Accelerated muscle contractility and decreased muscle steadiness following sauna recovery do not induce greater neuromuscular fatigability during sustained submaximal contractions

Acute whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) increases blood markers concentration of stress, impairs motor drive to exercising muscles, and decreases resistance to neuromuscular fatigability. The functional natural residual consequences of WBH on neuromuscular functions remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of residual WBH on voluntary and electrically induced ankle plantar flexor contractility properties, motor drive transmission (reflexes), muscle torque steadiness, resistance to neuromuscular fatigability, and markers of stress as the body temperature recovers naturally to normothermia. WBH was induced by Finnish sauna bathing in 16 apparently healthy young (24 ± 4 years) adult men. Motor performance was monitored before and 2 h after the sauna, and immediately after submaximal exercise (120 s at 50% of maximal voluntary contraction). Markers of stress were monitored before and 2 h after the sauna. Finnish sauna exposure induced moderate to severe WBH (rectal temperature, 38.5–39.6 °C). At 2 h after the sauna, rectal temperature had recovered to the preheating level (preheating 37.11 ± 0.33 °C versus postheating 37.00 ± 0.29 °C, p > .05). Post-sauna recovery was accompanied by slowed salivary free cortisol diurnal kinetics, whereas noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin did not persist into the 2 h recovery after the sauna. Although recovery to normothermia after a sauna led to a greater acceleration of muscle contractility properties and decreased muscle steadiness, sustained isometric submaximal contraction did not provoke greater neuromuscular fatigability.