Infrared Sauna Shows Promising Benefits for Team-Sport Athletes
Recovery is the Key to Performance
In modern sport, competition is intense, and team athletes may play several matches per week, leaving little time for recovery. Insufficient recovery decreases performance and increases the risk of injury and overtraining.
Traditionally, recovery has been supported by methods such as massage and cold treatments, but in recent years, interest in heat-based methods has grown. While Finns favor the traditional Finnish sauna, infrared saunas have gained popularity internationally. The temperature in the infrared sauna is lower, and heat is transferred by radiation rather than by hot air movement or steam condensation.
Infrared Sauna Accelerated Recovery
In the study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä, male and female team-sport athletes used infrared sauna after exercise either once or throughout a six-week training period.
The results showed that infrared sauna exposure attenuated the acute decline in jump performance, reduced muscle soreness, and improved perceived recovery. When used regularly, infrared sauna enhanced loaded jump performance and maximal sprint speed over the first meters more effectively than training alone.
Although infrared sauna initially increased physiological stress responses in female athletes, such as nocturnal heart rate and cortisol levels, these effects diminished with regular use.
A Promising Method for Congested Match Schedules
“Infrared sauna can be a feasible and safe way to promote recovery, especially during congested match schedules,” says doctoral researcher Essi Ahokas.
The positive effects of short-term infrared sauna exposure on long-term performance development do not appear to result from direct physiological changes in the muscles, but more likely from improved training quality.
“Infrared sauna helped athletes recover faster, allowing them to continue training more effectively,” Ahokas explains.
“Infrared sauna may offer team-sport athletes a novel and promising tool for recovery, maintaining performance, and potentially enhancing it.”
However, knowledge about the effects of heat-based methods is still limited. For instance, the role of longer and hotter sauna sessions after intensive exercise should be studied more closely.
Essi Ahokas will defend her doctoral dissertation “Post-Exercise Infrared Sauna as a Recovery Modality for Team-Sport Athletes”, on Friday, October 17, 2025, at 12:00 in lecture hall L304, Liikunta building, University of Jyväskylä. The opponent will be Associate Professor Iñigo Mujika (University of the Basque Country, Spain), and the Custos will be University Lecturer Johanna Ihalainen (University of Jyväskylä).
