

After an intense workout, your muscles undergo a series of physiological changes, initiating the recovery process.

Improved blood circulation

Infrared saunas increase the core temperature of the body, mimicking the effects of a mild fever. This induced mild body hyperthermia dilates blood vessels. This process, known as vasodilation, improves blood circulation, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach damaged muscle tissue, speeding up the recovery process.

Reduced inflammation and pain

Regular sauna sessions can significantly reduce the inflammation and soreness that typically occurs after a hard workout. The deep heat of an infrared sauna helps relax muscles and reduce the production of inflammatory markers. This allows you to return to your training sessions more comfortably and quickly.

Stimulated muscle recovery

Exposure to the gentle heat of an infrared sauna can stimulate the production of heat shock proteins, which play a crucial role in protecting cells from stress and aiding their recovery. These proteins aid in the repair and regeneration of damaged muscle fibers, enhancing the body's natural healing process.

Additionally, the heat stress of the sauna can lead to an increase in growth hormone levels, which are essential for muscle repair and growth.

Relaxation and stress relief

Recovery is not just physical; it is also mental. The soothing heat of an infrared sauna provides a peaceful environment in which the body can relax and the mind can rest.

This relaxation response can reduce cortisol levels, the body's stress hormone, which is beneficial for muscle recovery because high cortisol levels can inhibit tissue growth and repair.

In short, the heat of an infrared sauna accelerates your muscle recovery. This makes a sauna session after your workout a valuable addition to your fitness routine. Regular use provides both physical and mental benefits that support and enhance the body's natural recovery processes.

To further understand the efficacy of heat strategies to support training and recovery, you might find it insightful to explore this detailed resource by ACE Fitness [1], an authoritative source in the fitness community. It’s a comprehensive look at how heat, experienced at the deepest levels in infrared saunas, can be a crucial component in a balanced recovery strategy.

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Nitric Oxide: Supercharging Your Recovery and Performance

Infrared sauna, infrared PEMF mats, and infrared sauna blankets do more than just relax your muscles; they increase a special kind of molecule in your body called nitric oxide [2]. Nitric oxide is a naturally occurring gas that our body produces, playing a crucial role in our overall health and particularly in how we recover from exercise.

This molecule is a game-changer for anyone who works out. As you sit in a sauna, your body ramps up nitric oxide production. This molecule widens blood vessels, improving blood flow. Better blood flow means your muscles get more oxygen and nutrients, especially during workouts. It’s like turbocharging your muscle recovery.

Nitric oxide also helps keep your blood pressure in check, protecting your heart. During exercise, this extra nitric oxide keeps your muscles well-oxygenated, boosting your stamina. You can work out longer and harder. But there’s more. Nitric oxide strengthens your immune system, fighting off germs. This is vital when you’re pushing your body to the limit.

After intense exercise, nitric oxide reduces muscle soreness, speeding up recuperation. For athletes, this nitric oxide boost from saunas means better muscle performance and endurance. Besides easing pain, a session in the sauna after workout builds up your body's power.

So, stepping into an infrared sauna, wrapping yourself up in a sauna blanket, or lying down activates a powerful process in your body that helps you recover faster and perform better.

The Role of Testosterone in Athletic Performance and Recovery

We need to highlight another major player in the athletic realm: testosterone. This hormone is not just important in maintaining male health. It also plays a major part in muscle synthesis, strength, and overall endurance for athletes of all genders.

Testosterone's impact extends beyond physical properties and its ability to repair and grow muscle, because it also affects mood and energy levels.

In the high-intensity world of sports and workouts, sustaining optimal testosterone levels equates peak performance. Regular, intense training sessions can strain the body, leading to fluctuations in hormone levels. This is where post-workout sauna time might be beneficial.

Although the heat stress induced by a sauna leads to several physiological adaptations, research into its direct impact on testosterone levels is ongoing.

Our article "Does Infrared Sauna Boost Testosterone" discusses this topic in more detail.

Detox: Not Just a Trendy Spa Term

Post-workout, your body enters a vital recovery and detox phase. An infrared sauna enhances this process naturally. After exercising, your muscles are warm, and your blood flow is high. The sauna's heat intensifies this state, triggering deep, cleansing sweat.

This deep perspiration, boosted by your workout's increased circulation, flushes out more toxins, including heavy metals and environmental chemicals.

The process benefits blood circulation in two ways. First, exercising elevates your heart rate. Second, the sauna's heat expands blood vessels, reinforcing this effect. The combination speeds up toxin removal and ensures efficient oxygen and nutrient delivery to recovering muscles.

It actively optimizes detox and recovery, offering immediate and lasting health benefits.

Boosting Your Metabolism Post-Workout

Sitting in an infrared sauna might be the easiest way to keep your metabolism active.The rise of your body's core temperature has a stimulating effect on the body’s metabolism. This is similar to the metabolic increase observed during physical exercise. As the body works to cool itself down, it consumes more energy, thereby increasing the metabolic rate.

This process contributes to continued calorie burning even after the workout session has ended. The elevation in heart rate and increased blood flow, similar to moderate exercise, further supports this metabolic boost. It’s like keeping the body’s engine humming smoothly even after you’ve left the gym.

Evidence-Based SAUNA Benefits After Exercise

Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery

A detailed 2015 study [3] provides further insights into the efficacy of saunas in workout recovery. Researchers compared the far-infrared sauna with the traditional Finnish sauna, involving ten physically active males, average age 25, who were regular sauna users.

They participated in six varied sauna sessions over several weeks, both before and after engaging in strength or endurance exercises, all under strict fasting and rest conditions.

The findings of this study add an important dimension to our understanding of sauna benefits. While far infrared saunas didn't markably outperform the no-sauna condition in recovery after strength training, it showed clear benefits following endurance training.

Participants experienced faster recovery, particularly in their jumping ability, after using far infrared sauna post-endurance workouts.

The study illuminated key hormonal responses to far infrared sauna and traditional saunas:

Post-workout, both saunas were found to raise growth hormone levels, crucial for muscle repair and growth. Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland, a small, pea-sized organ at the base of the brain, often described as the 'master control gland' due to its role in regulating various bodily functions.
Cortisol typically rises in response to stress, but interestingly, its levels remain stable after sauna use, indicating that saunas don't trigger the body's usual stress response.

Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing

A review of 40 studies [4], including the 2015 study, on the clinical effects of regular sauna use, had a remarkable conclusion for people who exercise a lot. Athletes who use the sauna regularly tend to perform better in their workouts. This is because regular sauna sessions help their bodies in a few different ways:

The sauna increases nitric oxide. This is great for athletes because it helps blood flow better, which is important when you're working out.
Saunas help your body make more heat shock proteins. These proteins are like helpers that make our muscles recover faster after a hard exercise session.
The heat in the sauna is a type of 'good' stress for our body. It makes our body stronger and helps it recover better after exercise.
Perspiration - in the sauna, you sweat. This is the natural way of cleaning your body, which is especially beneficial after exercising.

These insights make it clear that saunas, including infrared saunas, are more than just a wellness trend. They alleviate muscle soreness, enhance performance, speed-up recovery after endurance exercises, and effectively maintain hormonal balance.

Whether you're an athlete or just someone who exercises regularly, regular sauna sessions could be the secret to faster and more enjoyable recovery periods.

The Best Infrared Sauna Blanket Reviews Of 2024

Integrating Infrared Saunas into Your Fitness Routine

So, why not spice up your fitness routine with a session in a home infrared sauna?

In addition to the well-known sauna cabin, there are a few types of infrared saunas to consider:

Infrared sauna tents are a versatile choice, requiring a little more space, but are easily collapsible for storage. For a more immersive experience, infrared domes enclose your body as you lie, providing intense heat focus with a slightly larger footprint thanks to their semi-rigid structure.

If you have limited space and are looking for ultimate convenience, infrared sauna blankets are the epitome of simplicity and convenience. They can be rolled out if necessary and stored effortlessly after use.

Likewise, infrared PEMF mats provide not only the detoxifying benefits of infrared heat, but also the therapeutic effects of PEMF therapy, all in a compact, foldable design.

Infrared saunas, blankets, and mats are also kinder to your wallet. They use less energy, thanks to their lower operating temperatures. This efficiency means lower bills, making them a smart investment for health-conscious individuals.

If you buy an infrared sauna for your home, you will substantially boost your fitness and well-being. Moreover, it is not just a recovery tool; it's a lifestyle upgrade too!

Sam Everhart

References:

1. Lance C. Dalleck, Ph.D., and Ryan M. Weatherwax, M.S., Fire and Ice: Heat and Cold Strategies for Enhancing Training Effectiveness and Recovery, ACE, https://www.acefitness.org/continuing-education/prosource/august-2016/6005/fire-and-ice-heat-and-cold-strategies-for-enhancing-training-effectiveness-and-recovery/

2. Sarah Hudgens, What Is Nitric Oxide? Health, https://www.health.com/nitric-oxide-7557367

3. Antti Mero et al., Effects of Far-infrared Sauna Bathing on Recovery From Strength and Endurance Training Sessions in Men, SpringerOpen, https://springerplus.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40064-015-1093-5

4. Joy Hussain and Marc Cohen, Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review, Hindawi, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5941775/

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