Is The Sauna Helpful For Weight Loss?

Written by Ahmed Zayed Helmy, MD, on September 19, 2019

Do you know that the Mayans used sweat houses not only to promote good health but also for religious purposes around 3,000 years ago? And every culture has its unique way of utilizing heat for therapy, ritual, and relaxation, for instance, we have the Turkish steam baths, the Roman baths, and American hot tubs (1).

One of the most primitive ways to use these methods is the sauna. No doubt that the sauna has been used to relax, unwind, and sweat for thousands of years. It offers various benefits to your health, including weight loss. But there are many questions whether or not it is really effective in losing weight.

Before we tackle that topic in this article, we should first understand what sauna as well as its types is.

What is the Sauna?

Sauna is a room that is commonly heated to between 65.6 degrees Celsius and 90.06 degrees Celsius (150 degrees Fahrenheit and 195 degrees Fahrenheit).

Saunas found in Turkey usually use lots of steam, while those found in Finland are typically dry. The humidity and temperature levels may vary, but the benefits are just the same (2).

Types of Saunas

There are many types of sauna, depending on the way the room is heated, including (3):

Wood-burning

As the name implies, wood is used to heat the sauna rocks and sauna rooms. This kind of sauna usually offers high temperature while low in humidity.

Electric heat

Electricity is used to heat the sauna room, and it is almost similar to wood-burning saunas in the sense that it offers high temperature while low in humidity.

Infrared room

This type of sauna varies in the sense that the light waves produced by special lamps do not provide heat to the entire room. Instead, this heat is directed to a human’s body. Although you may experience sweat, the temperature is usually lower compared to other saunas. And this provides around 60 degree Celsius of heat.

Steam room

This is different from saunas in the sense that it does not use dry heat. This usually provides moist heat due to its high humidity.

Can Sauna Help in Weight Loss?

Although saunas are mainly for relaxation and detoxification, some people tend to use these for losing weight. But the question is whether or not saunas can really help you to lose weight. Here are just a few ways on how these can help in weight loss (4):

Water weight loss

Experts explain that sauna can lead to weight loss because it can cause you to sweat. If you sweat, you lose some water. You will observe a change in your weight just after you sit in a sauna because of the lost water. But then, if you lose water weight, it is merely temporary.

Your weight will go back when you drink or eat something again. Although this technique of losing weight can make a change quickly, it does not provide for a long-term benefit, unless, you continuously use this method and consider diet and exercise for weight loss. Well, some wrestlers and boxers use a sweating technique to manage their weight.

Burning calories

If your body heat increases, you burn more calories. Your metabolic rate will also increase by up to 20 percent of your body is exposed to heat. That is the reason why even if after you came from a sauna, you still burn extra calories because of the jolt to your metabolism.

Moreover, your heartbeat also becomes faster by at least 30 percent as your body experiences an increase in temperature. If this happens, then your body burns more calories to use these as energy. If the sauna comes with exercise and proper diet, this will most likely help you to lose weight effectively.

Detoxification

Saunas are commonly used for relaxation and detoxification. And detoxification can help in getting rid of the toxins from your body, thereby improving your entire-wellbeing and encouraging weight loss. Although your body has a natural way to detoxify, the sauna can maximize this benefit by making you sweat more.

Your sweat also contains lymphatic fluids. That is why if you perspire, the toxins in your lymphatic system are also expelled. If your body eliminates toxins, including heavy metals, your body burns fats. This kind of weight loss technique is more effective because it can make you burn fats without greatly affecting your metabolism.

Why is it Not Helpful for Weight Loss?

As explained above, the sauna can help you lose weight. That is mainly because you sweat. But you usually sweat off water weight. That means that weight loss is not permanent. Your weight will just return once you drink again.

And if your body is exposed to heat, your body temperature increases. And if this happens, your heart rate also increases, which can make you burn extra calories compared to when you are sitting. But the calories burned are not that higher compared to when you engage in some strenuous physical activities that can make you burn off weight.

Even if it is explained earlier that it can make you sweat and sweat can make you burn fats, this makes you at risks of health issues such as dehydration. Here is how the sauna is not helpful for weight loss:

It can make you at risk of dehydration

Too much sweating can lead to dehydration. If you are suffering from a certain health condition, such as kidney disease, you will be more prone to dehydration. People who are exposed to higher temperatures can also experience nausea and dizziness (4).

So even if you spend a short time in the sauna, you will lose around 1 pint of fluid. But this can be avoided if you drink plenty of water so you can replace the fluids your body expelled during sweating. And as already discussed earlier, the weight loss benefits of the sauna will be reversed if you drink water again. As you can recall, your body loses water weight. And this weight loss is merely temporary and goes back if you drink water again.

If you experience extreme thirst, dryness in the mouth, headache, lightheadedness, abnormal urination, you may be dehydrated. People who have kidney disease, heart failure, diabetes, and those who are pregnant are at a higher risk of dehydration.

Blood pressure risks

If you use the sauna and expose yourself to cold temperatures, such as when you dip in a pool, this can probably raise your blood pressure (5). There are also instances when the sauna can make your blood pressure to decrease. The high temperature can open up your blood vessels, which can make them move nearer to the surface of your skin. Your blood circulation is improved as the blood vessels expand, thereby making your blood pressure decrease.

Although studies show that the use of the sauna can improve your heart health, most people who have heart-related conditions, such as those who experienced a recent heart attack or have an irregular heartbeat, they are usually advised not to go to the saunas (6). That is the reason why if you are planning to use the sauna, it is advisable to talk to your doctor. Your doctor will help you identify whether or not using the same is safe for your health.

Precautionary Measures in Avoiding the Negative Health Effects of Sauna

You need to use sauna efficiently and effectively to avail of its health benefits. Here are the ways on how you can avoid the detrimental effects of sauna:

Avoid alcohol

The sauna can promote dehydration, especially that it expels fluids from your body. This will aggravate if your body also contains alcohol. Alcohol can increase your risk not only of dehydration, but also of arrhythmia, hypotension, and much worse death.

A study has shown that 1.8 percent of sudden death cases in Finland is due to the exposure to sauna within 3 hours before their death. And 1.7 percent of these cases are those who have exposure to sauna within the last 24 hours of their lives. And most of these people have consumed alcohol.

Limit your time spent in the sauna

According to experts, you should not spend more than 20 minutes of your time in the saunas. If you are a neophyte, you should spend at most 5 to 10 minutes only. If your body is already used to the heat, then you can level up to around 20 minutes.

Drink more water

Because the most common and certain result of the sauna is sweating, you need to replace the fluids you lost by drinking water. It is recommended to drink around four glasses of water after you expose yourself to heat from the sauna.

Avoid using the sauna if you are sick

People who are suffering from medical conditions, such as low blood pressure, are not advised to use the sauna. Those who are pregnant should also avoid using the sauna because it can be detrimental to the mother and the baby in her womb.

Children should be under the supervision

The sauna can be used by children ages six years and above. But this should be supervised by parents or guardians because the recommended time for them to be exposed to the sauna is only 15 minutes at a time.

Other Health Benefits of Sauna

If saunas are not that effective for weight loss, it also offers various health benefits aside from the relaxation. Here are some of the health benefits of the sauna (7):

It improves cardiovascular performance

Indeed, the sauna can make you feel relaxed, thereby reducing stress. And stress can affect our entire well-being. In fact, many studies have shown that one of the greatest reasons for heart-related disease is due to stress.

The sauna can make you feel stressed free. The heat can improve your circulation, relax your muscles, and stimulate the production of endorphins.

Probably, these effects are manifested by your “after sauna glow.”
It helps in recovery after strenuous activities

As already mentioned, the sauna can aid in the production of endorphins. These hormones can reduce muscle soreness and even minimize the pain if you have arthritis. Your blood circulation also improves, thereby speeding up the natural healing process of your body, such as soothing body pains and aches, as well as healing wounds or cuts.

It flushes toxins

As already mentioned, the sauna can get rid of the harmful toxins found in your body, including copper, lead, nickel, zinc, mercury, and other chemicals. We already know the benefits of detoxification. And sweating can help detoxify these wastes which can provide various health benefits.

It can induce sleep

One of the most common problems people encounter today is the lack of sleep. The good thing is that the sauna can promote a more relaxed and deeper sleep. Aside from the production of endorphins, this can also help in relaxing the decline of these hormones in the evening, thereby facilitating better sleep. Remember that sleep is also related to weight. So if you get better sleep, you will most likely experience an effective weight loss.

Conclusion

The sauna is said to promote weight loss because it promotes water loss, burns calories, and detoxifies your body from harmful substances and chemicals. But, this can also be detrimental for your entire well-being as this can make you at risk of dehydration and can either increase or decrease your blood pressure.
The sauna also offers various health benefits, such as for your cardio and sleep. But to promote the effectiveness of the sauna, you should observe some precautionary measures such as drinking more water, avoiding alcohol, limiting your exposure to heat, and many more.