Traditional vs. Infrared Sauna: A Sports Medicine Guide to Optimizing Athletic Recovery
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The Modern Athlete’s Recovery Dilemma

As a Sports Medicine Weekly reader, you know recovery is a science. We track our sleep, dial in nutrition, and use tools to manage physical stress. But in the world of thermal therapy, a critical distinction is often missed.

While many recovery roundups group all saunas together, infrared saunas and traditional Finnish saunas are not interchangeable. They utilize fundamentally different physiological mechanisms. This article serves as a sports medicine guide to breaking down these differences, helping you choose the right tool to optimize your specific athletic goals.

At a Glance: Traditional vs. Infrared for Athletes

  • Infrared Saunas:Use light to create deep-tissue warmth. Best for:
    • Mild muscle soreness (DOMS) relief.
    • Relaxation at lower temperatures.
  • Traditional Saunas:Use high heat (160-200°F) to heat the air. Superior for:
    • Cardiovascular Conditioning (mimics moderate exercise)
    • Hormonal Response (potent HGH & Heat Shock Protein release)
    • Neurological Recovery (via the “Löyly” steam effect)
  • The Pro’s Choice: High-heat traditional saunas are the standard used in the major clinical studies on athletic endurance, longevity, and cardiovascular health.

The “How it Works”: A Tale of Two Heating Mechanisms

Before comparing, we must understand how each works:

  • Infrared Saunas: Use light waves to heat your body directly, from the inside out. They operate at a lower ambient temperature (120-140°F), providing a gentle, deep-tissue warmth.
  • Traditional Saunas: Use a stove to heat the air in the room to high temperatures (typically 160-200°F). Your body is heated by the hot air, creating a systemic, whole-body thermal load.

For this guide, we will compare a standard infrared unit to a sauna for athletic recovery that features a high-heat traditional stove. We use this as the standard, as this is the model used in the vast majority of clinical research on cardiovascular health and endurance. These different heating methods trigger vastly different physiological responses.

Head-to-Head: Which Sauna for Which Athletic Goal?

Let’s analyze which modality is superior for common athletic goals, based on available research.

Goal 1: Cardiovascular Conditioning & Endurance

This is the most significant difference. The landmark Finnish study that linked frequent sauna bathing to lower risks of fatal cardiovascular events was conducted exclusively on high-heat traditional saunas [1].

This high heat places a safe stress on the cardiovascular system, “training” it. This heat acclimation process has been shown to:

  • Increase plasma volume and red blood cell count [2].
  • Boost endurance. One study found that runners who used a post-workout traditional sauna increased their run time to exhaustion by 32% [3].

This robust cardiovascular conditioning is a benefit that lower-temperature infrared saunas are not designed to provide.

Activating Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs)

Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) are our bodies’ “superheroes” for cellular repair. While all heat can trigger them, the potency of the response is key. The most dramatic adaptive responses, such as a 16-fold increase in growth hormone (HGH), are linked specifically to high-heat (80-100°C) traditional sauna sessions [4]. This potent HSP and HGH response is critical for maximizing cellular repair and muscle growth.

Managing Soreness & Accelerating Repair

This is a nuanced area. While infrared saunas are well-documented for providing direct, penetrating heat to sore muscles, traditional saunas attack the problem from two different, systemic angles:

  1. The Prophylactic Effect: Research on high-heat sauna use before exercise has shown a “prophylactic effect,” or a protective benefit that can reduce the onset of muscle soreness and damage from a strenuous workout [5].
  2. The “Flush and Feed” Mechanism: After a workout, the systemic heat triggers massive vasodilation. This “flushes” metabolic byproducts (like lactic acid) from fatigued muscles and, more importantly, delivers a wave of oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to “feed” the tissue and accelerate repair [6].

Neurological Benefits: From Endorphins to BDNF

Intense training is a stressor on the central nervous system (CNS).

  • Mood and Stress: The intense heat is a “hormetic” stressor, triggering an adaptive response. This includes the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers) and serotonin, which improves mood and aids sleep [7].
  • Brain Health (BDNF): Most importantly, heat stress has been shown to stimulate Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a protein that is “Miracle-Gro for the brain.” BDNF protects existing neurons and promotes the growth of new ones, which is vital for motor learning, focus, and long-term brain health [8].

The “Löyly” Effect: The Neurological “Reset”

This is where the traditional sauna truly stands apart for athletes. “Löyly” is the Finnish term for the steam created when pouring water on the hot stones.

This isn’t just for ambiance. This steam wave creates an acute, intense heat stress, pushing the body’s sympathetic (“fight-or-flight”) system. The real magic happens in the cooldown period that follows. This heat/cool cycle trains your body to shift more efficiently into a parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) state [9]. This is fundamental for mastering the body’s stress-and-recovery response.

Optimal Protocol for the Traditional Sauna

  • For Recovery: 10-15 minutes immediately post-workout.
  • For Endurance/Adaptation: On rest days, use contrast therapy. 15-20 minutes in the sauna, followed by a 1-3 minute cold shower. Repeat 2-3 times.
  • Hydration: This is non-negotiable. Drink at least 500 ml of water before your session and replace fluids and electrolytes after.

Conclusion: Don’t Just Recover—Adapt and Evolve

Choosing a recovery tool isn’t just about feeling better; it’s about adapting to become more resilient.

While an infrared sauna is an effective tool for localized soreness, the high-heat, systemic benefits of a traditional sauna make it a powerful training tool in its own right. It challenges your cardiovascular system, triggers a robust hormonal and cellular repair response, and trains your nervous system to recover—allowing you to adapt, evolve, and unlock a new level of performance.

References

  1. Laukkanen, T., Khan, H., Zaccardi, F., & Laukkanen, J. A. (2015). Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175(4), 542–548.
  2. King, D. S., et al. (1988). Increased thermal environment tolerance with heat acclimation. Journal of Applied Physiology, 65(2), 838-844.
  3. Scoon, G. S., Hopkins, W. G., Mayhew, S., & Cotter, J. D. (2007). Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 10(4), 259–262.
  4. Leppäluoto, J., et al. (1986). Endocrine effects of repeated sauna bathing. Acta physiologica Scandinavica, 128(3), 467-470.
  5. Ahmad, M., et al. (2015). Prophylactic effects of sauna on delayed-onset muscle soreness of the wrist extensors. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 27(8), 2613–2616.
  6. Hannuksela, M. L., & Ellahham, S. (2001). Benefits and risks of sauna bathing. The American journal of medicine, 110(2), 118-126.
  7. Masuda, A., et al. (2005). The effects of repeated thermal therapy for two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of psychosomatic research, 58(4), 383-387.
  8. Goekint, M., et al. (2011). Influence of citalopram and environmental temperature on exercise-induced changes in BDNF. Neuroscience Letters, 494(2), 150-154.
  9. Kihara, T., et al. (2002). Repeated sauna treatment improves vascular endothelial and cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 39(5), 754-759.