Benefits of Sauna Use

SAUNA USE

A current client and good friend of mine this week both got in touch to ask me about saunas and their purposed benefits and their effect on muscle growth. It seems that almost everybody has an opinion on the matter, but who’s right? To answer that, I looked towards results and evidence from research (done by scientists) and not simply from our personal observations. Here is what it had to say;

In an article written for Environmental Medicine journal, researchers reported a number of benefits of sauna use. Among them;

• Increased plasma levels of growth hormone, beta-endorphins, and prolactin increase during a sauna session. Or, in plain old-English, sauna use can increase the rate of bone and muscle growth, and can act as a pain-killer.
• Twice weekly sauna sessions for six months reduced the incidence of the common cold by 50% during months 4-6
• Participants who completed 30 minutes of sauna use three times per week for eight weeks lost 1.8 times as much weight and 4.6 times as much body fat as a group that did not use a sauna.

In summary, when used correctly, sauna use can increase overall muscle growth, decrease the incidence of the common cold, and aid in body fat reduction.

How sauna use affects the body.

The body responds to heat by increasing rate of sweating. The heart responds by increasing heart rate, which in turn increases cardiac output. Cardiac output equals heart rate multiplied by stroke volume. Although individualized, stroke rate remains constant with an individual, and does not change from a rested state versus exercising. With blood following to the periphery to cool the skin and reduce body temperature, blood pressure increases. The end result from sauna use then is that the heart must worker harden than its resting state when in a sauna room.

The researchers concluded that “sauna therapy is an effective and underutilized treatment for a variety of cardiovascular problems.”

But, before you start. Below are a few tips from the American College of Sports Medicine.

1. ·         Limit use to no more than 10 minutes at a time.
2. ·         Wait at least 10 minutes after finishing exercise before entering
3. ·         If you are pregnant, have heart disease, have kidney disease, are on certain medications for cardiovascular disease, and/or have any other medical issues that could be adversely affected by high heat, do not use.
4. ·         Exposure to high temperatures for an extended period of time can result in heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heart attack, and, on occasion, death.