Hot Facts For Cold Days - Rich Hits The Sauna

It’s been fucking freezing outside, and, unfortunately, my apartment hasn't been much warmer. I had to find a way to warm up after being outside trying to fix my car for a couple of hours.

Luckily, my building has a sauna—a dry sauna. Not sure if it’s infrared or what, but hopefully that doesn’t matter. Whilst I was in there warming up—and let me tell you, this ghetto old sauna gets toasty—I started thinking about how people talk a big deal about saunas and cold plunges (cold is NOT my thing, btw). So, I decided that I needed to research the physiological effects of being in the sauna, what the ideal temperature is, and what the ideal duration and frequency of sauna visits should be. I love science-backed evidence, so for this I focused on journal articles and studies instead of relying on anecdotal evidence and experiences.

So, for those who care and are interested, this is what I found out...

• For longevity and heart health: 4–7 sessions per week, 80-100°C (176-212°F), 15-20 minutes.

• For muscle recovery: 2-3 sessions per week, 20 minutes at 80-90°C (176-194°F).

• For brain health & stress relief, frequent sauna use enhances relaxation, cognition, and sleep.

• Hydration is key; always rehydrate post-sauna. Some studies say electrolytes are ideal, but I don’t like to take electrolytes before bed (I haven’t looked at evidence for this, but electrolytes could be another blog in itself).

So, if these are the benefits, I wanted to dive deeper and see if time of day affects benefits and this is what I found out……..

• For muscle recovery & performance, the best time for a sauna is post-workout (afternoon/evening). This increases growth hormone (GH) levels, reduces muscle soreness, and speeds up recovery—great.

• For cardiovascular & longevity benefits, any time (preferably consistent daily use).

Regular sauna exposure, regardless of timing, improves heart health and reduces all-cause mortality.

• For stress reduction & sleep, evening (1-2 hours before bed). Lowers cortisol and promotes melatonin production, improving sleep quality—great.

• For mental clarity & productivity boost - morning or midday. Increases endorphins and norepinephrine, enhancing focus and cognitive function—great.

• For immune system boost—anytime, but consistency is key. Frequent sauna use strengthens immunity, with no specific timing requirement—great.

• For detoxification & skin health - morning or post-workout. Sweating removes heavy metals and toxins, making morning or post-exercise optimal—great.

Knowing this, knowing when I like to eat (late), and knowing my goals (muscle recovery & sleep benefits), I decided to research whether I should sauna before or after dinner. So, here’s what I found for that...

Unfortunately, given my habits and goals, sauna post-food is not ideal for me, given the conflict between blood flow and digestion, After eating, the body directs blood to the digestive system. A sauna session diverts blood toward the skin to cool the body, disrupting digestion, which could cause discomfort with nausea, dizziness, bloating, cramping, and increased HR. For me, however, this doesn’t happen. So I may, on occasion, still sauna after eating (even though best practice is to eat 1-2hours before sauna)!

Now let’s talk about if saunas help or hinder injuries. In short, acute or new injuries, especially ones that show inflammation or swelling try to avoid because of the increasing size of blood vessels which may increase swelling.

But saunas can help with chronic injuries (with no signs of inflammation/swelling) due to.

1. Increases Blood Flow → More oxygen & nutrients to tissues = faster healing.

2. Reduces Muscle Stiffness → Heat relaxes tight muscles and improves flexibility.

3. Boosts Growth Hormone (GH) & Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) → Essential for tissue repair and collagen production.

4. Pain Relief → Heat can desensitize nerve endings, reducing pain perception.

Anyway, I think that’s about it on saunas; this is not a cold plunge blog or contrast therapy blog, but that may or (most likely) may not happen.

Ps. Unfortunately, as I'm injured currently, I may have to do a little bit of cold plunge work as cold therapy does help with acute swelling!! More on that to come.

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