Hot Tub vs Sauna: Which recovery method increases the health and immunity the most? – Muscle and fitness

After a demanding training, there is little better than recovering with a nice dip in the hot tub, or are in a sweat-inducing sauna. But which stimulates the heart and stimulates our immune system the most? Experts from the University of Oregon have the answer. Published in a recent study in the American Physiological SocietyResearchers from the Bowerman Sports Science Center of the University of Oregon put the effects of relaxing in a hot tub against sitting in a traditional heat -driven dry sauna, or spend time in a more modern distant infrared sauna. “No studies have compared the acute reactions between the three,” said the The main author of the study, Jessica Atencio.

How was the study conducted?

The benefits of increasing the core body temperature include lowering our blood pressure and are thought that they extend to stimulate a better immune response. To find out if hot tubs, dry saunas or infrared saunas worked best, the scientists worked with a relatively small sample of 20 people (10 male and 10 women) between 20 and 28 years old. Before the participants deal with the three different recovery methods, measurements such as body temperature, blood pressure, heartbeats per minute, immune cells and blood biomarkers were collected. This data was then measured again during each recovery method and finally as soon as the activity was completed.

Which wins? Hot tub, dry sauna or distant infrared sauna?

The experts discovered that all three methods were favorable to a certain extent. “Increasing body temperature causes an increase in bloodstream, and only the blood power that moves over your barrels is beneficial for your vascular health,” explains Atencio. But when it came to choosing a clear winner, one method went further than the rest. “We saw that immersion of hot water was the most impactful when increasing body temperature, which is the most important stimulus for these subsequent reactions,” she added.

The hot tub was the only method associated with measurably increased cytokine levels – the body’s reaction to inflammation. “Hot immersion of hot water gives you the most robust changes in the core temperature because you do not effectively deviate heat as you can if you have contact with the air and you sweat to cool the body,” explains Attencio of the hot tub. “When you are immersed in water, the sweat mechanisms are not efficient.”

The study was controlled by Chris Minson, a professor in human physiology. “There is no doubt in my mind that if people are willing to do some heat therapy, this fits in with improved health, as long as it is average,” he explained. “If you repeat this stress over time, our lab and many others have shown that they are consistent with improved health.”

The report concluded that a single session of hot immersion of hot water leads to the greatest physiological tension compared to both traditional and distant infrared saunas. The significant increase in core temperature, reinforced by immersion in hot water, resulted in “cardiovascular tribe and immunological changes, which can lead to favorable health adjustments with repeated exposures.”