traditional vs infrared saunas and their effect on endurance and recovery
the original purpose and different types of saunas
saunas have been around for thousands of years with origins in northern europe, particularly finland. saunas have been used for cleansing, relaxation and spiritual practices and have evolved from simple underground pits to wooden structures you see today. there are two types of saunas, traditional finnish and infrared.
finnish saunas heat the air around you (150-195+°F) warming you from the outside in through a wood, gas or electric heater most often located under a pile of rocks. this creates a more intense environment that can be very humid, if you throw water on the heated rocks, so sessions in these types of saunas are short, usually 10 to 15 minutes.
infrared saunas are a new technology that warms the body from within through infrared light permeating skin and tissues; because of this the temperatures are much lower (110–140°F) than finnish saunas. since the air temperature’s lower than finnish saunas, the environment is much less intense (good for beginners) and sessions tend to be longer (30-45 minutes). with any new technology its natural that it’s met with some apprehension, in this case the concerns center around skin health and radiation effects. let’s check it out.
are INFRARED saunas safe?
at appropriate doses, from the natural world and adequate time in most infrared saunas, infrared light may be able to stimulate cellular responses beneficial to skin such as, enhanced wound healing, anti-inflammatory effects, increased cell proliferation (increase in numbers) and collagen synthesis. These effects are linked to mechanisms like mitochondrial activation, reactive oxygen signaling, and gene expression pathways.
with that said, intense thermal exposure from heat or intense artificial Infrared light can have the opposite effect, damaging collagen cells and promoting changes to the skin. on top of that, Very intense Infrared light exposure experiments showed increases in markers of oxidative stress. oxidative stress is when unstable oxygen molecules spread throughout the body and, in large numbers, can overwhelm your body's defence systems. essentially damaging cells faster than they can repair themselves. This sounds scary but your body fights off oxidative stress on the daily and it’s actually pretty good at it. issues only arise when the number of these molecules become more than your body can handle due to extreme exposure of these molecules (a sunburn for example). THe infrared light you’re exposed to in an infrared sauna is well below any intensity that can cause negative health issues. just don’t sleep in an infrared sauna and you’ll probably be okay.
do saunas help with recovery post exercise?
when it comes to recovery, infrared saunas have shown to be beneficial in decreasing soreness when done right after resistance training with no negative effects on one’s autonomic nervous system. this is because the effect you’re getting from a sauna mimics light exercise which increases blood flow and cellular repair signals while creating a mild, short-lived stress that the autonomic nervous system can easily compensate for.
finnish saunas promote recovery by increasing your heart rate variability which indicates heightened parasympathetic activity (rest and digest) and diminished sympathetic activity (fight or flight). this result isn’t unique to this type of sauna, when your body naturally cools itself down, from exercise or high heat, you’ll also see this result.
sauna protocol for endurance athletes
you can add a sauna session at the end of your zone 1-2 cardio sessions. this will increase your time in zone 1-2, providing additional benefits to your cardiovascular system without the added load on your muscles. an example here is 45-90 minutes of zone 1-2 training followed by 1-2 rounds of 10-15 minutes in a finnish sauna or 1 round of 30-45 minutes in an infrared sauna.
sauna protocol for recovery
For a recovery day try 2-4 rounds of 10-15 minutes in a finnish sauna followed by 10 minutes in a normal temperature room or 30 second to 3 minute cold tub. for infrared saunas you can do one 45 minute sauna session followed by a 30 second to 2 minute cold tub.
again, use this as a tool but don’t ignore what’s really moving the needle — resistance training and cardio.
miles is a trainer, speaker, writer, and consultant who specializes in performance and longevity within the health and wellness space. with over ten years of experience, a masters degree in exercise and nutrition science and multiple strength and conditioning certifications miles aims to combine practical application with research to provide actionable strategies for people looking to live longer and excel athletically.
References:
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