The Cardiometabolic Health Benefits of Sauna Exposure in Individuals with High-Stress Occupations. A Mechanistic Review

Determining the Changes in Law Enforcement Recruit Aerobic Fitness Using the 2.4-km Run and 20-m Multistage Fitness Test. Does the Type of Test Matter?

ABSTRACT

Campbell, P, Maupin, D, Lockie, RG, Dawes, JJ, Simas, V, Canetti, E, Schram, B, and Orr, R. Determining the changes in law enforcement recruit aerobic fitness using the 2.4-km run and 20-m multistage fitness test. Does the type of test matter? J Strength Cond Res 38(6): 1111-1117, 2024-Aerobic fitness is linked with academy graduation, employment, and the long-term health of law enforcement officers and is often used as a training outcome. However, different tests can be used, and aerobic improvements may differ according to the test used. The aim of this study was to determine whether recruits improved to a greater extent in 1 aerobic test compared with the other. Retrospective data from 5 law enforcement recruit cohorts (males = 741; females = 353) who underwent 18 weeks of academy training were analyzed. Initial 20-m multistage fitness test (20MSFT) and 2.4-km run assessments were completed during weeks 4 and 5 of training, with final testing completed during weeks 16 and 17, respectively. A repeated-measures analysis of variance ( p < 0.05) with a Bonferroni post hoc analysis determined changes in aerobic fitness in the 20MSFT and 2.4-km run between male and female recruits. A mean difference of 9.27 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 14.8-10.9; d = 0.63; p < 0.001) shuttle increase in 20MSFT performance and 20.1 (95% CI 16.0-24.2; d = 0.49; p < 0.001) second improvement in 2.4-km run time were demonstrated when averaged across sex, yielding a larger performance improvement for the 20MSFT compared with the 2.4-km run. Conversely, there was a smaller magnitude of change in aerobic fitness between male recruits and female recruits for the 20MSFT ( d = 0.47) compared with the 2.4-km run ( d = 0.50). The findings indicate that current academy training results in improvements to aerobic fitness and to a greater magnitude in the 20MSFT compared with the 2.4-km run. These results may affect policy considerations for law enforcement agencies regarding aerobic test selection.

Examining the Impact of Far-Infrared Technology on Quality of Life in Older Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of far-infrared (FIR) heat on quality of life (QOL) in older adults. Participants were assigned to either a convective heat group (CON) or a convective and FIR group. Participants received six, 30-min heat sessions over the course of three weeks. Pre- and post-assessments included physical measures such as range of motion, gait speed, Timed Up and Go, and hand grip strength. Standardized questionnaires were used to determine pain severity and its interference with daily life, and the impact pain had on overall QOL. Pain severity was significantly reduced (from 3.31 to 2.5, p < .05) in the FIR group from pre-to-post, and pain interference was significantly reduced (from 1.26 to 0.43, p < .05) in the CON group from pre-to-post testing. Findings suggest that heat therapy was successful in reducing pain over time.

Night-Time Hot Spring Bathing Is Associated with a Lower Systolic Blood Pressure among Japanese Older Adults: A Single-Institution Retrospective Cohort Study

Hot spring bathing is practiced to help manage hypertension. We retrospectively investigated the effects of hot spring bathing on hypertension with the aim of identifying a novel approach to prevent and manage hypertension. The study cohort comprised 99 patients aged ≥65 years admitted to Kyushu University Beppu Hospital between 1 December 2021 and 30 November 2022 who could walk by themselves and who used hot springs for ≥3 days during their hospital stay. The changes in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly decreased in the night-time bathing group (n = 21) compared with the noontime (n = 26) and afternoon (n = 52) groups. Night-time hot spring bathing was significantly associated with reduced systolic blood pressure the next morning in older adults. Although prospective randomized controlled trials on night-time hot spring bathing as a hypertension treatment are warranted to investigate whether the practice can prevent hypertension among adults aged ≥65 years, we have initiated a single-center, phase II study on the relationship between sleep quality and quality of life in hypertensive patients after night-time hot spring bathing.

Hot spring bathing is associated with a lower prevalence of hypertension among Japanese older adults: a cross-sectional study in Beppu

Hot spring bathing is practiced to help manage various diseases, including hypertension. We investigated the preventive effects on hypertension of hot spring bathing among older adults in a data analysis using responses to a previous questionnaire with the aim to identify a novel approach in the prevention and management of hypertension. Among 10,428 adults aged ≥ 65 years, we assessed the hot spring bathing habits of 4001 individuals with a history of hypertension. We calculated odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals using a multivariable logistic regression model for history of hypertension. In multivariable logistic regression, age (≥ 85 years: OR, 1.410); history of arrythmia (OR, 1.580), stroke (OR, 1.590), gout (OR, 1.880), diabetes mellitus (OR, 1.470), hyperlipidemia (OR, 1.680), renal disease (OR, 1.520), chronic hepatitis (OR, 0.648); and hot spring bathing at 19:00 or later (OR, 0.850) were independently and significantly associated with hypertension during the lifetime. We found an inverse relationship between habitual nighttime hot spring bathing and a history of depression. Prospective randomized controlled trials on nighttime hot spring bathing as a treatment for hypertension are warranted to investigate whether nighttime hot spring bathing can help in preventing hypertension among adults aged ≥ 65 years.

The Prevalence of Use of Various Post-Exercise Recovery Methods after Training among Elite Endurance Athletes

There is now compelling evidence of the effectiveness of a range of post-exercise recovery techniques, including extended nights of sleep, cold water immersion, massage, and compression garments. Currently, limited information is available on post-exercise recovery methods used by elite endurance athletes. Therefore, this study investigated the actual methods of recovery used in this group of athletes. Google Forms were used to collect information on the recovery methods used by elite endurance track and field athletes (n = 153, 61.4% men, 38.6% women; average age: 22.7 ± 4.6 years). The most used methods of recovery were sauna bathing (96.7%), massage (86.9%), daytime nap (81.0%), and long night sleep (at least 9h) (61.4%). Recovery methods with proven effectiveness such as cold water immersion and compression garments were rarely used (15.0% and 7.8%, respectively). Overall, recovery methods were used more often when the tiers of the track and field athletes were higher. Massage and sauna bathing were the most used methods of post-exercise recovery among Russian endurance track and field athletes. In most cases, they were used in conjunction with short daytime nap and long night sleep. Higher tier athletes were more likely to use sauna bathing, massage, long night sleep, and daytime nap but not cold water immersion and compression garments as recovery methods; however, all these methods except for cold water immersion were widely used among elite-tier athletes.