7 min readWHAT IS THE best way to recover after a sweaty workout? You might finish up an intense training session with some static stretches or use a foam roller to reduce muscle soreness. There’s also plenty of products like massage guns and supplements that promise to help with muscle repair, too. But, if one is available to you, don’t discount the benefits of a steamy sauna. It can offer many advantages and even extend the benefits of your exercise routine.
Heat exposure after training, whether it’s a sauna or a hot tub can enhance the normal training responses you can get, says Lance Dalleck, PhD, a professor of exercise and sport science at Western Colorado University. He recommends using a sauna for about 15 to 20 minutes. This should get your core temperature to about 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s also enough time to avoid the dangers of heat exhaustion and dehydration, which can happen if you use a sauna for too long.
Here, experts share why more people should consider a post-workout sauna—and the best way to maximize the benefits.
10 Benefits of Hitting the Sauna
Ready to start your sauna journey? Like with any new recovery method, take it slow in the beginning. Try it out a few times a week for a couple of months and then increase your usage.
You’ll soon start to feel these changes when you’re regularly using the sauna.
Enhanced Training Responses
Dalleck has researched the benefits of sauna post-workout before, and he’s seen some interesting results. He noticed people who wore sauna suits (tracksuits that retain your body heat and perspiration) or immersed themselves in hot water after exercising showed better numbers for maximum oxygen uptake. This is the amount of oxygen your body uses while exercising. He also found improvements in people’s lactate threshold, which refers to how capable someone is at maintaining high-intensity exercise over a prolonged period.
“Heat exposure adds the same benefits that you would get from doing more volume or more intensity of training, but without stress and pounding on your body,” Dalleck explains.
Increased Cardiorespiratory Health
The physiological process that your body goes through to adapt to the heat from a sauna can lead to increased plasma volume, which gives you an increase in cardiorespiratory fitness, Dalleck says.
Cardiorespiratory fitness is your circulatory and respiratory systems’ capacity to supply oxygen to your muscles, heart, and lungs when you work out. Research has shown that sauna bathing several times a week can expand your cardiorespiratory fitness. One 11-year study, for example, found middle-aged men who used the sauna 2 to 3 times a week had significantly higher cardiorespiratory fitness values than those who went to the sauna once a week.
Long-term, improved cardiorespiratory fitness is most important when it comes to longevity and reduced risk of heart disease, Dalleck says.
Lowered Risk for Diabetes
Heat exposure triggers the body’s heat shock proteins, which offers many benefits, including controlling insulin signaling. Another is that it helps regulate glucose. “Exposure to the heat with sauna use can improve glucose regulation, and that can lower the risk of diabetes,” Dalleck says. Of course, it's not the only thing you need to do to improve glucose regulation, but saunas did seem to have this effect.
More Preserved Muscle Mass
Saunas can potentially help you reach your fitness goals faster, says Samantha McKinney, RD, a registered dietitian and trainer at Life Time. After a grueling workout, relaxing in a sauna was found to extend a person’s “healthspan,” or the number of years you’re living with vitality. They also found that sauna use may actually help preserve muscle mass, as well as help guard against inflammation.
Better Heart Health
Exercise, by itself, is good for the heart. Combining a heart-pumping workout with extra time sweating in a sauna has been shown to help with blood pressure and high cholesterol levels of sedentary individuals. For people with heart disease, sauna bathing could help alleviate pain and increase blood flow all over the body.
That said, time spent sweating in a sauna isn’t exactly the same as sweating from a heart-pumping gym workout. The difference is that you’re not actually using your muscles the way you would be if you were working out.
Less Muscular Pain
Applying heat after a strenuous workout accelerates muscle recovery. One review showed evidence of heat therapy reducing muscle soreness, building new muscle protein from amino acids, and reversing exercise-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. It was especially helpful in recovery from endurance exercises and eccentric workouts.
Though more research needs to be done, the findings are promising.
Improved Skin Strength
Using a sauna could make your skin shine—and not just from sweat. Here’s how. The heat of the sauna can help you slough off dry skin cells more easily, and sweating can also lead to better circulation and enhanced collagen production. However, how much it helps depends on your skin type.
Clearer Pores
Sweating can help clear out your pores of bacteria and might refresh your complexion. Still, there are some exceptions.
If you have a skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis, experts warn that the sauna may end up aggravating your skin. Plus, most saunas are moist public spaces—a breeding wonderland for bacteria and mold that may worsen sensitive skin.
Boosted Brain Health
Hitting the sauna can also be a great way to decompress from the day and improve brain health, says McKinney. Research looking at the brain circuitry of frequent sauna bathers found higher activation of networks involved in intense positive emotions along with those involved in relaxation and mental clarity. According to the authors, the increased in attention-related activity puts the brain in a more efficient state.
Less Lower Back Pain
People often put a heat pack or dip into a hot bath to relieve muscle pain. Similarly, saunas may have similar effects.
In fact, a study showed that it can be an effective way to bring relief from lower back pain. The study authors recommend giving it a try for a couple of sessions to see if it helps lessen symptoms before regularly using it as part of your treatment plan.
3 Risks to Using a Sauna
Using a sauna can come with risks, especially if you're doing it wrong or going too often. And, if you have any kind of chronic health condition, it’s best to talk to your doctor before trying out the sauna. Here are some of the biggest risks.
Dehydration
Because you’re sweating, you may be at risk for dehydration. That’s why it’s important to hydrate prior to hitting the sauna and refrain from alcohol. Or take water into the sauna with you.
“Before using the sauna, make sure you’re hydrated enough that your urine is a pale yellow,” McKinney says.
You need 12 to 16 ounces of fluids to rehydrate from your exercise session and to maintain hydration while you’re in the sauna, Dalleck says.
Or, use the sauna on your off days. If you do use it after exercise, McKinney adds that you can also add electrolyte powder or sip on an electrolyte drink prior to hopping in the sauna.
Dizziness
If you’re dizzy or lightheaded, that means it’s time to get out, says McKinney. Before you step into the sauna, it can also be a good idea to talk through your plans with your doctor, particularly if you have any preexisting conditions.
Blood Pressure Issues
If you’ve experienced low or high blood pressure or have had a heart attack, talk to your doctor before using a sauna. If you have low blood pressure and do get the OK, keep your sauna session on the short end. Be sure to stay hydrated while you’re in there and get out if you start to feel lightheaded.
The same is true if you take blood pressure medication. It lowers your blood pressure and so does heat exposure, so the combined effect could put you at risk of passing out or getting lightheaded, Dalleck says.
How Long Should You Stay in A Sauna?
If you want to reap the benefits, Dalleck says to use the sauna for 15 to 20 minutes where your core temperature should reach 101 to 102°F. You don’t want to stay in for longer than 20 minutes at a time.
If you’re new to saunas, start with shorter sessions of about five minutes, then add a few minutes each time, he adds. “Over time your body will get used to the heat, and then you can increase your time. It’s important to always listen to your body.”
Then comes the next question: how often should you go to the sauna? There is no hard and fast rule on this one. That being said, one older but highly cited study suggests the more the merrier.
In the study, sauna bathing 2 to 3 times a week led to a 22 percent lower risk of cardiac death compared to people who went once a week. People who went 4 to 7 times were also less likely to die from heart disease than people who went once a week.
Who Shouldn’t Use A Sauna?
If you have a pre-existing health condition, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor about whether it’s safe to use a sauna.
People with heart conditions and low blood pressure who take medication should be careful when using a sauna. Dalleck adds the heat can lower your blood pressure and combined with blood pressure-lowering medication, it might increase your risk of passing out.
Emilia Benton is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor. In addition to Runner's World, she has contributed health, fitness and wellness content to Women's Health, SELF, Prevention, Healthline, and the Houston Chronicle, among other publications. She is also an 11-time marathoner, a USATF Level 1-certified running coach, and an avid traveler.
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men's Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she's not working, she's doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
