Recovery Benefits of the Sauna

In the sport of wrestling, using a sauna is a very controversial and generally illegal tool for athletes, mostly because it is often used to cut weight and can be extremely dangerous if used under the wrong conditions for the wrong purposes. But in reality, the sauna can be a valuable and essential asset in both your performance and recovery if used strictly for recovery and not as a weight-cutting measure.

Sitting in the sauna has many benefits in terms of biochemical regulation and recovery, and those that have been most researched and supported are its benefits for muscle recovery and toxin release.

Muscle Recovery

After an intense workout, muscles are tired after having depleted their oxygen stores, sore from lactic acid build-up, and damaged due to microscopic tears in its fibers. Sitting in a sauna post-workout enhances muscle recovery by increasing blood flow which in turn carries more oxygen-rich blood to the oxygen-depleted muscles. This oxygen-rich blood helps boost repair of the muscles as well as decrease muscle soreness and tightness.

Toxin Release

Over the course of a day, your body naturally picks up toxins from our environment as well as produces its own from normal cellular processes. Over time, these build up in our bodies and can cause adverse effects. The heat from a sauna causes an increase in sweat, and this sweating increases output of multiple bodily systems including the cardiovascular, immune, and lymphatic systems which all work to release toxins through your sweat.

Because both the muscle recovery and toxin release effects of sitting in the sauna have obvious benefits to you as an athlete, it can be a valuable tool to enhance both your performance and recovery. It is important to remember that these benefits are for when the sauna is used as a recovery method, not as a weight loss tool. Remember to drink plenty of water and maintain your hydration.

Give it a try on your next recovery day!