19/11/2025
SAUNA + COLD PLUNGE: THE SCIENCE OF CONTRAST THERAPY AND VASCULAR TRAINING🔥🥶
Alternating between heat and cold is more than a recovery ritual, it is a form of vascular training that
strengthens your circulatory system, improves autonomic balance, and supports Iongevity.
In the sauna, core temperature rises and blood vessels dilate. Heart rate and cardiac output increase,
enhancing oxygen and nutrient delivery throughout the body. This phase strengthens the endothelium,
the inner lining of your arteries, and mimics the cardiovascular response to moderate exercise.
After leaving the sauna, it is important to allow the body to cool naturally for several minutes before
entering cold water. This short transition phase helps lower core temperature gradually, reduces
sudden cardiovascular stress, and allows for a smoother autonomic shift from heat to cold.
When entering the cold plunge, blood vessels constrict, directing blood toward vital organs and
stabilising blood pressure. This alternating dilation and constriction builds vascular elasticity and
improves the body's ability to regulate temperature and respond to stress
On a cellular level, both heat and cold activate protective proteins, heat shock and cold shock proteins,
that repair cellular damage, reduce inflammation, and enhance mitochondrial efficiency. These
molecular adaptations contribute to better recovery energy production, and long-term cardiovascular
health.
Regular contrast therapy improves heart rate variability, vascular tone, and metabolic resilience. Over
time, it enhances circulation, temperature regulation, and stress recovery, key systems that influence
healthy ageing
The combination of sauna and cold exposure is not just recovery, it is a physiological training method
that builds a more adaptable, efficient, and resilient body.
References:
DLaukkanen T et al, Ann Med, 20180Tipton MJ et al, Exp Physiol, 20170Stanley J et al, Exp Physiol,
2016 Hooper PL, Front Aging Neurosci, 20210Bleakley CM et al, Sports Med, 20140Scoon GS et al, J
Sci Med Sport, 20070Lee E et al, Ageing Res Rev, 2023
