When Is the Best Time to Use a Sauna?
Choosing the best time to use a sauna depends on your goals and what you’re trying to get from sauna use. And that’s because there are different benefits to using a sauna at different times of day. Whether you’re trying to start your day right, improve recovery from a workout, or get deeper sleep, there are different reasons to use a sauna at different times of the day.
Continue reading to learn when the best time to use a sauna is for you!
Morning Sauna Sessions: Start Your Day Right
Starting your day with a sauna session can be invigorating. It’s a great way to wipe the sleep from your eyes and start your day on the right foot.
For most people, between 30 and 90 minutes after waking is a good time for a morning sauna session. That’s because this is the time when your body naturally transitions from resting mode to wakefulness. A 15- to 20-minute session is often enough to improve energy levels without leaving you feeling drained.
A morning sauna doesn’t just awaken your senses. It primes you for the day ahead, elevating both your physical and mental well-being. This study found that people who use saunas between five and 15 times per month had higher scores on the SF-12 Quality of Life scoring tool.
How a Morning Sauna Boosts Your Energy Levels
A sauna session first thing in the morning can be similar to a cup of coffee without the jittery side effects of caffeine. The heat causes blood vessels to dilate, improving circulation and delivering more oxygen to your muscles and brain.
This improved blood flow and oxygen delivery boosts energy and alertness. But using the sauna doesn’t just have physical health benefits. A morning sauna session can prepare your mind for the day’s challenges and enhance your mental resilience by releasing endorphins.
The Science Behind Saunas and Endorphins
The word endorphin has two root words within it: “endo-” and “-orphin.” The prefix “endo-” is from the Greek word “endon,” which means “inside” or “within.” The Greek root “-orphin” is derived from Morpheus and references “morphine,” the pain-relief drug.
Simply put, endorphins are naturally occurring chemicals responsible for both pain relief and feelings of positivity—all produced from inside our own bodies!
When you sit in the sauna, your body releases endorphins. This study found, “Sauna use promotes a strong increase in beta-endorphins, which seem to be partly responsible for the euphoria associated with exercise.” (This is frequently called “runner’s high.”)
The increase in endorphin levels acts as a natural mood booster. This hormonal release can alleviate stress and replace it with a sense of calm focus—which is exactly what you need when beginning your day.
In fact, this study tested the effect of a morning sauna session on work efficiency by having the participants perform a “mental task.” It found that “morning mist sauna bathing improves work efficiency” when compared to sauna use later in the day or no sauna use at all.
Post-Workout Sauna for Improved Recovery
Cold plunges have been shown to improve recovery from exercise. But sauna use has numerous post-exercise benefits, as well. If you want to use a sauna to improve recovery, the best time to use a sauna is after your workout.
The heat from a sauna helps your muscles relax and accelerates the healing process. Not only does this have an immediate, short-term effect, but it also allows you to recover more quickly and more fully, allowing for cumulative long-term training adaptations.
This study found, “Infrared sauna use post-exercise improves neuromuscular performance, decreases muscle soreness, and increases perceived recovery, potentially enhancing mood, readiness, and physical performance.”
How Saunas Reduce Muscle Soreness and Inflammation
The heat from the sauna causes blood vessels to expand, which increases blood flow to sore muscles and joints. This improved circulation reduces lactic acid buildup. And regular sauna use reduces inflammation.
Both lactic acid and inflammation are major contributors to post-exercise soreness (also called delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS). Reducing both lactic acid buildup and inflammation improves recovery after a workout.
There is another mechanism through which sauna use improves recovery: lowering oxidative stress. This study found, “A single Finnish sauna bath is able to reduce oxidative stress induced by a 30-minute aerobic exercise in healthy men.”
Ideal Timing After a Workout for Maximum Recovery
The best time to use a sauna after working out is more than 15 minutes, but less than 30 minutes after you finish. This time frame allows for two things.
First, you give your body enough time to cool down after exercise, as well as allow your breathing and heart rate to return to normal. But it’s also a short enough time to reap the benefits of improved circulation and better oxygen delivery—resulting in faster flushing of lactic acid and decreased inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein.
Sauna Duration for Muscle Repair
For post-workout recovery, a 10- to 20-minute sauna session strikes the right balance of health benefits without the risk of overheating or dehydration.
Experts recommend spending at least 10 minutes in the sauna to experience post-workout recovery benefits. Anything less than 10 minutes is unlikely to give you the benefits from increased circulation and subsequent physiological processes.
On the other hand, it’s best to avoid spending more than 20 minutes in the sauna post-workout. This is because, after a workout, your body is likely already dehydrated. Spending too much time in the sauna can further dehydrate you after a workout, which is counterproductive to recovery.
It is suggested to spend the 15- to 30-minute window between your workout and sauna session rehydrating. Drinking water or your recovery drink of choice during this period is ideal.
Evening Sauna Sessions for Improved Sleep
The transition from a busy day to a restful evening can be tricky. An evening sauna session offers a deep sense of relaxation that prepares both your body and mind for rest.
This relaxing effect is so strong that this study found that 83% of people reported better sleep after sauna use. And some of them even said they see sleep improvements for not just one but two consecutive nights after sauna use.
How Evening Sauna Sessions Help You Wind Down
One of the best ways of ensuring a good night’s rest is beginning the process of “winding down” long before your head hits the pillow. And one of the most effective ways of doing that is by transitioning your central nervous system from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and digest).
This study found that during the cooling down period after a sauna session, “Heart-rate variability improved, which indicates the dominant role of parasympathetic activity and decreased sympathetic activity.”
An evening sauna session doesn’t just affect your central nervous system. The heat from a sauna session can help your body relieve muscle tension and soothe achy joints, promoting relaxation from head to toe.
Saunas are known to lower cortisol, our body’s primary stress hormone. As your body relaxes in the heat, cortisol levels drop, helping to alleviate feelings of anxiety and stress. You emerge feeling calmer and in a better state to get a high-quality night’s rest.
When to Use the Sauna for Better Sleep
Using the sauna an hour or two before bed can significantly improve your sleep quality. That’s because of the sauna’s effect on your core body temperature.
When you enter a sauna, your core body temperature rises. But because our bodies like to maintain a homeostatic environment—which includes maintaining a stable body temperature—our core temperature drops after exiting a sauna.
This study found that “sleep in mammals is accompanied by a decrease in core body temperature.” Furthermore, a decrease in core temperature can signal your body to produce melatonin—the sleep hormone—resulting in deeper sleep.
Our body heats up in the sauna, but one to two hours after exiting, our body temperature drops. This is what allows us to get a good night’s rest. If you use the sauna too close to bedtime, you may find it difficult to fall asleep until your body cools off.
Optimal Sauna Duration for Better Sleep
For evening sauna sessions, 15 to 20 minutes is typically ideal. It’s enough time to reap the relaxation benefits without overstimulating your body, which could keep you awake.
Your core temperature will rise from 15 to 20 minutes of sauna use, so be sure to give yourself at least an hour before bedtime if you’re going to use the sauna in the evening.
The Best Time to Use a Sauna
The best time to use a sauna is completely dependent on your goals. Of course, there’s no wrong time to use a sauna. But if you’re going to implement sauna into your wellness routine, it’s worth figuring out what works best for you.
Check out our Listings page for a local sauna location that suits your schedule.
