Infrared sauna as exercise-mimetic? Physiological responses to infrared sauna vs exercise in healthy women: A randomized controlled crossover trial

Garatachea, 2015, Exercise attenuates the major hallmarks of aging, Rejuvenation Res, 18, 57, 10.1089/rej.2014.1623 Moore, 2012, Leisure time physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity and mortality: a large pooled cohort analysis, PLoS Med, 9, 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001335 Vina, 2012, Exercise acts as a drug; the pharmacological benefits of exercise, Br J Pharmacol, 167, 1, 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.01970.x Hussain, 2018, Clinical effects of regular dry sauna bathing: a systematic review, Evid-Based Complement Altern Med, 2018, 10.1155/2018/1857413 Laukkanen, 2015, Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events, JAMA Intern Med, 175, 542, 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187 Laukkanen, 2018, Cardiovascular and other health benefits of sauna bathing: a review of the evidence, 93, 1111 Nocon, 2008, Association of physical activity with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil, 15, 239, 10.1097/HJR.0b013e3282f55e09 Kunutsor, 2018, Longitudinal associations of sauna bathing with inflammation and oxidative stress: the KIHD prospective cohort study, Ann Med, 50, 437, 10.1080/07853890.2018.1489143 Behzadi, 2020, Impact of Finnish sauna bathing on circulating markers of inflammation in healthy middle-aged and older adults: a crossover study, Complement Ther Med, 52, 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102486 Gravel, 2021, Acute vascular benefits of Finnish sauna bathing in patients with stable coronary artery disease, Can J Cardiol, 37, 493, 10.1016/j.cjca.2020.06.017 Gryka, 2014, The effect of sauna bathing on lipid profile in young, physically active, male subjects, Int J Occup Med Environ Health, 27, 608, 10.2478/s13382-014-0281-9 Pilch, 2010, Changes in the lipid profile of blood serum in women taking sauna baths of various duration, Int J Occup Med Environ Health, 23, 167, 10.2478/v10001-010-0020-9 Mackenzie, 2002, Assessment of arterial stiffness in clinical practice, Q J Med, 95, 67, 10.1093/qjmed/95.2.67 Malik, 1996, Heart rate variability - standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use: task force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology, Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol, 1, 151, 10.1111/j.1542-474X.1996.tb00275.x Boutouyrie, 2018, The clinical significance and application of vascular stiffness measurements, Am J Hypertens, 32, 4, 10.1093/ajh/hpy145 Franklin, 2008, Beyond blood pressure: arterial stiffness as a new biomarker of cardiovascular disease, J Am Soc Hypertens, 2, 140, 10.1016/j.jash.2007.09.002 Billman, 2015, An introduction to heart rate variability: methodological considerations and clinical applications, Front Physiol, 6, 55, 10.3389/fphys.2015.00055 Forte, 2019, Heart rate variability and cognitive function: a systematic review, Front Neurosci, 13, 710, 10.3389/fnins.2019.00710 Roberto, 2018, Heart rate variability: an overview and a few immediate/short-term assessments, Heart Mind, 2, 111, 10.4103/hm.hm_27_19 Caldwell, 2017, Effect of passive heat stress and exercise in the heat on arterial stiffness, Eur J Appl Physiol, 117, 1679, 10.1007/s00421-017-3658-1 Brunt, 2016, Passive heat therapy improves endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and blood pressure in sedentary humans, J Physiol, 594, 5329, 10.1113/JP272453 Schlader, 2019, Arterial stiffness during whole‐body passive heat stress in healthy older adults, Physiol Rep, 7, 10.14814/phy2.14094 Lee, 2018, Sauna exposure leads to improved arterial compliance: findings from a non-randomised experimental study, Eur J Prev Cardiol, 25, 130, 10.1177/2047487317737629 Imamura, 2001, Repeated thermal therapy improves impaired vascular endothelial function in patients with coronary risk factors, J Am Coll Cardiol, 38, 1083, 10.1016/S0735-1097(01)01467-X Laukkanen, 2019, Recovery from sauna bathing favorably modulates cardiac autonomic nervous system, Complement Ther Med, 45, 190, 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.06.011 Stanley, 2015, Effect of sauna-based heat acclimation on plasma volume and heart rate variability, Eur J Appl Physiol, 115, 785, 10.1007/s00421-014-3060-1 Zalewski, 2014, Cardiovascular and thermal response to dry-sauna exposure in healthy subjects, Physiol J, 2014, 10.1155/2014/106049 Kihara, 2004, Effects of repeated sauna treatment on ventricular arrhythmias in patients with chronic heart failure, Circ J, 68, 1146, 10.1253/circj.68.1146 Gayda, 2012, Effects of sauna alone versus postexercise sauna baths on short-term heart rate variability in patients with untreated hypertension, J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev, 32, 147, 10.1097/HCR.0b013e318251ffeb Kunbootsri, 2013, The effect of six weeks of sauna on treatment - autonomic nervous system, peak nasal inspiratory flow and lung functions of allergic rhinitis Thai patients, Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol, 31, 142, 10.12932/AP0262.31.2.2013 Miwa, 2016, Effect of isotonic exercise on energy metabolism, body temperature and cardiovascular functions during mist sauna bathing in humans, Auton Neurosci: Basic Clin, 201, 72, 10.1016/j.autneu.2016.09.006 Corsini, 2015, Effects of spa treatment on cardiac autonomic control at rest in healthy subjects, Sport Sci Health, 11, 181, 10.1007/s11332-015-0221-5 Kontaxis S., Bailón R., Rapalis A., et al. Abstract in Conference IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 8 - 11 September 2019: Autonomic nervous system response to heat stress exposure by means of heart rate variability. Computing in Cardiology. 2019;45: 197. Imamura, 2016, Real-time assessment of autonomic nerve activity during adaptive servo-ventilation support or Waon therapy, Int Heart J, 57, 511, 10.1536/ihj.16-014 Bruce-Low, 2006, Heart rate variability during high ambient heat exposure, Aviat, Space, Environ Med, 77, 915 Hussain, 2019, A hot topic for health: results of the Global Sauna Survey, Complement Ther Med, 44, 223, 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.03.012 Beever, 2009, Far-infrared saunas for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors: summary of published evidence, Can Fam Physician, 55, 691 Schulz, 2010, CONSORT 2010 Statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials, Br Med J, 340, c332, 10.1136/bmj.c332 Dwan, 2019, CONSORT 2010 statement: extension to randomised crossover trials, Br Med J, 366, l4378, 10.1136/bmj.l4378 Ketelhut, 2019, The blood pressure and heart rate during sauna bath correspond to cardiac responses during submaximal dynamic exercise, Complement Ther Med, 44, 218, 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.05.002 Vuori, 1988, Sauna bather's circulation, Ann Clin Res, 20, 249 Norton, 2010, Position statement on physical activity and exercise intensity terminology, J Sci Med Sport, 13, 496, 10.1016/j.jsams.2009.09.008 Oliver, 2003, Noninvasive assessment of arterial stiffness and risk of atherosclerotic events, Arterioscler, Thromb, Vasc Biol, 23, 554, 10.1161/01.ATV.0000060460.52916.D6 O'Rourke, 2001, Pulse wave analysis, Br J Clin Pharmacol, 51, 507, 10.1046/j.0306-5251.2001.01400.x Weber, 2005, Increased arterial wave reflections predict severe cardiovascular events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions, Eur Heart J, 26, 2657, 10.1093/eurheartj/ehi504 Tarvainen, 2014, Kubios HRV–heart rate variability analysis software, Comput Methods Prog Biomed, 113, 210, 10.1016/j.cmpb.2013.07.024 Siquier-Coll, 2019, Effect of heat exposure and physical exercise until exhaustion in normothermic and hyperthermic conditions on serum, sweat and urinary concentrations of magnesium and phosphorus, J Therm Biol, 84, 176, 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2019.07.010 Crilly, 2007, Indices of cardiovascular function derived from peripheral pulse wave analysis using radial applanation tonometry: a measurement repeatability study, Vasc Med, 12, 189, 10.1177/1358863X07081134 Wilkinson, 2000, The influence of heart rate on augmentation index and central arterial pressure in humans, J Physiol, 525, 263, 10.1111/j.1469-7793.2000.t01-1-00263.x Roman, 2009, High central pulse pressure is independently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcome: the Strong Heart Study, J Am Coll Cardiol, 54, 1730, 10.1016/j.jacc.2009.05.070 Shaffer, 2017, An overview of heart rate variability metrics and norms, Front Public Health, 5, 258, 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00258 Laborde, 2017, Heart rate variability and cardiac vagal tone in psychophysiological research - recommendations for experiment planning, data analysis, and data reporting, Front Psychol, 8, 213, 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00213 Faul, 2007, Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences, Behav Res Methods, 39, 175, 10.3758/BF03193146 Kenefick, 2012, Hydration for recreational sport and physical activity, Nutr Rev, 70, S137, 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00523.x Laukkanen, 2018, Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function, J Hum Hypertens, 32, 129, 10.1038/s41371-017-0008-z Pilch, 2007, Effect of the sauna-induced thermal stimuli of various intensity on the thermal and hormonal metabolism in women, Biol Sport, 24, 357 Pilch, 2019, Changes in selected physiological indicators and thermal stress assessment under the influence of baths in a dry and wet sauna in young healthy women, Med Pr, 70, 701, 10.13075/mp.5893.00883 Leppäluoto, 1986, Some cardiovascular and metabolic effects of repeated sauna bathing, Acta Physiol Scand, 128, 77, 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1986.tb07952.x Larson, 2020, Abstract in Experimental Biology Conference 4 - 7 April 2020: Sex differences in hemodynamic response to acute passive heat exposure, FASEB J, 34, 3491, 10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.03491 Hoekstra, 2018, Acute and chronic effects of hot water immersion on inflammation and metabolism in sedentary, overweight adults, J Appl Physiol, 125, 2008, 10.1152/japplphysiol.00407.2018 Tei, 2016, Waon therapy for managing chronic heart failure–results from a multicenter prospective randomized WAON-CHF study, Circ J, 80, 827, 10.1253/circj.CJ-16-0051 Zapara, 2020, Passive whole-body hyperthermia increases aerobic capacity and cardio-respiratory efficiency in amateur athletes, Health, 12, 14, 10.4236/health.2020.121002 Tei, 1995, Acute hemodynamic improvement by thermal vasodilation in congestive heart failure, Circulation, 91, 2582, 10.1161/01.CIR.91.10.2582 Hanusch, 2013, Whole-body hyperthermia for the treatment of major depression: associations with thermoregulatory cooling, Am J Psychiatry, 170, 802, 10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12111395 Janssen, 2016, Whole-body hyperthermia for the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomized clinical trial, JAMA Psychiatry, 73, 789, 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1031 Romeyke, 2014, Multi-modal pain therapy of fibromyalgia syndrome with integration of systemic whole-body hyperthermia–effects on pain intensity and mental state: a non-randomised controlled study, J Musculoskelet Pain, 22, 341, 10.3109/10582452.2014.949336 Charkoudian, 2017, Autonomic control of body temperature and blood pressure: influences of female sex hormones, Clin Auton Res, 27, 149, 10.1007/s10286-017-0420-z Baker, 2001, Sleep and 24 h body temperatures: a comparison in young men, naturally cycling women and women taking hormonal contraceptives, J Physiol, 530, 565, 10.1111/j.1469-7793.2001.0565k.x Stachenfeld, 2000, Estrogen modifies the temperature effects of progesterone, J Appl Physiol, 88, 1643, 10.1152/jappl.2000.88.5.1643 Mattson, 2008, Hormesis defined, Ageing Res Rev, 7, 1, 10.1016/j.arr.2007.08.007 Havenith, 2008, Male and female upper body sweat distribution during running measured with technical absorbents, Eur J Appl Physiol, 104, 245, 10.1007/s00421-007-0636-z Petersen, 2005, The anti-inflammatory effect of exercise, J Appl Physiol, 98, 1154, 10.1152/japplphysiol.00164.2004 McClung, 2008, Exercise-heat acclimation in humans alters baseline levels and ex vivo heat inducibility of HSP72 and HSP90 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, Am J Physiol-Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 294, R185, 10.1152/ajpregu.00532.2007 Steensberg, 2003, IL-6 enhances plasma IL-1ra, IL-10, and cortisol in humans, Am J Physiol-Endocrinol Metab, 285, E433, 10.1152/ajpendo.00074.2003 Starkie, 2003, Exercise and IL‐6 infusion inhibit endotoxin‐induced TNF‐α production in humans, FASEB J, 17, 1, 10.1096/fj.02-0670fje Masuda, 2004, Repeated sauna therapy reduces urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α, Jpn Heart J, 45, 297, 10.1536/jhj.45.297 Brunt, 2016, Passive heat therapy improves cutaneous microvascular function in sedentary humans via improved nitric oxide-dependent dilation, J Appl Physiol, 121, 716, 10.1152/japplphysiol.00424.2016 Goto, 2003, Effect of different intensities of exercise on endothelium-dependent vasodilation in humans: role of endothelium-dependent nitric oxide and oxidative stress, Circulation, 108, 530, 10.1161/01.CIR.0000080893.55729.28 Shinsato, 2010, Waon therapy mobilizes CD34+ cells and improves peripheral arterial disease, J Cardiol, 56, 361, 10.1016/j.jjcc.2010.08.004 Fujita, 2011, Effect of Waon therapy on oxidative stress in chronic heart failure, Circ J, 75, 348, 10.1253/circj.CJ-10-0630 Hunt, 2019, Could heat therapy be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases? A narrative review, Front Physiol, 10, 1556, 10.3389/fphys.2019.01556 Bouchama, 2017, A model of exposure to extreme environmental heat uncovers the human transcriptome to heat stress, Sci Rep, 7, 9429, 10.1038/s41598-017-09819-5 White, 2006, Components and mechanisms of thermal hyperpnea, J Appl Physiol, 101, 655, 10.1152/japplphysiol.00210.2006 Sies, 2020, Reactive oxygen species (ROS) as pleiotropic physiological signalling agents, Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 21, 363, 10.1038/s41580-020-0230-3 Zinchuk, 2012, Sauna effect on blood oxygen transport and prooxidant-antioxidant balance in athletes, Med Sport: J Rom Sports Med Soc, 8, 1883 Zinchuk, 2012, The effect of a sauna on blood oxygen transport and the prooxidant-antioxidant balance in untrained subjects, Hum Physiol, 38, 548, 10.1134/S0362119712030152 Kukkonen-Harjula, 1989, Haemodynamic and hormonal responses to heat exposure in a Finnish sauna bath, Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol, 58, 543, 10.1007/BF02330710 Podstawski, 2019, Correlations between repeated use of dry sauna for 4 x 10 min, physiological parameters, anthropometric features, and body composition in young sedentary and overweight men: health implications, BioMed Res Int, 2019, 10.1155/2019/7535140 Crandall, 2015, Human cardiovascular responses to passive heat stress, Compr Physiol, 5, 17 Kihara, 2002, Repeated sauna treatment improves vascular endothelial and cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure, J Am Coll Cardiol, 39, 754, 10.1016/S0735-1097(01)01824-1 Ohori, 2012, Effect of repeated sauna treatment on exercise tolerance and endothelial function in patients with chronic heart failure, Am J Cardiol, 109, 100, 10.1016/j.amjcard.2011.08.014 Sobajima, 2013, Repeated sauna therapy improves myocardial perfusion in patients with chronically occluded coronary artery-related ischemia, Int J Cardiol, 167, 237, 10.1016/j.ijcard.2011.12.064 Kubozono, 2006, Abstract: Effect of repeated thermal therapy on arterial stiffness in patients with chronic heart failure, J Card Fail, 12, S184, 10.1016/j.cardfail.2006.08.197 Ganio, 2011, Effect of passive heat stress on arterial stiffness, Exp Physiol, 96, 919, 10.1113/expphysiol.2011.057091 Moyen, 2016, Effect of passive heat stress on arterial stiffness in smokers versus non-smokers, Int J Biometeorol, 60, 499, 10.1007/s00484-015-1046-2 Doonan, 2013, Differences in arterial stiffness at rest and after acute exercise between young men and women, Hypertens Res, 36, 226, 10.1038/hr.2012.158 Brenner, 1998, Autonomic regulation of the circulation during exercise and heat exposure, Sports Med, 26, 85, 10.2165/00007256-199826020-00003 Kukkonen-Harjula, 1994, Cardiovascular effects of atenolol, scopolamine and their combination on healthy men in Finnish sauna baths, Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol, 69, 10, 10.1007/BF00867920 Yamamoto, 2007, Evaluation of the effect of heat exposure on the autonomic nervous system by heart rate variability and urinary catecholamines, J Occup Health, 49, 199, 10.1539/joh.49.199 Leicht, 2018, Heart rate variability responses to acute and repeated postexercise sauna in trained cyclists, Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 43, 704, 10.1139/apnm-2017-0581 Kominami, 2020, Cardiovascular reactions for whole-body thermal therapy with a hot pack and Waon therapy, Int J Hyperth, 37, 184, 10.1080/02656736.2020.1723719 Kuwahata, 2011, Improvement of autonomic nervous activity by Waon therapy in patients with chronic heart failure, J Cardiol, 57, 100, 10.1016/j.jjcc.2010.08.005 Radtke, 2016, Acute effects of Finnish sauna and cold-water immersion on haemodynamic variables and autonomic nervous system activity in patients with heart failure, Eur J Prev Cardiol, 23, 593, 10.1177/2047487315594506 Boyett, 2019, CrossTalk opposing view: heart rate variability as a measure of cardiac autonomic responsiveness is fundamentally flawed, J Physiol, 597, 2599, 10.1113/JP277501 Pilch, 2014, Comparison of physiological reactions and physiological strain in healthy men under heat stress in dry and steam heat saunas, Biol Sport, 31, 145, 10.5604/20831862.1099045