Exciting research is confirming the link between sauna use and muscle growth and general physical well being.
What are heat shock proteins?
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a group of proteins which are produced through the cells during conditions that are stressful. They can be produced through extreme heat, cold, UV light exposure, as well as healing wounds. The creation of HSPs is thought to have several benefits for the body. They act to regulate new proteins by allowing proper refolding of damaged proteins. HSPs are not unique to humans, they can be found in all living things. There are several kinds of heat shock proteins.
How can I benefit from HSPs?
Increasing your core temperature in small bursts works to improve both mental and physical performance. By increasing the body’s core temperature you can adapt yourself into increasing your endurance, enhance your ability to tolerate stresses, and make it easier to gain muscle mass.
When we exercise strenuously we often feel as if we are overheating and this contributes to feelings of exhaustion. Scientists have found that experiencing this level of heat without working out causes your body to adapt and reduces your sense of overheating while you do work out. This is caused over time by adapting our thermoregulatory mechanisms and cardiovascular system. Our body becomes better able to regulate our own core temperatures through adaptations.
How our bodies adapt
– Lower heart rate and make our heart rate more efficient
– Allow better transportation of oxygen to our muscles
– Through thermoregulatory control raise our sweating and sweat sensitivity
– Increase our count of red blood cells
– Lower the body’s temperature during workouts
– Increase blood flow to our tissues
– Increase plasma volume resulting in optimizing blood flow
Studies haves shown that only a thirty minute sauna session twice a week after gym sessions allowed people in the study to run until they are exhausted by 32% compared to the baseline. This change came with a 3.5% increase in red blood cell count, and a 7.1% increase in blood plasma level. More red blood cells mean more oxygen your muscles are getting. The theorized reason for this increase in red blood cells comes from compensating for a rise in plasma volume.
Muscle cells also are strongly affected by these heat shock proteins. Both heat and exercise induce muscular hypertrophy, which increase the size of muscle cells and therefore strength. The key factor in whether muscle cells get bigger of smaller is in protein synthesis vs degradation. Degradation occurs when you are both using and not using your muscles. Heat acclimation allows for less degradation and increases protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy. This heat conditioning works in three ways:
- inducing heat shock proteins
- Induce growth hormone
- Improve sensitivity to insulin
When exercising you increase the energy needs of muscle cells. Your cell’s powerhouse, the mitochondria, gear up and use oxygen to create energy through ATP which unfortunately also produce oxygen free radicals. These free radicals cause protein degradation which limit muscle gains made while exercising. These heat shock proteins allow for a reduction of these oxygen free radicals while keeping the protein synthesis from your workout. Heat exposure produces a protective hormone response targeting free radicals and repairing mis-folded and damaged proteins.
To get technical the mTOR pathway is activated and increases the protein synthesis while the FOXO pathway is deactivated allowing less protein degradation.
Saunas have been shown to be a good substitute for taking human growth hormone since it is strongly released naturally through sauna sessions. Two sessions for 20 minutes above 80°C with cooling demonstrates a 2x rise in human growth hormone. Two 15 minute sessions at 100°C with a short cooling period between them showed a 5x increase in human growth hormone.
For more information about this visit Rhonda Patrick’s website.
