The Influence of Sauna Overheating on chosen Physiological Variables in Male Swimers

The main aim of this study was the comparison of physiological changes to sauna overheating stress in male swimmers. The research was conducted on 10 swimmers, students of Academy of Physical Education (group I) and 10 non-training students of other universities (group II) aged 20-23. Both groups were exposed to 15 min. sauna sessions with two 2 min. rest intervals under shower at temperature equal to 20-22°C. The sauna temperature was 92.3°C and the humidity at 27.4%. The following variables were evaluated in both groups: HR, Tre, BWT, Hct and Hb and subjective sensations measured with the Bredford scale. A smaller decrease in body mass was observed in group I in comparison to group II. The average increase in internal temperature after sauna session was registered in male swimmers. The average heart rate increase was smaller in the group of swimmers, while dehydration was higher in untrained subjects. During the experiment swimmers better tolerated higher external temperature, what suggests better tolerance to temperature stress.