Sauna Health info
.
Weight loss
Short answer: Going to the sauna does not make you lose weight.
Longer answer: yes, you can burn calories in the sauna, but you will be better off taking a short healthy walk.
Most of any perceived weight loss in a sauna is due to sweating. The loss of bodily fluids will make you lighter for a few hours, but you will get the kilos (pounds) back very soon. You will remain thirsty and when you next drink, the fluids will be restored to your body.
Meanwhile, increased cardiac output and the cooling process make the body use its energy resources. Estimates range from 300 or even 500 calories per sauna session (30 minutes), making it comparable to walking or jogging. In the sauna the only muscles working are those of your heart. While the heart is an important muscle, you would gain more from any physical activity, be it walking or swimming. These make your muscles grow and muscle tissue burns energy even while you rest. Not only will you feel better after a workout, you will be burning fat 24 hours a day.
You will sometimes hear of boxers or wrestlers going to the sauna to lose weight. High end athletes can do this for two reasons. First, they only need to lose weight for a few hours, when they are officially weighed. They will drink a considerable amount of power drinks before entering the rink to get their energy back. Second, they are constantly monitored by their physician who supposedly knows when to stop.
I have been asked whether it makes sense to use rubber suits that promote sweating in the sauna. Not only do I consider it unnecessary, such suits could actually be dangerous since they work by blocking the most important method your body has to adjust its temperature.
Cleansing the body from toxins
Sweat baths remove toxins from your body, they say. There are some projects using saunas for drug detoxifications, others believe sweating helps in getting heavy metals out of the body. Admittedly sweating does remove impurities from the skin's pores. But does it remove toxins that are probably all around your body? I have trouble believing it.
Cholesterol
Some sauna equipment manufacturers claim that sauna or steam baths can help lower body cholesterol. I have not come across scientific evidence and remain sceptic. On the other hand, one reader wrote that taking a sauna every two days has helped him lower his cholesterol even though he did not change his eating or exercising habits. Maybe there is something.
Sweating and fluid balance
Since bathing in a sauna is supposed to make one sweat, some people have been asking about the loss of fluids and its effects on the body.
One usually goes to the heat only for periods of five to ten minutes at a time, maybe four times altogether. The amount of fluids lost during this time is easily recovererd by drinking a couple of glasses of juice for example. In Finland, many take a bottle of beer or two after a sauna. I have never heard of anybody feeling uncomfortable because of dehydration in a sauna. The most common reason for discomfort would probably be the unfamiliarity with the heat, and possibly the blood pressure drop.
More on sweating in saunas and baths.
Humidity
As a sauna is not as steamy as a Turkish bath, one sometimes hears the term "dry sauna." This does not mean the air in the sauna should be dry. Entirely dry, hot air is potentially damaging to one's respiratory system. The true Finnish sauna always includes löyly. Although splashing water on the rocks first causes a surge of hot steam from the heater, it eventually cools down the sauna. Also, a more humid sauna will induce more sweating.
All sauna heaters should be built in a way to allow water to be thrown on them. With an electric heater the steam is not always pleasant if the water is only thrown onto the rocks. Try splashing some water on the walls of the sauna before bathing, it makes the atmosphere more pleasant.
Fertility
The Finnish population has survived so far, so I'm guessing the sauna can't be all that bad. Still, some studies suggest the extreme heat has some consequences.
The human body has an amazing temperature control system, allowing it to maintain the body temperature constant even in external temperature extremes. Body temperature might only change a fraction of a degree during all of a sauna bath. Normal testicular funtion needs a lower temperature than the rest of the body, however, and extreme heat may have some effect. But don't take my word, here are a study and a parenting site reporting heat has an influence on male fertility and a sauna manufacturer's site citing studies saying it doesn't.
If you enjoy the sauna, and feel relaxed and fresh after one, I believe it more than balances for any negative effects the heat might have. Having a child is so much more than just chemistry - as any couple trying to conceive probably knows better than I do.
Pregnancy and children
Pregnant mothers should probably not start taking saunas. If you are familiar with saunas, however, there is little reason to stop just because of the pregnancy. Although high temperatures have been linked to birth malformations in some rare cases, most Finnish mothers go to the sauna during their pregnancy and have a very low occurrence of these malformations compared to other similar countries.
We are not born with a fully functional temperature control system and you should not take your child into the sauna without some precautions. Once the child has some control of her body and can make her discomfort understood, you can try a sauna with her. Take it slowly and make sure the child can leave as soon as she wants. Do not start with a hot sauna, and allow the child to stay on the lower benches, where it is relatively cooler.
I Finland more than half the children experience their first sauna during their first year and most do so before their second anniversary. More.
Sports
You can safely follow physical activity with a relaxing sauna. If you work out hard, you should have a drink before the sauna, since you will already have lost fluids from sweating. Take a shower before entering the sauna, as well. This will help keep the sauna clean.
One no-no is treating injuries in the sauna. Muscle and tissue injuries should be treated with cold, compression and elevation first. Heat therapy can be applied after two days' healing.
Craig Horswill, Ph.D., at Gatorade Exercise Physiology Laboratory speaks on the combined effects of sauna and physical activity.
Other health issues
Does sauna cause hair loss? I am not aware of any study linking saunas or steam baths to hair loss. It is possible that there is a connection but I have never heard of such suspicions. I would actually suspect the opposite, since sauna can help blood circulation in the epiderm (skin). This should rather make the hair stronger than weaker.
Diabetes? Again, I am not aware of sauna being harmful for diabetics, but have no medical data to back this up. Please talk to your physician.
Please write to me if you have personal experiences that would be of interest to other sauna enthousiasts.
More on health issues
A very thorough review by Mikkel Aaland: Sweat bathing and the Body.
Lasse Viinikka, MD, Chairman of the Finnish Sauna Society: Sauna and health
Dr. Weil addressed the benefits and hazards of saunas and steam baths in his article Sauna Making You Sweat?. Among other things, he talks about sauna and pregnancies.
Disclaimer
Check with your physician. If you do not feel comfortable in a sauna, maybe you should do without it. This information is provided for educational purposes only. Consult your own physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition.
Created by and copyright © Mihael Cankar. Art by Danny Eden.All rights reserved. Latest retouch January 20, 2003.
Short answer: Going to the sauna does not make you lose weight.
Longer answer: yes, you can burn calories in the sauna, but you will be better off taking a short healthy walk.
Most of any perceived weight loss in a sauna is due to sweating. The loss of bodily fluids will make you lighter for a few hours, but you will get the kilos (pounds) back very soon. You will remain thirsty and when you next drink, the fluids will be restored to your body.
Meanwhile, increased cardiac output and the cooling process make the body use its energy resources. Estimates range from 300 or even 500 calories per sauna session (30 minutes), making it comparable to walking or jogging. In the sauna the only muscles working are those of your heart. While the heart is an important muscle, you would gain more from any physical activity, be it walking or swimming. These make your muscles grow and muscle tissue burns energy even while you rest. Not only will you feel better after a workout, you will be burning fat 24 hours a day.
You will sometimes hear of boxers or wrestlers going to the sauna to lose weight. High end athletes can do this for two reasons. First, they only need to lose weight for a few hours, when they are officially weighed. They will drink a considerable amount of power drinks before entering the rink to get their energy back. Second, they are constantly monitored by their physician who supposedly knows when to stop.
I have been asked whether it makes sense to use rubber suits that promote sweating in the sauna. Not only do I consider it unnecessary, such suits could actually be dangerous since they work by blocking the most important method your body has to adjust its temperature.
Cleansing the body from toxins
Sweat baths remove toxins from your body, they say. There are some projects using saunas for drug detoxifications, others believe sweating helps in getting heavy metals out of the body. Admittedly sweating does remove impurities from the skin's pores. But does it remove toxins that are probably all around your body? I have trouble believing it.
Cholesterol
Some sauna equipment manufacturers claim that sauna or steam baths can help lower body cholesterol. I have not come across scientific evidence and remain sceptic. On the other hand, one reader wrote that taking a sauna every two days has helped him lower his cholesterol even though he did not change his eating or exercising habits. Maybe there is something.
Sweating and fluid balance
Since bathing in a sauna is supposed to make one sweat, some people have been asking about the loss of fluids and its effects on the body.
One usually goes to the heat only for periods of five to ten minutes at a time, maybe four times altogether. The amount of fluids lost during this time is easily recovererd by drinking a couple of glasses of juice for example. In Finland, many take a bottle of beer or two after a sauna. I have never heard of anybody feeling uncomfortable because of dehydration in a sauna. The most common reason for discomfort would probably be the unfamiliarity with the heat, and possibly the blood pressure drop.
More on sweating in saunas and baths.
Humidity
As a sauna is not as steamy as a Turkish bath, one sometimes hears the term "dry sauna." This does not mean the air in the sauna should be dry. Entirely dry, hot air is potentially damaging to one's respiratory system. The true Finnish sauna always includes löyly. Although splashing water on the rocks first causes a surge of hot steam from the heater, it eventually cools down the sauna. Also, a more humid sauna will induce more sweating.
All sauna heaters should be built in a way to allow water to be thrown on them. With an electric heater the steam is not always pleasant if the water is only thrown onto the rocks. Try splashing some water on the walls of the sauna before bathing, it makes the atmosphere more pleasant.
Fertility
The Finnish population has survived so far, so I'm guessing the sauna can't be all that bad. Still, some studies suggest the extreme heat has some consequences.
The human body has an amazing temperature control system, allowing it to maintain the body temperature constant even in external temperature extremes. Body temperature might only change a fraction of a degree during all of a sauna bath. Normal testicular funtion needs a lower temperature than the rest of the body, however, and extreme heat may have some effect. But don't take my word, here are a study and a parenting site reporting heat has an influence on male fertility and a sauna manufacturer's site citing studies saying it doesn't.
If you enjoy the sauna, and feel relaxed and fresh after one, I believe it more than balances for any negative effects the heat might have. Having a child is so much more than just chemistry - as any couple trying to conceive probably knows better than I do.
Pregnancy and children
Pregnant mothers should probably not start taking saunas. If you are familiar with saunas, however, there is little reason to stop just because of the pregnancy. Although high temperatures have been linked to birth malformations in some rare cases, most Finnish mothers go to the sauna during their pregnancy and have a very low occurrence of these malformations compared to other similar countries.
We are not born with a fully functional temperature control system and you should not take your child into the sauna without some precautions. Once the child has some control of her body and can make her discomfort understood, you can try a sauna with her. Take it slowly and make sure the child can leave as soon as she wants. Do not start with a hot sauna, and allow the child to stay on the lower benches, where it is relatively cooler.
I Finland more than half the children experience their first sauna during their first year and most do so before their second anniversary. More.
Sports
You can safely follow physical activity with a relaxing sauna. If you work out hard, you should have a drink before the sauna, since you will already have lost fluids from sweating. Take a shower before entering the sauna, as well. This will help keep the sauna clean.
One no-no is treating injuries in the sauna. Muscle and tissue injuries should be treated with cold, compression and elevation first. Heat therapy can be applied after two days' healing.
Craig Horswill, Ph.D., at Gatorade Exercise Physiology Laboratory speaks on the combined effects of sauna and physical activity.
Other health issues
Does sauna cause hair loss? I am not aware of any study linking saunas or steam baths to hair loss. It is possible that there is a connection but I have never heard of such suspicions. I would actually suspect the opposite, since sauna can help blood circulation in the epiderm (skin). This should rather make the hair stronger than weaker.
Diabetes? Again, I am not aware of sauna being harmful for diabetics, but have no medical data to back this up. Please talk to your physician.
Please write to me if you have personal experiences that would be of interest to other sauna enthousiasts.
More on health issues
A very thorough review by Mikkel Aaland: Sweat bathing and the Body.
Lasse Viinikka, MD, Chairman of the Finnish Sauna Society: Sauna and health
Dr. Weil addressed the benefits and hazards of saunas and steam baths in his article Sauna Making You Sweat?. Among other things, he talks about sauna and pregnancies.
Disclaimer
Check with your physician. If you do not feel comfortable in a sauna, maybe you should do without it. This information is provided for educational purposes only. Consult your own physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition.
Created by and copyright © Mihael Cankar. Art by Danny Eden.All rights reserved. Latest retouch January 20, 2003.
posted by Eshtar | Tuesday, May 09, 2006
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