The sauna appears to have a “complementary” effect to exercise, said Earric Lee, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the EPIC Center at the Montreal Heart Institute, since the effect of heat on the cardiovascular system is analogous to that observed during physical exercise of moderate intensity.
“Exercisers can use the sauna after their exercise session to further benefit from the effects of exercise,” said Mr. Lee. Those who use the sauna regularly may want to consider exercising before going to the sauna to enjoy the complementary effects of exercise followed by sauna.”
This is not the first time that Mr. Lee has been interested in the impact of sauna on health. During his doctoral studies in Finland, he found that a short intervention of just eight weeks in sedentary people with cardiovascular risk factors led to a reduction in blood pressure, an improvement in cardiovascular fitness and a reduction cholesterol level.
The heat of the sauna obviously leads to profuse sweating, which is facilitated by an increase in blood circulation and, consequently, by an acceleration of the heart rate and an increase in blood pressure.
Exposed for several minutes to sustained heat, blood vessels dilate to increase blood flow to carry heat away from the body and help us cool down.
Over time, Lee explained, this mechanism of vasodilation helps increase the elasticity of blood vessels and thus may explain the reduction in hypertension.
-Mr. Lee, however, insists on the fact that the sauna is “complementary” to physical activity, and that you cannot replace a jogging session with a sauna session.
“The sauna does not replace physical exercise and should not be considered as such, even if it is practiced regularly,” said Mr. Lee, whose work was directed by Daniel Gagnon, who is a professor at the School of kinesiology and physical activity sciences from the University of Montreal. By analogy, I would say that we cannot replace daily sleep with multiple naps. It just doesn’t work that way.”
Especially, he specifies, that “the improvements in the cardiovascular system caused by sauna use alone appear to be minimal.”
What little scientific evidence there is, Lee added, shows that “if you just do sauna, you won’t really get any benefit.”
“Physical exercise cannot be replaced,” he concluded. But if you go to the sauna immediately after your exercise, you may be able to amplify the effects of the exercise.”
