Many gyms have a sauna or steam room, and many people are used to finishing a strength session with a hot sauna. But cardiac surgeon Dmitry Ognerubov explained in his Threads why it is better not to rush this: a sauna immediately after a workout can put extra strain on the heart, reports infohub.kz.
After exercise, the heart continues working at an accelerated rate for some time, while the blood vessels remain dilated. Along with sweat, the body loses fluid, which reduces the volume of circulating blood, the doctor said. Against the backdrop of dehydration, the pulse may speed up even further.
"You go into the sauna — the vessels dilate even more, blood pressure drops, and the heart has to pump blood through an even larger network of vessels," Ognerubov noted.
When blood volume drops significantly, the heart rate can rise above 150 beats per minute, and the heart rhythm can become irregular.
A separate risk involves the coronary arteries. If an atherosclerotic plaque is present in one of them, the combination of high exertion, dehydration and sharp changes in the functioning of the cardiovascular system can trigger symptoms.
"And if there is a plaque in a coronary artery, this is exactly the moment when it can make itself known," the doctor warns.
This does not mean that a sauna is off-limits after any physical activity. However, after a strength workout it is wiser to first restore your breathing and pulse, replenish fluids and let your body cool down, and only then head to the steam room.
Earlier, Kursiv Health recounted the story of a patient who did not take statins for atherosclerosis.