Saunas and cold plunges have been used for centuries across various cultures for their purported health benefits. While both offer individual advantages, combining sauna and cold plunge routines may create synergistic effects that support weight loss and overall well-being. This article explores the science behind these practices and how they can be effectively incorporated into a comprehensive health regimen.
The Science Behind Temperature Therapy
Cold plunge tubs have been cropping up in gyms as the latest health novelty, while saunas have long been a staple of post-workout relaxation. Both have been used for centuries for purported health benefits. But is there concrete evidence to support temperature therapy? And how can heat and cold be used together effectively? Whether you’re using a cold plunge tub at home or relaxing in a dry sauna, these therapies offer proven physiological benefits that support long-term health and recovery.
Cold Plunge Benefits
For centuries, cold plunges and saunas have been utilized for health benefits. Cold plunges help burn fat, improve mood, and boost sleep by activating "cold-shock proteins" in the body which could preserve muscle mass, and reduce cognitive decline and inflammation.
Cold plunges involve partially or totally submerging yourself in cold water for a few minutes at a time. It can be as simple as sitting in a bathtub filled with cold water and ice cubes or jumping into a cold lake or the ocean. Water should be 50 F or colder. Keep in mind that the water in a frozen lake will be much colder. That's why it's a good idea to measure the temperature before you jump in. The plunge can be done as one continuous session or multiple sessions with breaks between the sessions. You can do cold plunging every day.
Sauna Benefits
Saunas have been a staple in various cultures for centuries, offering a plethora of health benefits including relaxation, improved circulation, and detoxification. Saunas have been linked to heart health, lower cholesterol, reduced inflammation, and better immunity.
Read also: Does Red Light Sauna Help with Weight Loss?
Weight Loss Mechanisms
Sauna Benefits for Weight Loss
One of the ways that saunas contribute to weight loss is by increasing metabolic rate. Consequently, your body burns calories at a higher rate, aiding in weight loss. Another way saunas help with weight loss is through the immediate loss of water weight. A sauna session can help you lose water weight quickly through sweating. Although this isn't a permanent solution for weight loss, as the water weight typically returns when you rehydrate, it can temporarily help you shed a few pounds.
Increased Calorie Burn: Sitting in a sauna raises your heart rate similarly to moderate exercise. This increase in heart rate means your body is working harder and burning more calories. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, spending 30 minutes in a sauna can burn roughly the same amount of calories as a 30-minute walk (around 300 calories).
Water Weight Reduction: The intense heat in a sauna causes you to sweat profusely, leading to a temporary loss of water weight. A study in the Journal of Athletic Training confirms that sauna use can lead to significant body mass loss (BML), primarily due to body water loss through sweating.
Improved Cardiovascular Function: Regular sauna sessions can enhance your cardiovascular performance. The heat from a sauna causes vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels). Improved cardiovascular health can indirectly assist in weight loss as a healthier heart can support more strenuous exercise, increasing the potential for calorie burn. A comprehensive review in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings synthesized numerous studies on sauna bathing and found that regular sauna use enhances cardiovascular function, potentially leading to improved physical performance.
Cold Plunge Benefits for Weight Loss
Cold plunge ice baths may have several benefits, such as burning body fat, improving insulin resistance, and reducing stress, among others.
Read also: Combining Cardio and Sauna
Increased Metabolism: Exposure to cold water forces your body to work harder to maintain its core temperature, thus increasing your metabolic rate. After 10 days, the participant's metabolic rates increased by 80%, and their caloric expenditure had risen.
Activation of Brown Fat: Unlike white fat, which stores energy, brown fat burns energy to produce heat. Cold exposure activates brown fat, leading to increased energy expenditure and, consequently, weight loss. Studies show that cold plunges stimulate white fat conversion to brown fat, which burns itself. Cold water exposure appears to increase the amount of a hormone called “adiponectin,” made by adipose tissue. Adiponectin is important in preventing insulin resistance, in which the muscles, fat, and liver become less responsive to insulin.
Synergistic Effects of Sauna and Cold Plunge
When used together, saunas and cold plunges can create a synergistic effect that supports weight loss.
Improved Cardiovascular Function: The alternating heat and cold exposure improves circulation and blood flow, which can help in the efficient delivery of nutrients and oxygen to muscles and tissues.
Enhanced Muscle Recovery: Regular exercise is crucial for weight loss, and the combination of saunas and cold plunges can aid in faster muscle recovery. Research on cold-water immersion has found evidence that it helps reduce the degree of exercise-induced muscle damage that can occur after physically challenging activities. These benefits may be the result of rapid constriction of the blood vessels due to the cold water.
Read also: Using Infrared Sauna for Weight Loss
Metabolic Boost: Cold plunges stimulate the creation of brown fat, which burns calories to generate heat. Saunas, on the other hand, might help burn existing brown fat. To optimize these metabolic effects, experts recommend ending with cold therapy. Based on the Søeberg Principle from cold researcher Dr. Susanna Søeberg, forcing your body to reheat on its own stimulates shivering, and further activation of brown fat thermogenesis (fat burning).
Additional Health Benefits
Beyond weight loss, both sauna and cold plunge offer a range of health benefits that contribute to overall well-being and longevity.
Cardiovascular Health
Cold plunges help the heart by promoting fat loss. When exposed to cold water or air for brief periods, the body produces noradrenaline, which breaks down fat cells and releases fatty acids into the bloodstream. This can fuel your heart and can help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol over time. The risk of fatty plaques blocking your blood vessels, and by extension heart attacks, plummets.
Like cold plunges, saunas have a similar effect to moderate-intensity exercise in lowering cholesterol levels. In short, regular use of sauna therapy can result in better cardiovascular health. Studies have shown that regular sauna users experience reduced risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes that can lead to death (Laukennen et al.). Increasing the frequency and duration of sauna sessions decreased the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease. Sauna reduces all-cause mortality - a general term referring to death from any cause.
Stress Management
Studies show cold plunges enhance alertness and focus while reducing anxiety. The initial shock of plunging your body into icy cold water triggers a surge of adrenaline and norepinephrine and dopamine; hormones that boost alertness (sometimes causing temporary agitation). These hormones remain elevated post-plunge, enhancing energy and focus. Dopamine (a cousin of adrenaline) is a powerful molecule that enhances mood, sharpens focus, and increases motivation. Even short plunges can lead to a lasting increase in dopamine, boosting your well-being. Cold stress also activates your prefrontal cortex, the brain area responsible for planning and controlling impulses. This "top-down control" strengthens resilience and grit, allowing you to cope better with everyday stressors.
Saunas have a longer history of being associated with improved mood, dating back to Roman sweat rooms. The science confirms this - the body's heat response triggers the release of dynorphins and endorphins. Dynorphins initially cause discomfort, but they prime the body for the mood-boosting effects of endorphins, leading to a sense of euphoria after your sauna session. The heat also offers significant stress management benefits - hormesis, the concept of mild stress triggering positive adaptation, applies here. Regular sauna use can reduce Cortisol (stress hormone) levels, activate DNA repair pathways (linked to longevity), and increase heat shock proteins that maintain protein structure within cells, crucial for overall health. Saunas may also be a weapon against inflammation: a major contributor to age-related diseases. Research suggests sauna use might reduce inflammatory proteins, potentially preventing or delaying these conditions and improving overall health. Laukkanen et al. goes further to specify that sauna bathing is highly related to a lower prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Sleep Improvement
Whole-body immersion in cold water is a natural sleep aid. A 2018 "Nature Scientific Reports" study investigated its effects on sleep quality. Participants who took cold plunges fell asleep significantly faster and reported better sleep quality compared to a control group. They experienced increases in slow-wave sleep, the deepest sleep stage crucial for memory, repair, and hormone regulation. These benefits likely stem from activating the parasympathetic nervous system - the stress relief mechanism. This system increases melatonin (a hormone that helps you sleep well) while decreasing cortisol (a stress hormone).
A 2017 study suggests regular sauna use substantially improved subjective sleep quality. The initial heat raises body temperature, followed by a natural drop upon exiting, mimicking the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, potentially signaling it to prepare for sleep. Saunas also reduce stress hormones like cortisol, promoting relaxation for better sleep.
Practical Guidelines for Incorporating Sauna and Cold Plunge
Cold Plunge: Experts recommend engaging in cold plunges for 11 minutes per week to boost benefits. The temperature varies from person to person, as each individual's cold tolerance is unique. Aim for 2-3 cold plunges per week, ideally separated by at least a few hours for optimal recovery. It is vital to split the 11 minute weekly threshold up into several separate sessions - in order to optimize cold shock and prevent adaptation (which will reduce benefits). Whole body immersion leads to a more significant core temperature decrease, and hence stronger effects. But partial immersion may be more accessible at home (in bathtubs), and can yield similar results. Generally, find a temperature that borders between discomfort and being able to safely stay in for a few minutes. As you progress, you may increase intensity by reducing water temperature or increasing exposure duration. To get the most from your ice plunge tub, experts recommend keeping water temperatures between 50°F and 59°F (10°C-15°C). Stay immersed for 2-5 minutes per session. This range activates cold-shock proteins without over-stressing the body
Sauna: To gain the health benefits of deliberate heat exposure, employ sauna therapy for a total of one hour per week, but split this time into two to three separate sessions. The sauna temperature should range from 80 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit to 212 degrees Fahrenheit). Studies have shown that there is no significant difference between steam or dry saunas - any protocol that enables you to reach the target temperature range should work.
Combining Hot and Cold Therapy: Switching between hot and cold might seem counterintuitive, but using them in conjunction can harness their synergistic effects. The contrasting temperatures create a "vascular pump" - saunas dilate your blood vessels while cold plunges constrict them. This may improve overall circulation and potentially benefit your cardiovascular health.
- Sauna sessions of 12-15 minutes
- Followed by a cold plunge session of up to 3 minutes
- Repeat the cycle 2-3 times depending on your tolerance levels
- We recommend finishing with cold therapy to prevent potential inflammation
- Repeat this routine 2-3 times a week
- Use an infrared sauna for additional detox and relaxation benefits
- Alternate between hot sauna and cold plunge for contrast therapy
- Invest in a home cold plunge or plunge tub for convenience
- Try sessions 2-3x weekly for best results
Safety Precautions:
- Ease into it: Start with warmer temperatures and shorter durations, just like you would with a new exercise routine. Find what works best for you while prioritizing safety.
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your sauna session to avoid dehydration from sweating.
- Sauna Time Limits: Limit your sessions to 20 minutes, with beginners starting even shorter (5-10 minutes) and gradually increasing the duration.
- Skip the Alcohol: Avoid alcohol before or during temperature therapy, as it can worsen dehydration.
- Consult Your Doctor: If you have any pre-existing health conditions (such as diabetes or heart issues), talk to your doctor before trying sauna or cold plunge therapy. People have varying tolerances to heat and cold, so listen to your body and adjust the experience accordingly.
The Longevity Connection
Saunas boasts a wealth of human research directly linking them to longevity. A longitudinal Finnish study followed men for over two decades, revealing a 40% lower risk of premature death for those who used saunas frequently compared to infrequent users. Similarly, a comprehensive review of existing research identified a clear association between regular sauna bathing and a reduced risk of cardiovascular events, a major contributor to shortened lifespan. These robust findings solidify saunas as a powerful tool in the fight for extended longevity.