Although sauna bathing does not cause drying of the skin-and may even benefit patients with psoriasis-sweating may increase itching in patients with atopic dermatitis. Contraindications to sauna bathing include unstable angina pectoris, recent myocardial infarction, and severe aortic stenosis.
CON: Saunas can over-dry your skin. Heat dries out skin, and the body's natural reaction to dry skin is to create more oil to balance moisture levels. This could lead to an increase in breakouts and dry skin patches. This can be especially true with too much sauna use or a long sauna session.
Saunas have been around for centuries. But the popularity of saunas has grown over the years thanks to its many science-backed benefits. Some benefits of regular sauna use include improved heart and mental health, relief of chronic pain, and relaxation. Sauna use is safe and low risk for most people.
It is believed that sitting in a sauna can help you reduce excess fat. If you also believe in this, then you are absolutely incorrect. A sauna does not help you to lose weight; it temporarily removes easily replaceable water from the body. Excessive heat makes your body sweat and sweating can make you lose fluid.
Does Sitting in the Sauna Burn Fat? Yes, sitting in a sauna can help you burn through the fat- but it depends on which sauna you're using. A traditional wood-burning or wet sauna, such as a steam room helps your body burn through calories, but has been proven less effective when it comes to burning excess fat.
Sauna time and hydration
Before the sauna, we recommend drinking 1-2 glasses of water to prep your body for the upcoming sweat sesh. After the sauna, you want to continue to drink water, but you also want to replenish those key minerals and electrolytes lost like magnesium, sodium, calcium, and potassium.
Cooling off after the sauna is important because you can catch a cold if you sweat too much. Sauna-goers should leave enough time to cool down before warming up again. If you can, don't have a shower straight after the sauna. It's better for the body if you cool off in the fresh air first.
Because you sweat during your session and toxins are released, having a shower after your sauna will help to cleanse the skin and close pores. A cold shower after your sauna can also activate cold shock proteins in the body, which may help assimilate fat for weight loss.
Sauna vs Steam Room
Saunas are excellent for relaxation and relieving tense muscles. Meanwhile, steam rooms have further benefits from the moist heat and humidity such as skin moisturizing, congestion relief, and reduced muscle soreness.
It might be good for your heart, but it's not doing anything for your muscles. “A sauna session is a physical strain, and its long term-positive effects for the heart are similar to sports activities,” said Ketelhut. “But with no muscle activity, it won't be the same as doing exercise.”
If you're entering a steam room, then the moisture in the air will be much higher. Therefore a steam room is not ideal for bringing in phones. A public sauna is also not a great place to take your phone for similar reasons and we'd recommend leaving it in the changing room with your clothes.
Studies show it is perfectly safe to use saunas every day, just being mindful to stay hydrated during your sessions. Though daily sauna use is not harmful, prolonged single sauna sessions can increase the risk of dehydration.
Yes, the high temperature in a sauna can cause damage to your hair, making it dry and brittle. If you follow the steps in this article though, you can take advantage of the conditions in a sauna to actually improve your hairs quality.
In summary, numerous clinical studies have shown that utilizing an infrared/steam sauna is able to remove many toxins through sweat; these include but are not limited to, heavy metals, phthalates, flame retardants, Bisphenol A, pesticides and PCBs.
Cold drinks put a strain on your circulation after a sauna. Room temperature drinks are recommended, alternatively hot teas. However, the latter are not exactly suitable for gradually rebalancing the body temperature after the sauna. Prefer water, isotonic drinks or diluted fruit juices.
Wearing something comfortable made of cotton is the best thing you can wear in a sauna. A classic oversized t-shirt, a loose-fitting cotton towel, and shorts are always good for the sauna. They allow your skin to breathe freely; this helps you enjoy a sauna session to its full potential.
The sauna/steam room should be used “2-3 times a week for no more than 10-20 minutes at a time,” Jay says. Some individuals like to opt for intervals. “You can do 15 to 20 minutes inside the room, take a 5 minute break outside the room, and then go back inside, repeating this for 3-4 cycles.”
As the sauna calculator mentioned above shows, sitting in a sauna 30 minutes a day can burn anywhere from 46 calories on the low end to 600 calories on the high end. This isn't enough to lose multiple pounds (or even 1 pound) in a single sitting.
Sauna triggers excessive sweating, which can quickly lead to dehydration. This causes the brain and veins to contract, which literally shrinks your brain, causing it to move away from the skull [2]. This puts pressure on your nerves, and that results in pain.
Eat a Nutritious Meal or Snack
You might crave something salty post sauna session because you lost a good amount of sodium via sweating. Although tempting, don't reach for a bag of chips. Instead opt for foods that are nutrient dense like leafy greens, nuts, bananas or fruits high in water like pineapple or watermelon.
Studies have shown that our metabolic rate can increase by around 30% after an hour-long sauna session. The higher our metabolic rate, the more calories we are burning.
Sauna benefits include reducing facial fat to normal levels. Especially the excess fat accumulated in the neck area will begin to disappear with the effect of the sauna.