Totonoi Exploration News: Study Clarifying the Positive Impact of "Deep Breathing" on "totonoi"
Apr 8, 2025
Thank you for always using Sanokuni!
Here is some news regarding research on deeply enjoying saunas, brought to you by 100plus, the operator of Sanokuni!
At 100plus, we conduct research and businesses to explore saunas in a more enjoyable way!
This time, we have announced the "Verification Clarifying the Positive Effects of Deep Breathing on Totonoi", so we are sharing this news with all Sanokuni users!
100plus, together with BREATHER Co., Ltd., a deep breathing support device company, and Brain Sleep Co., Ltd., a sleep solution provider, conducted a demonstration experiment to clarify the relationship between saunas and breathing.
By clarifying the mechanism of "totonoi" through a scientific approach, we verified the effects brought by breathing in each phase of the sauna, cold bath, and rest. As a result of the verification, it was shown that consciously incorporating deep breathing may improve the quality of "totonoi".
■ Background
Deep breathing is such an important bodily function that it is said to balance the autonomic nervous system and put the body into a relaxed state. In order to verify the potential of deep breathing during sauna bathing, we collaborated with BREATHER and Brain Sleep to conduct a verification at a sauna facility in Tokyo. In the verification, we measured the physical effects during sauna bathing due to changes in breathing habits on 108 men wearing the sauna-exclusive wearable watch "SHOWDOWN 1". In addition, the subjects during the verification incorporated deep breathing proposed by breathing consultant Takashi Onuki (Basic Breathing©).
■ Verification Results
By incorporating deep breathing, a trend toward increased autonomic nervous system activity was observed in the cold bath and rest area.
We found that incorporating deep breathing made autonomic nervous system switching more efficient compared to normal times. (Figure 1)
Incorporating deep breathing inside the sauna room activated the sympathetic nervous system more than during normal times, and incorporating deep breathing in the cold bath activated the parasympathetic nervous system.
Higher LF/HF values indicate sympathetic dominance, while lower values indicate parasympathetic dominance. It tends to rise in stressful states. It rises when standing or under mental stress, and decreases when lying down or relaxing.
By incorporating deep breathing, activation of the sympathetic nervous system within the sauna was observed. This result indicates the possibility that the body adapts more easily to high-temperature environments. In addition, in the cold bath, it was observed that the parasympathetic nervous system worked dominantly by incorporating deep breathing. It is thought that deep breathing reduced the physical burden when using the cold bath and improved the relaxation effect (Figure 2).
Incorporating deep breathing resulted in shorter stay times in the sauna and resting room compared to normal times.
By incorporating deep breathing, stay time in the sauna decreased by approximately 3 minutes compared to normal times, and stay time in the resting room decreased by approximately 3 and a half minutes. This is thought to be because the improved breathing method made it possible to efficiently activate the autonomic nervous system in the sauna room and quickly switch to a relaxed state in the cold bath. These results suggest that by incorporating the correct breathing according to the situation, one can efficiently reach totonoi. (Figure 3)
■ Summary
The results of this validation suggest that improving breathing methods makes autonomic nervous system switching in sauna bathing more efficient, contributing to reducing the burden on the body, improving the quality of relaxation, and achieving a deeper totonoi. Additionally, shortening the stay times in the sauna and cold bath enables efficient sauna use, and practical benefits such as improving the Facility's turnover rate and user satisfaction can also be expected. In the future, continuous research with more subjects and validation under different Facility conditions will be necessary.
Details of the experiment outline are also described in the release below.
prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000089156.html
At the same time, we have also announced the results of a validation showing the affinity between breathing support devices and saunas.
prtimes.jp/draft/6d16e553011d2c21e168837403a2
Introducing the deep breathing method used in this experiment!
Breathing in the sauna room
Breathing in the cold bath
Breathing during rest
Especially in a cold bath, your breathing tends to become shallow! Are you gasping for breath!?
Shallow and rapid breathing is a factor that hinders relaxation, which delays your transition into relaxation during the subsequent rest, causing the timing of your totonoi to be off.
Try to always be mindful of deep breathing!
That's all for the Totonoi Exploration News from 100plus!
We will reflect the insights gained from these studies and verifications in Sanokuni, and continue to support your exploration of saunas and totonoi.
Thank you for your continued support for 100plus and Sanokuni!
