Cold Plunge vs. Sauna: Comparing Their Benefits for Recovery and Healthy Aging

Carving out time for your fitness goals is tricky enough in your busy world, so you want to make sure that every minute counts — and that you’re doing everything you can to boost your performance, recovery, and overall wellness.

If you’ve ever seen athletes jump into an icy bath or head into a sauna, that’s exactly what they’re doing — supporting their bodies as they pursue fitness.

Dr. Sean P. Nikravan is a board-certified endocrinologist and cardiometabolic wellness expert who is on a mission to help patients optimize their health. Through our Longevity Program, we partner with patients to show them the best ways to support their fitness and the inevitable aging journey.

With recovery and aging in mind, we take a look at the benefits of cold plunges and saunas and compare the benefits of these therapies.

Taking a cold plunge

When it comes to recovering well from any physical endeavor, managing inflammation, soreness, and stiffness in your body are top priorities. When you submerge your body into icy cold water, it can deliver these benefits:

Reducing inflammation and soreness

When your body hits the cold water, your blood vessels constrict, which can help ward off post-workout inflammation and soreness. Bear in mind, however, that inflammation isn’t necessarily bad because it sets up an environment for muscle building.

Boosting mood

Where cold plunges really excel is in boosting your mood. When you’re exposed to cold water, your body releases neurotransmitters such as serotonin, cortisol, dopamine, norepinephrine, and β-endorphin — all of which can boost your mood and make you feel more alert.

Improving sleep

A cold plunge after physical exertion can help during those nights when your body seems to still be wired and moving around. One study found that participants had reduced arousal and limb movement, as well as improved slow wave sleep, after whole body cold plunges.

The power of sauna heat

Now let's take a look at some benefits of the opposite therapy — heat. Many athletes swear by saunas, and here’s why:

• Saunas can improve endurance by increasing blood volume
• Heat can reduce blood pressure and improve stiffness in your arteries
• Heat is excellent for connective tissue health and soothing sore muscles
• Saunas reduce stress
• Heat can increase insulin sensitivity
• Saunas and heat therapy can improve sleep

The one downfall of saunas is that they can dehydrate your body, so it’s important to hydrate before and after your sauna.

Hot or cold — how do you choose?

Many athletes use cold plunges and hot saunas in combination, so it doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition. For example, after a long run, you might submerge in a cold bath and then heat up again with a sauna.

We also mentioned that a cold plunge isn’t all that beneficial if you’re focused on muscle building — you want some post-workout inflammation. In these cases, it might be best to stick with heat.

Bear in mind that anyone who has issues with extreme temperatures or who has serious heart disease should check with us first before instituting a cold plunge or sauna routine.

If you’d like to discuss which of these complementary therapies can help best with your fitness and aging goals, please schedule a consultation today with Sean P. Nikravan, MD, in Newport Beach, California.