Regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability: A multi‐arm randomized controlled trial
Abstract Regular exercise has been shown to increase heart rate variability (HRV) for different populations. Acute and short‐term studies using heat therapy and sauna bathing have also shown HRV improvements. However, long‐term adaptations in HRV to regular exercise and sauna bathing remain unexplor...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Physiological Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70449 |
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| author | Earric Lee Sascha Ketelhut Petri Wiklund Joel Kostensalo Iiris Kolunsarka Hans Hägglund Juha P. Ahtiainen |
| author_facet | Earric Lee Sascha Ketelhut Petri Wiklund Joel Kostensalo Iiris Kolunsarka Hans Hägglund Juha P. Ahtiainen |
| author_sort | Earric Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Regular exercise has been shown to increase heart rate variability (HRV) for different populations. Acute and short‐term studies using heat therapy and sauna bathing have also shown HRV improvements. However, long‐term adaptations in HRV to regular exercise and sauna bathing remain unexplored. In this 1:1:1 multi‐arm trial, sedentary participants (n = 38) aged 49 ± 9 years with at least one CVD risk factor were randomly assigned to regular exercise and 15‐min postexercise sauna (EXS), regular exercise only (EXE), or control (CON) group, for an 8‐week intervention. Indices of HRV (RR interval, RMSSD, SDNN, resting heart rate [HR], HRMAX–HRMIN, high frequency power [HFP], and low frequency power [LFP]) were measured before (PRE) and after (POST) the trial. Compared to CON, EXE increased the time‐domain measure of HRMAX–HRMIN (p = 0.003), and elicited significantly smaller decreases in the frequency‐domain measure of LFP (p = 0.022). There were no statistically significant differences between EXS and EXE for any of the HRV indices measured. Eight weeks of regular exercise conferred positive changes in both time‐ and frequency‐domain measures of HRV. However, adding regular sauna bathing postexercise offered no additional benefits to HRV over regular exercise alone. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a16c4985f56f498598b2ee6eace0fd94 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2051-817X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physiological Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-a16c4985f56f498598b2ee6eace0fd942025-08-20T03:13:08ZengWileyPhysiological Reports2051-817X2025-07-011313n/an/a10.14814/phy2.70449Regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability: A multi‐arm randomized controlled trialEarric Lee0Sascha Ketelhut1Petri Wiklund2Joel Kostensalo3Iiris Kolunsarka4Hans Hägglund5Juha P. Ahtiainen6Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä FinlandInstitute of Sport Science, University of Bern Bern SwitzerlandThe Exercise Translational Medicine Center and Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai ChinaNatural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) Joensuu FinlandFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä FinlandSection of Hematology, Department of Medical Sciences Uppsala University Uppsala SwedenFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä FinlandAbstract Regular exercise has been shown to increase heart rate variability (HRV) for different populations. Acute and short‐term studies using heat therapy and sauna bathing have also shown HRV improvements. However, long‐term adaptations in HRV to regular exercise and sauna bathing remain unexplored. In this 1:1:1 multi‐arm trial, sedentary participants (n = 38) aged 49 ± 9 years with at least one CVD risk factor were randomly assigned to regular exercise and 15‐min postexercise sauna (EXS), regular exercise only (EXE), or control (CON) group, for an 8‐week intervention. Indices of HRV (RR interval, RMSSD, SDNN, resting heart rate [HR], HRMAX–HRMIN, high frequency power [HFP], and low frequency power [LFP]) were measured before (PRE) and after (POST) the trial. Compared to CON, EXE increased the time‐domain measure of HRMAX–HRMIN (p = 0.003), and elicited significantly smaller decreases in the frequency‐domain measure of LFP (p = 0.022). There were no statistically significant differences between EXS and EXE for any of the HRV indices measured. Eight weeks of regular exercise conferred positive changes in both time‐ and frequency‐domain measures of HRV. However, adding regular sauna bathing postexercise offered no additional benefits to HRV over regular exercise alone.https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70449cardiovascular risk factorexercise trainingheart rate variabilityheat therapysauna bathing |
| spellingShingle | Earric Lee Sascha Ketelhut Petri Wiklund Joel Kostensalo Iiris Kolunsarka Hans Hägglund Juha P. Ahtiainen Regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability: A multi‐arm randomized controlled trial Physiological Reports cardiovascular risk factor exercise training heart rate variability heat therapy sauna bathing |
| title | Regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability: A multi‐arm randomized controlled trial |
| title_full | Regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability: A multi‐arm randomized controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | Regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability: A multi‐arm randomized controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability: A multi‐arm randomized controlled trial |
| title_short | Regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability: A multi‐arm randomized controlled trial |
| title_sort | regular postexercise sauna bathing does not improve heart rate variability a multi arm randomized controlled trial |
| topic | cardiovascular risk factor exercise training heart rate variability heat therapy sauna bathing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70449 |
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