Sauna Yoga Superiorly Improves Flexibility, Strength, and Balance: A Two-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Older Adults.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether sauna yoga at 50 °C improves flexibility, strength, balance, and quality of life in healthy elderly individuals.
Results Summary
Sauna yoga significantly improved flexibility (chair sit-and-reach test) and balance (eyes closed), with modest improvements in lower extremity strength and environmental quality of life. Strength and balance showed trends but no statistically significant benefits from the sauna environment.
Population
Healthy elderly community dwellers (mean age ~69 years).
Effective Dosage
Moderate temperature sauna (50 °C) during yoga sessions.
Duration
8 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
sauna yoga at a moderate temperature (50 °C) | increase | chair sit-and-reach test | healthy elderly community dwellers | INT: +83%, CON +3% | Large and statistically significant improvement in favor of the sauna group | #1 |
sauna yoga at a moderate temperature (50 °C) | no change | shoulder and lateral spine flexibility | healthy elderly community dwellers | - | were not relevantly affected | #2 |
sauna yoga at a moderate temperature (50 °C) | increase | Strength in the lower extremities | healthy elderly community dwellers | INT: 16%, CON: 3% | merely showed a tendency to significant changes | #3 |
sauna yoga at a moderate temperature (50 °C) | increase | balance abilities, with eyes closed | healthy elderly community dwellers | INT: 187%, CON +58% | improved | #4 |
sauna yoga at a moderate temperature (50 °C) | increase | QOL environmental dimension | healthy elderly community dwellers | INT: +7%, CON: 0% | only improved in favor of the INT | #5 |
Besides strength and balance, flexibility is an important indicator of health-related physical fitness. Thus, the aim of this two-armed randomized controlled pilot trial was to investigate whether sauna yoga at a moderate temperature (50 °C) beneficially affects flexibility, strength, balance, and quality of life (QOL) in healthy elderly community dwellers. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (INT, n = 11, age: 68.7 ± 5.9) or control group (CON, n = 12, age: 69.3 ± 4.9), using the minimization method. Age, physical activity, gender, and the primary outcome flexibility were used as strata for group allocation. Both groups completed similar exercises in the sauna over eight weeks. Only the INT group was exposed to moderate temperatures of 50 °C. Large and statistically significant improvement in favor of the sauna group (INT) was observed for the chair sit-and-reach test (INT: +83%, CON +3%, p = 0.028, nр² = 0.24). The shoulder and lateral spine flexibility were not relevantly affected. Strength in the lower extremities merely showed a tendency to significant changes (INT: 16%, CON: 3%, p = 0.061, nр² = 0.181). Additionally, balance abilities, with eyes closed, improved (INT: 187%, CON +58%, p = 0.056, nр² = 0.189) in favor of the INT group. QOL only improved in favor of the INT for environmental dimension (INT: +7%, CON: 0%, p = 0.034, nр² = 0.227). These first but preliminary findings indicate that sauna yoga may serve as a promising and feasible means to improve flexibility in elderly people. Strength and balance do not meaningfully benefit from a sauna environment, although strength improved to a slightly higher extent in the sauna group. Future large-scale research is needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms and corroborate these findings.