Improve Recovery Time After Exercise - PART 2

Our local football and netball competitions are now back into their normal rhythm after the Easter break. Let’s continue to delve into ways that athletes can improve their recovery post-game, so that they can return to training with fresh legs. Last edition we looked at compression, active recovery and cold-water immersion (CWI). Let's start by looking at the inverse of CWI and review the different types of heat that they can use.

Sauna therapy: There are various types of saunas – dry/Finnish, steam and infrared (IRS). Despite differences in heat intensity and typical duration spent in the sauna, they all have a similar impact on the body (1,2). 

Sauna therapy has been demonstrated to have positive effects on a wide range of bodily systems including cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine & inflammatory (3). Specifically, benefits for post-game recovery have been demonstrated. For example, a small-scale study in 2023 used infrared saunas after each 2-3 weekly strength and power training sessions over a 6-week period (3). Those that used the sauna had significant improvements in power, muscle growth and a reduction in body fat compared to those that didn’t. A similar study also in 2023 also found similar performance results as well as a significant reduction in muscle soreness and self-perceived recovery (4). 

Hot water immersion 

Hot water immersion (HWI) involves using a hot spa or bath. The general impact of HWI is thought to be similar to sauna therapy. The research in this field is in its infancy & has mixed results. There is a range of studies showing improvements from HWI5, however, in 2023 a study that was the first to emulate “real-world" use of HWI alongside exercise found no improvement in muscle function, soreness and markers of disruption and inflammation following resistance exercise (6). 

Should I do both HWI and CWI?  

From our digging of research, there isn’t enough evidence yet to make clear recommendations about one over the other or mixing HWI & CWI after a game, but it’s worth a try. 

Some points: if you have another game to play within 2 days, such as a basketball or netball tournament then consider HWI over CWI, as CWI appears negatively to affect subsequent performance in the short-term (5). 

Also, on a side note, when CWI is done regularly after strength training it may blunt strength and hypertrophy gains, so we advise regular CWI to be done separate to strength training (7). Contrarily, regular CWI doesn’t appear to affect aerobic training gains (8). 

Magnesium 

There are plenty of supplements that can help with exercise performance and recovery. Magnesium is an easy one to cover. Supplementing with oral magnesium does help with improving performance, soreness and recovery in athletes but they need a 10-20% higher intake than sedentary people and it needs to be taken 2 hours before training (9). 

If you are thinking about adding epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to your bath, it’s worth a try but there is next to no research looking at this and its potential benefits over hot water alone (10). 

What we do know is that it’s very hard to measure magnesium status.11 So, we think it’s worth a try to add epsom salts if you're doing HWI even if the research isn’t there yet. 

Sleep 

Sleep is arguably the most important recovery strategy of all. Exercise and sleep have a mutually beneficial relationship; our sleep improves with regular exercise and our exercise performance improves with rejuvenating sleep. 

However, poor sleep has been reported by both elite and sub-elite athlete groups (11). Sleep less than 7 hours increases stress hormones, impacts replenishment of carbohydrate stores and rate of muscle repair. Therefore, good quality sleep plays a role in our physical and mental readiness to keep performing. The recommendations suggest that when training intensity or duration increases (e.g. finals season or returning after injury), fatigue can be reduced and training adaptations enhanced with increased sleep. 

Ways to improve sleep quality: 

• Reduce blue light exposure in the evening particularly from electronic devices (e.g. TV’s and smart phones) and bright white lights (12). 

• Increase sunlight exposure particularly first thing in the morning (13). 

• Stick to regular wake and sleep times (14).

We’ve run out of time to cover massage as a form of recovery. Next time! Join us for some infra-red heated, recovery-friendly group classes at our soon to open Gym and Studio space in Foster. As always, if you are struggling with niggles, lack of mobility or persistent soreness, osteopathic treatment may help you get back on track. 

 References

1. Hussain, J., & Cohen, M. (2018). Clinical effects of regular dry sauna bathing: A systematic review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2018, Article 1857413. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1857413

2. Laukkanen, J. A., & Kunutsor, S. K. (2024). The multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan: A comprehensive review with a focus on Finnish sauna. Temperature, 11(1), 27–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/23328940.2023.2300623

3. Zhang, T. (2023). Effects of post-exercise infrared sauna on training adaptations in team-sport athletes [Doctoral dissertation, Victoria University]. Victoria University Research Repository.

4. Ahokas, E. K., Ihalainen, J., Hanstock, H. G., Savolainen, E., & Kyröläinen, H. (2023). A post-exercise infrared sauna session improves recovery of neuromuscular performance and muscle soreness after resistance exercise training. Biology of Sport, 40(3), 681–689. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.119289

5. Roberts, L. A., Raastad, T., Markworth, J. F., et al. (2015). Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training. The Journal of Physiology, 593(18), 4285–4301. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP270570

6. Benoît, S., Nicolas, B., Grégoire, M. P., et al. (2024). Hot but not cold water immersion mitigates the decline in rate of force development following exercise-induced muscle damage. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 56(12), 2362–2371. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003513

7. Chaillou, T., Treigyte, V., Mosely, S., Brazaitis, M., Venckunas, T., & Cheng, A. J. (2022). Functional impact of post-exercise cooling and heating on recovery and training adaptations: Application to resistance, endurance, and sprint exercise. Sports Medicine - Open, 8(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-022-00428-9

8. Aguiar, P. F., Magalhães, S. M., Fonseca, I. A. T., et al. (2016). Post-exercise cold water immersion does not alter high intensity interval training-induced exercise performance and Hsp72 responses, but enhances mitochondrial markers. Cell Stress and Chaperones, 21(5), 793–804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-016-0704-6

9. BioMed Central. (2024). Gut microbiota, exercise performance, and metabolism. Journal of Translational Medicine. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12967-024-05434-x

10. Runners World Editors. (2019, May 7). The benefits of Epsom salt baths. Runner’s World. https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a27373479/benefits-of-epsom-salt/

11. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2021). Infrared sauna use: A review of clinical studies. PubMed Central (PMC). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8072992/

12. Cajochen, C., Frey, S., Anders, D., Späti, J., Bues, M., Pross, A., Mager, R., Wirz-Justice, A., & Stefani, O. (2011). Evening exposure to a light-emitting diodes (LED)-backlit computer screen affects circadian physiology and cognitive performance. Journal of Applied Physiology, 110(5), 1432–1438. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00165.2011

13. Anderson, A. R., Ostermiller, L., Lastrapes, M., & Hales, L. (2025). Does sunlight exposure predict next-night sleep? A daily diary study among U.S. adults. Journal of Health Psychology, 30(5), 962–975. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053241262643

14. Sletten, T. L., Weaver, M. D., Foster, R. G., Gozal, D., Klerman, E. B., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Roenneberg, T., Takahashi, J. S., Turek, F. W., Vitiello, M. V., Young, M. W., & Czeisler, C. A. (2023). The importance of sleep regularity: A consensus statement of the National Sleep Foundation sleep timing and variability panel. Sleep Health, 9(6), 801–820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2023.07.016