Sauna Therapy: Surprising Benefits for Peak Athletic Performance
Introduction
Sauna is a popular wellness practice in different communities around the world. It involves exposure to heat in a wooden cabin, which results in various effects on the body. Many people take sauna therapy only for a relaxing experience and are unaware of the full potential of this practice.
Sauna therapy causes a wide range of physiological and psychological changes in the body. By making the changes, a sauna provides benefits such as muscle relaxation, improved circulation, and stress relief. While anyone can enjoy the benefits of a sauna for better health and well-being, athletes can benefit most.
Saunas are very popular among athletic communities, and athletes are well aware of their role in improving performance. Athletes from all kinds of sports, whether they require physical or mental strength, use sauna baths for better athletic outputs.
Sauna for Athletes
Athletes push their body limits more frequently compared to normal people. Their bodies undergo different types of stressors during their workouts, training, and playing sessions. This is why they require a good diet and a healthy wellness routine to work efficiently.
Among wellness practices, saunas are very popular among athletes because they improve athletic performance in many ways. Many professional athletes and trainers highlight the importance of saunas for athletes. Earlier, people used to discuss the benefits of a sauna based on personal experiences. However, with advancements in research, scientific studies have explained the mechanisms of how saunas work for athletes.
In this article, we will dive deep into the different benefits of saunas for athletes. In addition to that, we will also discuss the importance of saunas for improved health and overall well-being.
Performance Benefits of Sauna For Athletes
Athletes always look for authentic and scientifically proven ways to enhance their performance. The sauna offers those performance gains by influencing muscle growth, improving regulatory functions, and building endurance.
1. Muscle Growth and Recovery
Muscle growth and recovery are prominent benefits of saunas and are directly linked to improved athletic performance. The effects of sauna on muscles are due to the following reasons:
Improved Blood Circulation
When you expose your body to the heat in a sauna, the body initiates a response to manage the heat. The response includes vasodilation, where blood flow increases toward the muscles.
Studies show that improved blood circulation to the muscles helps remove wastes, such as lactic acid. Removal of lactic acid helps prevent muscle stiffness and fatigue, promoting quicker recovery.
Release of Human Growth Hormones (HGH)
Athletes perform intense workout sessions to increase muscle growth. Human growth hormone (HGH) has a major role in the repair and growth of muscle tissues after workout sessions.
Studies show that heat from sauna therapy can stimulate the release of HGH. Regular sauna practice and release of HGH can significantly promote muscle growth and recovery.
2. Improved Regulatory Functions
Regulatory functions play a vital role in determining the capacity of an athlete. Those with improved regulatory functioning can withstand stress, such as heat, during intense physical activity sessions. Saunas influence the two common regulatory systems in the body: cardiovascular and thermoregulation.
Cardiovascular Regulation
Studies show that sauna sessions significantly increase heart rate and blood pressure. Thus, regular sauna practice trains your cardiovascular system to manage increased heart rate and blood pressure efficiently. Athletes who practice sauna regularly are more likely to withstand stress on their cardiovascular system during workouts and game sessions.
Thermoregulation
Poor body temperature regulation can limit physical performance. Regular exposure to the heat in a sauna bath trains your body to regulate the temperature changes in an efficient manner.
The body adapts to handle the heat and cool down efficiently in several ways, such as improved sweating and vasodilation. This ability allows athletes to perform well in high-intensity activities for extended periods.
A 2021 study shows that saunas improve the body’s temperature regulation ability, which has a positive impact on exercise performance.
3. Enhanced Endurance
Heat exposure in a sauna also improves endurance and stamina. This is because our bodies have the ability to adapt to changes in the external environment. A study shows that heat from sauna baths causes an increase in blood plasma volume. Another study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports showed similar results, stating that sauna therapy increases red blood cells and blood plasma volume.
This increase in blood volume increases the transportation of oxygen to the muscles and other tissues. Oxygen availability to the muscles improves endurance and increases the maximum workload limit.
Mental Health Benefits of Sauna for Athletes
As much as physical health is important, mental health is equally important to athletic performance. Athletes with better mental health can give their best during the training and game sessions.
The sauna offers the following mental health benefits to improve athletic performance:
1. Clarity and Focus
Athletes need a clear state of mind and uninterrupted focus on their goals. The goals can be related to training sessions, workouts, or performance in the field. A sauna can help achieve clarity and focus by improving sleep quality and reducing stress.
Improved Sleep Quality
A study published in the Complementary Therapy in Medicine journal shows that saunas can significantly improve sleep quality. About 83.5% of the participants in the study reported the sleep benefits of regular sauna.
Ok, the sauna does improve sleep quality, but how does that link to improved athletic performance?
Well, scientific studies show that quality sleep significantly improves athletic output. A 2021 study shows that sleep is essential for recovering from exercise-induced muscle injuries, which are very common in athletes. Another study also highlights the importance of quality sleep for athletic performance.
Reduced Stress
Stress significantly lowers your focus, and as an athlete, you need to focus on your goals. Stress is not only bad for mental health; it also negatively impacts an athlete’s physical health. Studies show that stress develops muscle tension and prolongs post-workout recovery.
Evidence shows that sauna therapy is effective in lowering stress. A 2023 study shows that sauna therapy triggers the release of endorphins — hormones that protect the body against stress and enhance your mood. A report shows that low stress levels significantly improve athletic performance.
2. Mental Resilience
Mental resilience helps achieve more consistent and peak performance on competitive grounds. Athletes follow routines, discipline, and challenges to achieve mental resilience. It is the mental resilience that gives them the courage to overcome losses and fight back.
Regular sauna use is like willingly putting yourself in the discomfort of heat, which requires mental strength and resilience. In the long term, repeated exposure to this discomfort helps in building mental resilience. This resilience helps athletes to cope with stress, maintain focus, and recover quickly from setbacks.
3. Social Interaction
Sharing sauna sessions with teammates can positively influence social interaction skills and team bonding. A good team bonding can significantly improve overall team performance. The shared sauna experience provides a space for better communication and collaboration among athletes.
This collaborative environment helps players understand each other, leading to better teamwork and performance during games.
Protective Benefits of Sauna for Athletes
Besides the key benefits of saunas, including improved physical performance and mental health, they also have protective benefits. The protective benefits of saunas for athletes include illness prevention, lower risk of injuries, and faster recovery.
1. Prevention from Illnesses
An important protective role of saunas is their influence on immunity and protection against diseases. A study shows that saunas increase the production of white blood cells and antibodies. This helps boost immunity and fight against infections and diseases.
For example, a study published in the journal Annals of Medicine shows that people who take sauna therapy have a lower risk of the common cold. Another study shows that sauna reduces the risk of other respiratory conditions, such as pneumonia, asthma, and COPD.
A low frequency of illnesses helps athletes give their best in training and game sessions. Staying strong with optimal physical health and no illnesses allows athletes to reach their full potential.
2. Reduced Injury and Faster Recovery
Athletes push their bodies into extreme conditions and are at a higher risk of injuries. The most common injuries are related to muscles and joints. A sauna bath increases the blood supply to the muscles, cleaning out the wastes from the muscles. It also reduces stiffness and increases flexibility in the muscles, lowering the risk of injuries such as muscle strain.
Improved blood supply also provides oxygen and nutrients to the joints and improves joint mobility. When injuries occur to the muscles, joints, or soft tissues, the sauna can help in faster recovery by improving blood circulation.
Injury prevention and faster recovery allow athletes to use their full potential. Athletes with a lower risk of injuries can train more regularly. This translates to better athletic performance and fewer breaks.
Sauna for Longevity
In the above sections, we have discussed several benefits of saunas for athletes. We saw how saunas improve physical and mental health and play a major role in protecting against illnesses. Other than being helpful for athletes in achieving performance goals, saunas serve as a tool for improved health and wellness for everyone.
Improved physical and mental health has a direct relation with longevity. Reports show that sauna practice reduces the risk of premature deaths and increases one’s lifespan. This is because sauna improves cardiovascular health and lowers the risks of deaths associated with cardiovascular problems. Sauna therapy also boosts immunity and improves the body’s defence against potential threats.
Regular sauna practice promotes a healthy lifestyle where the focus is on achieving health goals. People who practice sauna regularly are more likely to be involved in healthy habits such as regular exercise, good sleep hygiene, and a healthy diet. Thus, incorporating the sauna into your wellness routine can significantly improve your quality of life.
Conclusion: Sauna for Athletic Success
Sauna is an ancient wellness practice that involves exposure to heat for a range of health benefits. People from all walks of life practice sauna therapy for its physical and psychological benefits. However, sauna use is very common among athletes in different sports.
Saunas are popular among athletes because of their ability to improve athletic performance. Sauna therapy relaxes muscles, improves endurance, and helps the body regulate cardiovascular and thermoregulation. These benefits allow athletes to push their body limits and improve their athletic performance.
Sauna positively influences mental health by reducing stress, improving sleep quality, and enhancing mood. Repeated exposure to the challenge of heat in a sauna also helps athletes in building mental resilience. The mental health benefits of sauna contribute to improved focus and clarity of athletes toward their goals.
Even if you are not an athlete, regular sauna practice can significantly improve your physical and mental well-being. So, if you want to level up your wellness routine, you must incorporate sauna sessions into it. But if you are a beginner, we recommend you consult your healthcare provider before practicing sauna.
