Saunas have been a tradition in Finland dating 2,000 years, with Finns attributing their endurance and longevity to sauna therapy. Athletes also use saunas in hopes of losing weight, improving energy and boosting performance. But the timing of a sauna treatment before or after exercise may affect athletic performance, and timing should be taken into consideration.
Identification
A sauna is a small room or building typically made out of wood that uses dry or wet heat that reaches temperatures as high as 185 degrees Fahrenheit. During a sauna session, your metabolism and pulse rates increase, your blood vessels become more flexible and there is increased circulation to your arms and legs. These are the same metabolic results that occur with physical exercise.
Endurance
New Zealand scientists investigated the effects of sauna use on endurance athletes. Their results, published in August 2007 in the "Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport," gave male distance runners with either post-exercise saunas or normal control training. The runners were then administered a treadmill test, which measured significantly improved exercise tolerance and an increased respiratory oxygen uptake in the sauna group. The researchers concluded these effects appeared to be due to increases in plasma and total blood cell volume and made the case that for runners, it's better to use saunas following exercise.
Weight Loss
Because it's common to sweat out a pint of fluid during a short stay inside a sauna, some athletes believe a sauna session will make them lighter and more competitive prior to a competition. However, a 1984 study in the "Journal of Applied Physiology" found that, although the athletes studied lost 4.1 percent of their body weight following sauna use, their oxygen consumption, pulse rate, blood lactate concentration and work load decreased during post-sauna exercise compared to a control group. A separate study published in the "International Journal of Sports Medicine" in October 2003 found sauna-induced rapid weight loss decreased strength and jump capacity in women athletes, but not men. Both studies make the case that sauna use before exercise generally isn't recommended for competitive athletes.
Considerations
Saunas are generally safe for most people, even if you have coronary heart disease with stable angina pectoris or an old myocardial infarction, but always check with your doctor before beginning a sauna program. In rare cases, heart attacks and sudden deaths have occurred in saunas, but consuming alcohol during sauna bathing increases those risks.
References
- "American Journal of Medicine"; Benefits and Risks of Sauna Bathing; M.L. Hannuksela and S. Ellahham; February 2001
- "Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport": Effect of Post-Exercise Sauna Bathing; G.S. Scoon; August 2007
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Differential Effects of Sauna-, Diuretic-, and Exercise-induced Hypohydration; J.E. Caldwell, et al.; October 1984
- "International Journal of Sports Medicine"; Sauna-induced Rapid Weight Loss Decreases Explosive Power in Women but Not in Men; A. Gutiérrez, et al.; October 2003
- Columbia University Health System: Benefits of Sauna
- Harvard Health Newsletters: Sauna Health Benefits
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