Quick answer
- Mornings suit a cold-forward session: in a 2023 study, a 5-minute cold dip left people feeling more alert and active.
- Evenings suit a heat-forward session: warming up 1 to 2 hours before bed is linked with falling asleep faster.
- In a study of cyclists, a cold-water dip after evening exercise didn't disturb sleep. Finish warm if it leaves you wired.
- The best time overall is the one you'll keep, week after week.
In this article · 9 sections
Your body runs on a roughly 24-hour clock. Body temperature, alertness and sleepiness rise and fall on a daily schedule, and that's why the timing of heat and cold changes how a session feels. Here's what research suggests about morning, midday and evening contrast therapy, and how to fit a session into a real week. Both studios are open from 5am on weekdays and 7am on weekends (9am on Sundays in Temecula), so every option is on the table.
The short answer
Lean on the cold in the morning, lean on the heat in the evening, and pick the slot you'll actually keep. A session you repeat every week beats a perfect time you can't make.
Morning: cold for an alert start
Cold water is one of the fastest ways to feel awake. In a 2023 study, people who spent 5 minutes in cold water reported feeling more active, alert and attentive afterwards, and less nervous (Yankouskaya et al., Biology, 2023). That's why morning sessions often lean on the plunge.
- Book 25 minutes before work. One long round of heat, a plunge, a short second round, a quick shower.
- Finish cold if you want to walk out wide awake.
- Pack your work clothes and get ready in your suite. The shower is yours, so there's no locker room shuffle.
- Eat something small first if you're hungry, or plan breakfast right after.
Midday: the lunch-break reset
A midday session splits a long day in two. If you work near either studio, 25 minutes fits inside a generous lunch break, with time to get there and back. Two short rounds and a cool rinse, and you head into the afternoon after a full stretch of time away from a screen.
Eat after rather than right before. A full stomach and a hot sauna aren't a great pair.
After work: the recovery slot
Late afternoon is the natural slot if you're coming straight from the gym, and it's where the recovery research is strongest. A review of 13 studies found that alternating hot and cold water after strenuous exercise eased muscle soreness compared with resting (Bieuzen et al., PLoS One, 2013). Both studios sit inside Self Made Training Facility gyms, so a session after training is an easy add-on. Cool down for 5 to 10 minutes before you head into the heat, then give yourself a full 55 minutes. More in 5 ways to use contrast therapy for post-workout recovery.
Evening: heat to wind down
This is where sleep research comes in. As bedtime approaches, your core body temperature normally starts to fall, and warming up an hour or two earlier seems to help that drop along. A review of 17 studies found that a warm bath or shower 1 to 2 hours before bed, for as little as 10 minutes, helped people fall asleep faster and rate their sleep better (Haghayegh et al., Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2019). A sauna isn't a bath, so treat that as a clue rather than proof. Survey data points the same way: 83.5% of regular sauna users in one global survey said sauna use helped their sleep (Hussain et al., Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019).
If sleep is your goal, try to finish your session 1 to 2 hours before bed. That matches the timing in the bath studies, and it leaves time for the shower and the drive home.
What about the cold at night? In a study of trained cyclists, a cold-water immersion after evening exercise didn't change any measure of their sleep that night (Robey et al., Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2013). Still, if a late plunge leaves you buzzing, keep the cold short and finish with heat or a warm shower.
Evening sessions also tend to be slower. Set the sauna light to something warm with the remote, spend more time in the heat than the cold, and leave room to sit. An 85-minute session with a partner is a very good way to end a day.
Weekends and odd schedules
Weekends are when the long sessions fit. An 85-minute Saturday morning or a slow Sunday evening session gives you time to do three full rounds and still sit for a while afterwards.
Work nights or rotating shifts? Anchor the session to your own day rather than the clock. Do a cold-forward session soon after you wake up, and a heat-forward one a couple of hours before you sleep. The same logic applies, just shifted.
Morning, midday or evening at a glance
| Time | Lean on | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | The cold | A cold dip is linked with feeling more alert |
| Midday | A short mix | A 25-minute reset between two halves of the day |
| After work | Both | Recovery research is strongest after hard exercise |
| Evening | The heat | Warming up before bed is linked with falling asleep faster |
How to make it stick
Pick a day and a time, then repeat it. Same slot every week, like any other appointment.
Book ahead. Put your next few sessions on the calendar so the time is protected before the week fills up.
Tie it to something you already do. After Saturday's long run, after Tuesday's class, on the way home on Fridays.
Bring someone. A standing session with a friend or partner is much harder to skip.
If it becomes a weekly thing, a session pack or a membership brings the cost per visit down.
A note on timing and your health
Research on heat, cold and sleep is promising but still young, and most studies are small. If you have a sleep problem, a heart condition or any medical concern, talk to your doctor before you build a routine around either one. Coming for the first time? Here's how to prepare for your first infrared sauna session.
Questions people ask.
What is the best time of day for contrast therapy?
It depends on what you want from it. Cold-forward sessions suit mornings, since a cold dip is linked with feeling more alert (Yankouskaya et al., Biology, 2023). Heat-forward sessions suit evenings, since warming up 1 to 2 hours before bed is linked with falling asleep faster (Haghayegh et al., Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2019).
Will a cold plunge at night keep me awake?
Not necessarily. In one study, trained cyclists who did a cold-water immersion after evening exercise slept no differently that night (Robey et al., Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2013). If you feel wired, keep the cold short and finish warm.
Does a sauna help you sleep?
Many people find it does. In a survey of 482 regular sauna users, 83.5% said it helped their sleep (Hussain et al., Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019). Results vary, so try an evening session and see how you sleep.
What time do the studios open?
Both studios are open from 5am on weekdays and 7am on weekends (9am on Sundays in Temecula). Pick any open time on the booking page.
Should I do contrast therapy before or after a workout?
After is the better-studied option: most recovery research tested heat and cold after hard exercise. If you go before, keep it short so you don't start your workout drained.
Sources
- Yankouskaya A, Williamson R, Stacey C, Totman JJ, Massey H. Short-term head-out whole-body cold-water immersion facilitates positive affect and increases interaction between large-scale brain networks. Biology, 2023.
- Bieuzen F, Bleakley CM, Costello JT. Contrast water therapy and exercise induced muscle damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One, 2013.
- Haghayegh S, Khoshnevis S, Smolensky MH, Diller KR, Castriotta RJ. Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2019.
- Hussain JN, Greaves RF, Cohen MM. A hot topic for health: results of the Global Sauna Survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019.
- Robey E, et al. Effect of evening postexercise cold water immersion on subsequent sleep. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2013.
