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Sauna for RecoveryEvidence & Dosage

Heat Shock, Mitochondrial Repair, and Post‑Workout Application.

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
1,000
With abstract
49
Meta / Systematic / RCT
74
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1975–2026

Sauna for Recovery in the context of Recovery

This topic is part of our "Recovery" world. There you'll find methodology, evidence and the highest-impact levers — plus the order in which they sensibly build on each other.

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Top studies on Sauna for Recovery

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. The Effects of Heat Adaptation on Physiology, Perception and Exercise Performance in the Heat: A Meta-Analysis.

    Sports Med2016Meta-Analysis137 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Exercise performance and capacity are impaired in hot, compared to temperate, conditions. Heat adaptation (HA) is one intervention commonly adopted to reduce this impairment because it may induce beneficial exercise…

  2. Effects of fluid ingestion on cognitive function after heat stress or exercise-induced dehydration.

    Int J Psychophysiol2001n=7RCT99 influential citations

    This study investigated the effects of heat exposure, exercise-induced dehydration and fluid ingestion on cognitive performance. Seven healthy men, unacclimatized to heat, were kept euhydrated or were dehydrated by controlled passive…

  3. Heat to hypoxia cross-adaptation: Effects of 6-week post-exercise hot-water immersion on exercise performance in acute hypoxia.

    Exp Physiol2026n=22Study60 influential citations

    Cross-adaptation occurs when exposure to one environmental stressor (e.g., heat) induces protective responses to another (e.g., hypoxia). Although post-exercise hot-water immersion (HWI) induces heat acclimation, its potential to elicit…

  4. From Lab to Real World: Heat Acclimation Considerations for Elite Athletes.

    Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2017E58 influential citations

    As major sporting events are often held in hot environments, increased interest in ways of optimally heat acclimating athletes to maximise performance has emerged. Heat acclimation involves repeated exercise sessions in hot conditions that…

  5. Menstrual cycle phase affects temperature regulation during endurance exercise.

    Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)199255 influential citations

    We investigated whether menstrual cycle phase would affect temperature regulation during an endurance exercise bout performed at room temperature (Ta) of 22 degrees C and 60% relative humidity. Nine eumenorrheic women [age 27.2 +/- 3.7 yr,…

  6. Precooling methods and their effects on athletic performance : a systematic review and practical applications.

    Sports Med2013systematic51 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Precooling is a popular strategy used to combat the debilitating effects of heat-stress-induced fatigue and extend the period in which an individual can tolerate a heat-gaining environment. Interest in precooling prior to…

  7. Muscle regeneration is improved by hot water immersion but unchanged by cold following a simulated musculoskeletal injury in humans.

    J Physiol2025other50 influential citations

    Cryotherapy is a popular strategy for the treatment of skeletal muscle injuries. However, its effect on post-injury human muscle regeneration remains unclear. In contrast, promising results recently emerged using heat therapy to facilitate…

  8. Passive heat acclimation improves skeletal muscle contractility in humans.

    American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology2017E46 influential citations

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of repeated passive heat exposure (i.e., acclimation) on muscle contractility in humans. Fourteen nonheat-acclimated males completed two trials including electrically evoked twitches and…

  9. A systematic review of the effects of upper body warm-up on performance and injury.

    Br J Sports Med2015n=31Systematic Review46 influential citations

    <h4>Purpose</h4>This systematic review was conducted to identify the impact of upper body warm-up on performance and injury prevention outcomes.<h4>Methods</h4>Web of Science, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases were…

  10. Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners.

    J Sci Med Sport2007n=6clinical45 influential citations

    The physiological adaptations to sauna bathing could enhance endurance performance. We have therefore performed a cross-over study in which six male distance runners completed 3 wk of post-training sauna bathing and 3 wk of control…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• Fluid ingestion after heat stress or exercise-induced dehydration (Solution containing 50 g/L glucose and 1.34 g/L NaCl; volume equal to 100% of body weight loss in H1 and E1)
Are there safety considerations for Sauna for Recovery?
• No adverse events reported. • Heat exposure may add to an athlete's overall training load. • No studies of upper body warm-up effects on injury prevention were discovered; adverse events were not reported in the abstract. • No adverse events were reported in the abstract.

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