A sauna bath after a workout can be awesome for your heart, says study

 A sauna bath after a workout can be awesome for your heart, says study

 

In our country, sauna baths are not much of a trend and with reason too. Most regions in India are hot and humid for the better part of the year and that  eliminates the need for a hot and  the steaming sauna bath. But what if the  we were to tell you that taking a sauna bath post workout can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases? Is this true? Let’s find out!   

Recently, a study published in the American Journal of Physiology which stated that exercise combined with a sauna bath boosts heart fitness  more than exercise alone. There have been many  more studies that have shown that exercising can prevent ailments and many  diseases. 

The current fitness  and exercise guidelines advice  150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity spread across three to five sessions per week, which helps in better  our cardiovascular fitness . But this new study shows how taking a sauna bath after a workout is even better for heart fitness . 

What is a sauna bath?

Sauna bath originated from Finland where it has been the way of life for over 2000 years now. Sauna is a Finnish word and that  means “bath” or “bath house”. A sauna bath is a small wooden room designed as a location  to experience dry or wet heat sessions. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. You are just supposed to sit in one of these rooms, with minimal clothing on, and let heat do its work.   

Sauna baths have proven fitness  comfort  that include detoxification, increased metabolism, weight loss, increased blood circulation, pain reduction, anti-aging, skin rejuvenation, better  cardiovascular function, improved immune function, better  sleep, stress management, and  that relaxation.       

 

In this study published in American Journal of Physiology, researchers took 50 male and  the female participants of the age group 30-60 for this study and they were divided into two category : one who did guideline controlled exercise and one where they combined exercise with 15 minutes of sauna bath.           

The researchers observed that those in the combined exercise and sauna group, experienced more significant increases in the CRF (cardiorespiratory fitness), and the more significant decreases in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the total cholesterol than those in the exercise alone group.   

A 2007 study published in  the PubMed Central as well as  shows that repeated sauna therapy (60°C for 15 minutes) better  hemodynamic parameters, clinical symptoms, cardiac function and vascular endothelial function in the patients with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).      

Sauna bath better  cardiovascular fitness  via improved endothelium-dependent dilatation, reduced arterial stiffness, modulation of the autonomic nervous complex , beneficial changes in circulating lipid profiles, and the  lowering of systemic blood pressure.   

With the rapidly increasing cases of cardiovascular diseases, we see no harm in doing something extra for a fitness    heart, so give a try to the sauna bath post your next workout session!