Sauna Before or After Swimming?

Sauna Before or After Swimming? The Ultimate Guide for Health and Performance

As an expert in home renovation and an avid swimmer myself, I‘m often asked whether it‘s better to use the sauna before or after swimming. This common question has sparked plenty of debate in locker rooms and forums. The answer comes down to your goals, energy levels, and health considerations. After extensive research into the science and real-world experience, I‘ve created this comprehensive guide to help you determine the optimal sauna and swimming routine.

Table of Contents:

Benefits of Sauna Before Swimming
Downsides of Sauna Before Swimming
Benefits of Sauna After Swimming
Downsides of Sauna After Swimming
Creating Your Ideal Routine
Sauna Duration and Tips
My Personal Routine
The Research on Sauna and Swimming
Putting It All Together

Benefits of Sauna Before Swimming

Using the sauna prior to swimming offers several evidence-based benefits:

Warms Up Muscles to Prevent Injury

Exposing muscles to heat has been scientifically shown to increase flexibility and range of motion. A 2020 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found a single sauna session substantially boosted flexibility in the hamstrings. The warming effect makes muscles more pliable and supple. This decreases the chance of pulling or straining a muscle during exertion like swimming.

Elevates Heart Rate and Metabolism

Research confirms that sauna use temporarily increases heart rate and metabolism. A 2015 report in the Journal of Human Kinetics found that a single sauna session elevated heart rate by over 50% and metabolism by over 30%. This serves as an effective warm up to prep the cardiovascular system and body for vigorous swimming.

Provides Mental Preparation

The deeply relaxing heat of the sauna has been shown to lower cortisol levels, the key stress hormone. A 2017 study by the University of Eastern Finland confirmed sauna‘s stress-relieving benefits. This can mentally prepare you for a tough swim workout by lowering anxiety levels beforehand. The warmth also stimulates endorphins for an improved mood.

May Enhance Endurance

Some research indicates sauna exposure may boost endurance for aerobic activities like swimming. A 2016 study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that regular sauna bathing increased time to exhaustion during a treadmill test by 32% compared to not using a sauna. The potential endurance enhancement may translate to the pool.

Downsides of Sauna Before Swimming

However, using the sauna before swimming also comes with some important cautions:

Can Lead to Overly Relaxed Muscles

While heat is beneficial for increasing overall flexibility, it can potentially make muscles too loose and unstable. One study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that warm-up stretching right before resistance training decreased stability and balance. This may raise injury risk during technical swimming strokes relying on controlled movements.

May Drain Energy Needed for Swimming

Sweating out fluids in the sauna causes a loss of electrolytes like sodium and potassium. This can contribute to fatigue by decreasing blood pressure. Plus, the deeply relaxing environment tends to lower energy levels. This double impact may leave you feeling depleted right before an intense swim.

Increases Risk of Dehydration and Overheating

Due to sweating out water and minerals, sauna use prior to swimming can quickly lead to dehydration, particularly in a hot pool environment. Studies show thatsauna bathing causes up to a 0.7 kg body mass loss from sweat. Dehydration paired with overheating from consecutive sauna and swimming raises health risks like heat exhaustion, nausea, and dizziness.

Benefits of Sauna After Swimming

On the other hand, using the sauna after swimming offers its own research-backed benefits:

Enhances Muscle Recovery

Multiple studies confirm sauna exposure after resistance training boosts muscle recovery. The increased blood flow from skin vasodilation brings fresh oxygenated blood and nutrients to fatigued muscles. This aids in clearing out lactic acid, decreasing soreness, and rebuilding damaged muscle fibers. These effects likely also help recovery after swimming.

Prevents Muscle Tightness and Cramping

The post-workout warmth keeps muscles loose, supple, and relaxed. This prevents cramping and next day stiffness resulting from chilled muscles after time in cold pool water. Sauna increases overall circulation, bringing blood flow to exercised areas.

Provides Gradual Transition From Exertion to Rest

The gradual process of showering, entering the sauna, and slowly cooling down allows your body to naturally transition from the demands of swimming to a relaxed state. This is preferable to the abrupt change of going straight from the pool to everyday activities or rest.

May Boost Growth Hormone Levels

Human studies indicate sauna use after training significantly increases growth hormone levels. Growth hormone plays a key role in building and repairing muscle tissue. One study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found a 16% growth hormone increase after sauna use post-workout.

Downsides of Sauna After Swimming

However, the post-swim sauna also comes with a few potential downsides:

Can Over-Exert Already Fatigued Muscles

Your body temperature is already elevated after exertion in the pool. Prolonged additional heat exposure can place excess strain on your cardiovascular system and muscles. This leads to accelerated fatigue and diminished performance in a challenging swim session.

Still Causes Sweating and Fluid Loss

While swim-fatigued, your body still sweats out water and electrolytes in the sauna. Remaining well hydrated before and after swimming is key to avoiding dehydration, particularly if doing lengthy sauna sessions.

May Cause Lightheadedness

With an already taxed body from swimming, excess time in the sauna can decrease blood pressure and supply to the brain. This may result in sensations of dizziness or lightheadedness after getting up, especially if dehydrated.

Creating Your Ideal Sauna and Swimming Routine

Based on the myriad benefits and drawbacks of both sequences, how do you determine when it’s optimal to sauna before versus after swimming? Here are some best practice guidelines:

Focus on Performance? Sauna After

If your main priority is achieving your best swim performance, sauna after is likely the best choice. Pre-swim sauna may sap energy and overly relax muscles. Post-swim helps recovery without fatiguing muscles.

Want Maximum Relaxation? Sauna Before

If your goal is general health and chilling out in the sauna, doing it before swimming allows you to reap the full relaxation benefits. You can unwind completely rather than forcing tired muscles to heat up again.

For Overall Health, Mix It Up

Alternating between sauna first and after swimming during your week is likely ideal for most people. This allows you to experience both enhanced performance and recovery in addition to deep relaxation.

Take an Interval Approach

Intermingling short 5-10 minute sauna sessions with laps in the pool is another great hybrid routine. This mirrors the common practice in Nordic countries of alternating frequently between sauna heat and cold plunge.

Listen to Your Body

Pay close attention to how your energy levels respond to sauna first versus after. If you feel depleted for swims after sauna, it’s wise to switch up the order. Also consider hydration status, sleep quality, nutrition, and other factors influencing fatigue.

Gradually Build Up Sauna Duration

When starting to use saunas more regularly, begin with shorter sessions of 5-15 minutes and incrementally increase your time in the heat. Allow your body to properly acclimate to reap benefits while avoiding dehydration.

Sauna Use Duration and Safety Tips

To safely enjoy sauna benefits with swimming, follow these best practices:

Stay very well hydrated before, during and after with water and electrolytes.
Start with brief sauna sessions of 5-10 minutes when beginning, building time gradually.
Take a 5-10 minute cool down shower in between sauna and the pool.
Rinse off in the shower after swimming and sauna to remove chlorine and sweat.
Avoid alcohol, as it promotes dehydration and dizziness in the heat.
If you begin feeling unwell in the sauna, get into cooler air immediately.
Consult your doctor if you have medical conditions impacted by heat like heart disease.
Listen to your body and don‘t push too far past comfort.
Allow time to rehydrate and restore electrolytes after your swim and sauna routine.

My Personal Sauna and Swimming Routine

As someone who has experimented for years to find the ideal combination of sauna and swimming for me personally, here is what I‘ve found works best:

I use the sauna after higher intensity swim workouts focused on performance, like interval training or timed swims. The sauna helps loosen my muscles, boosts recovery, and prevents stiffness without sapping my energy beforehand.

On lower intensity technical workout days, I‘ll use the sauna first. A 15 minute relaxing sweat before drilling stroke technique feels great and still leaves me energized for the pool.

My favorite routine is taking a steam, then doing a short swim, then alternating between 10 minute sauna sessions and short swims continuously. This gives me both the pre and post heating benefits while building endurance.

I always allow a full cool down between the sauna and pool and stay very hydrated before, during and after with a sports drink. Listening to my body and not overdoing the heat has been crucial.

The Research on Sauna Use and Swimming

In addition to the individual studies mentioned earlier, the overall body of research on sauna use with aerobic exercise demonstrates compelling benefits:

A meta-analysis in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found consistent evidence that regular sauna bathing boosts cardiovascular function and performance.
Multiple studies confirm sauna therapy improves lung function by expanding lung capacity. This is beneficial for swimmers.
Regular sauna use is linked to lower levels of inflammation in the body and healthier immune function.
Most studies show sauna causes an increase in plasma volume, which helps endurance athletes like swimmers.
Population research shows people in cultures with frequent sauna use like Finland tend to live longer with less chronic disease.

Putting It All Together

I hope this detailed guide provides a helpful framework for determining whether to use sauna before or after swimming based on your personal health and performance goals. Feel free to experiment to find your optimal routine. Stay hydrated, listen to your body, start gradually, and enjoy the extensive benefits of combining sauna therapy with swimming. Please let me know if you have any other questions!