Sauna for Sore Muscles: Science-Backed Relief and Recovery Strategies

The quest for optimal muscle recovery is a journey that every athlete, fitness enthusiast, or anyone who engages in physical activities embarks on. It's a crucial part of maintaining physical fitness and achieving peak performance. But whether you’re a lifelong athlete or just dealing with sore muscles due to injury, chronic pain, or just everyday life, a potential recovery method that has been gaining attention in recent years is sauna therapy – known for its many health benefits. 

But could sauna sessions truly help with muscle pain and speed up the recovery process? Let’s dive into the science behind sauna therapy, and how SISU Lifestyle’s unique cabin-style saunas are equipped to help you maximize your muscle recovery, while minimizing lost gains. 

What Causes Sore Muscles (DOMS)

Delayed onset muscle soreness, often referred to as just DOMS, can be triggered by a variety of things. This can include everything from overuse, exertion, strong and frequent exercise, or even just mixing things up and adding a new routine into the mix that your muscles weren’t ready to handle. 

While it might seem easiest to just let your muscles recover on their own, this can take time, and an efficient recovery process can help you maintain peak performance and also can prevent you from further damaging strained muscles while exercising through the pain. Plus, faster recovery time helps reduce the gains lost when you’re forced to slow down and rest due to muscle soreness or injury. 

How Sauna Therapy Supports Muscle Recovery

Sauna uses heat therapy, which has a variety of physiological effects on the body that can help reduce muscle soreness and improve overall performance and recovery times on your body. 

How Heat Therapy Increases Blood Flow

When muscles are sore, it’s likely due to inflammation. However, when the body heats up thanks to the sauna, it experiences a process called vasodilation, which is when the blood vessels expand, causing better blood flow and circulation. This improved circulation helps deliver oxygen and valuable nutrients throughout the body, but particularly to inflamed and damaged tissues along the muscles, which in turn can reduce feelings of soreness or strain. 

The Role of Heat Shock Proteins

Heat shock proteins, also called HSPs, are vital proteins in the body that help protect the cells and facilitate repairs to damaged cells and tissues. Exposure to heat, like what one might experience in the sauna, can trigger what’s called a heat shock, and leads your body to produce additional HSPs that can repair damaged muscular tissue and reduce pain. 

Endorphin Release and Relaxation

While there are plenty of physical and chemical reactions within the body that are triggered by sauna therapy, you may expect to see some mental benefits to help battle muscle soreness as well. For example, when exposed to heat, your body releases endorphins, or “feel-good” chemicals, which can ease you into relaxation and give you temporary pain relief. 

What Current Research Shows

While the prospect of a nice relaxing stint in a sauna may seem great, it is not a fix-all solution for muscle soreness and fatigue. Research demonstrates that while, yes, saunas can aid in muscle recovery, it works best as a helpful tool in addition to other recovery methods, such as effective warmups, cooldowns, stretching, and rest. 

Best Practices: Sauna Protocols for Sore Muscles

If you’re ready to explore sauna therapy as a potential solution to your sore muscles, be sure to keep these key points in mind. 

When to Use

Sauna therapy is most effective when done before or after a workout, or during rest days to help facilitate muscle recovery. Sometimes, you may find it’s best to do a combination of some or all of these, but this may vary depending on your body and how well it responds to sauna therapy. Be sure to listen to your body, and get out of the sauna immediately if it becomes too hot or you start to feel dizzy. 

Recommended Temperature Ranges

An ideal sauna temperature sits right around 150–170°F for traditional saunas (sometimes referred to as wet saunas, given that the heat is produced by steam), or 120–140°F for infrared saunas, which produce heat via infrared lights. 

Session Duration

For a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable sauna experience, it is recommended that you spend about 10-20 minutes in the sauna at a time. If you start to feel lightheaded, dehydrated, or overheated, exit the sauna early and do not try to stay for a full session duration. 

Hydration Guidelines

Since your body sweats frequently during sauna therapy due to the intense heat, it’s vital to stay hydrated. Make sure you drink plenty of water before, during, and after your sauna therapy session to constantly replenish the fluids in your body and keep yourself hydrated. 

Safety and Precautions

As you use the sauna, remember to always listen to your body, and pay attention if you start to feel unwell while practicing sauna therapy. Always start slow, and work your way up to longer durations and hotter temperatures without ever going over the recommended limits. You should also always consult your doctor before adding sauna therapy to your routine, especially if you have any underlying health conditions.

Key Considerations and Risks

While the potential benefits of sauna therapy for sore muscles are promising, it's important to approach this practice with caution. Saunas can be intense environments, and it's crucial to listen to your body and avoid overdoing it.

Who Should Avoid Sauna Use

If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, have a heart condition, or have any acute injuries or open wounds, you should not use a sauna. Always consult your doctor before starting a new sauna therapy routine. 

Temporary Effects on Male Fertility

Some men may experience a temporary sperm count reduction after frequent sauna therapy, but these effects are generally considered to be reversible, especially for those who use the sauna infrequently and only for short durations of time. 

Signs of Dehydration

If you begin to experience dizziness, lightheadedness, or find that you have a headache while in the sauna, you may be experiencing symptoms of dehydration. Exit the sauna immediately if you experience any of these symptoms, and remember it is crucial to stay hydrated while in the sauna to minimize impacts of dehydration. 

Consult a Healthcare Provider

While all of these points are key for having a safe and effective sauna therapy experience, you should always consult your doctor before adding a new routine to your exercise or recovery regimen to make sure the practice is right for you. 

SISU Lifestyle Sauna Solutions for Muscle Recovery

SISU Lifestyle saunas offer a wide range of benefits and features to maximize your recovery and enhance your workout routine, whether you are a dedicated athlete or just interested in day-to-day recovery. 

Precision Heat

Our sauna barrels and sauna cabins are all temperature controlled via a mobile app, which allows you to curate your ideal sauna temperature from anywhere between 110-230°F, creating the perfect experience that fits your exact specifications. 

Western Red Cedar

Every SISU Lifestyle sauna was crafted from western red cedar, which has a natural anti-inflammatory effect, unlike other pine-made saunas. Western red cedar is also soft-to-touch, and naturally repels moisture and allergens, offering a more aromatic, durable, and comfortable environment than other woods.

Space-Optimized

Each sauna has been designed to fit your ideal space requirements, giving you flexibility to find the perfect fit for your space and lifestyle. You can choose from any of the following saunas: 

• Eddy Barrel Sauna: Compact, designed for 1-2 people, with fast heat-up, making it ideal for small spaces or personal use.

• Charlie Cabin Sauna: Room for 2-4 people and has a classic cabin design, making it beautiful and versatile for indoors/outdoors.

• Crew Cabin Sauna: A spacious cabin that fits up to six people, great for families or group recovery.

• Edwin Barrel Sauna: Our largest barrel accommodates 6-8 people, making it perfect for social and high-performance settings.

Zero Maintenance

SISU Lifestyle saunas are designed to be no-maintenance with a long lifespan, meaning you can enjoy regular sauna therapy from the comfort of your own home for a reliable, cost-effective investment in your own wellness journey. 

Implementation Checklist: Getting Started with Sauna for Sore Muscles

If you’re ready to take the next step, here’s a handy step-by-step guide before hopping in your sauna for your sore muscles. 

Hydrate 30 Minutes Before Each Session

Make sure your body is plenty hydrated. You’ll be sweating out a lot of your fluids while in the sauna, and staying hydrated helps reduce your risk of dizziness or fainting. 

Start at 150°F for 10 Minutes

Remember to start slow and low—that means lower temperatures and reduced time in the sauna to give your body time to acclimate. 

Post-Session Protein Intake

After your sauna, remember to rehydrate and also consume plenty of protein to help facilitate healthy nutrient intake and encourage muscle recovery. 

Track Soreness in a Journal

To see how well sauna therapy is working on your sore muscles, it may be best to track your muscle soreness in a journal before and after sauna therapy sessions to monitor your ongoing progress. 

Consult a Doctor if Pain Persists

If you have tried combining sauna therapy with other sore muscle remedies such as cryotherapy (cold therapy), stretching, warmups, cooldowns, or resting, it may be time to consult a doctor to see if there is no underlying injury causing your pain.

Conclusion

So, could sauna therapy be beneficial for sore muscles? The scientific evidence suggests that it could be. Increased blood flow and the release of heat shock proteins may help to alleviate muscle soreness and promote recovery.

However, it's important to remember that everyone's body is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. Always listen to your body and consult your doctor before starting any new therapy.

So, whether you're a seasoned athlete or a weekend warrior, consider giving sauna therapy a try. It could be just what your sore muscles need. Embrace the path to a more vibrant, healthier life with SISU Lifestyle. Take control and enhance your muscle recovery with the soothing warmth of a SISU sauna. Shop saunas now and take the first step in your wellness journey.