Effects of repeated sauna bathing on ECG Shori Gaurav*, Sandhu J.S. Department of Sports Medicine & Physiotherapy, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. *Reprint requests: Shori Gaurav, MSPT Student, Department of Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Ph.: 91-9888325277, Email: gorushori@yahoo.com
Abstract Background and Purpose Cardiac disease is considered as one of the contraindication of sauna bath however there is paucity of evidence supporting this statement. The purpose of the study was to investigate the repeated effect of modality on heart during its application. Previous works in our department have examined the effects of single session of sauna bath. The effects of repeated exposure to the sauna remains uninvestigated, keeping this in mind the study aims at examining the effects of 5 session of sauna on ECG. Material and Methodology 20 healthy male volunteers were exposed to the dry heat of sauna (70±2ºC) for 15 minutes for a period of 5 days and pre & post recording of all the parameters was done. On day 2, besides pre & post recording subject is rehydrated i.e. drink water equivalent to loss of weight and again recording of all the ECG parameters was done after 5 minutes. Results After each exposure heart rate rose by 10–12 beats/min (p<0.001). No ECG changes were found in recordings taken in all the 5 days i.e. no significant differences were found in the duration of P wave, PR interval, QRS, QT & QTC interval. Rhythm remained sinus after each sauna exposure & ST segment of the heart did not change significantly. Conclusion It is thus concluded that repeated sauna bathing exerts minimal stress on heart function in the healthy male subjects. On day 2, heart rate remains still on the higher side and significant decrease were found in the mean values of QRS & QT interval after rehydration. Further research is needed to explore this finding. Top Keywords Sauna Bath, ECG. Top |