Brigham Young University
The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to determine whether daily Finnish dry sauna therapy attenuates the adverse cardiovascular, muscular, and metabolic effects of seven days of experimentally reduced physical activity in healthy adults. Participants will be randomized to one of three groups: (1) maintained habitual physical activity with daily sauna therapy, (2) reduced physical activity with daily room-temperature sauna visits (control), or (3) reduced physical activity with daily sauna therapy. Reduced physical activity will be achieved by decreasing daily step count to approximately 1,000 steps per day with the assistance of a power wheelchair. Outcome measures include vascular endothelial function, exercise tolerance, muscle protein synthesis, body composition, blood pressure, glucose regulation, and physiological responses to heat exposure. The study will determine whether passive heat therapy can serve as a practical intervention to preserve cardiometabolic health during short periods of reduced mobility.
Reduced physical activity resulting from illness, injury, hospitalization, or other temporary limitations rapidly impairs cardiovascular, skeletal muscle, and metabolic health. Even short-term reductions in daily physical activity are associated with decreased endothelial function, reduced aerobic capacity, loss of muscle mass, and impaired insulin sensitivity. Previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated that localized heat therapy producing exercise-like increases in muscle temperature attenuates several detrimental adaptations associated with limb immobilization. The present study in…
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 years or older * Healthy men and premenopausal women * Able and willing to provide written informed consent * Able to perform knee-extension cycling exercise * Stable habitual physical activity for at least 3 months before enrollment * Pass the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Preparticipation Health Screening * Not currently taking medications known to affect cardiovascular function (e.g., antihypertensive medications or beta-blockers) * No regular sauna or hot-tub use (fewer than six exposures during the previous 2 months) * Willing and able to…
Participants will complete one supervised dry sauna session each day for seven consecutive days. Sauna exposure will be delivered according to the study protocol using a standard Finnish dry sauna.
Participants will reduce daily step count to approximately 1,000 steps per day for seven consecutive days. A power wheelchair will be used to assist participants in minimizing ambulation while maintaining normal daily activities.
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