Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Sauna

Saunas are worldwide popular as people of all ages and backgrounds enjoy spending time in these relatively hot and relaxing environments.

Using sauna comes with many health benefits, as well as a few risks. A sauna is usually an enclosed room which is heated up to between 70° to 100° Celsius or 157° to 212° Fahrenheit. However, traditional Finnish saunas typically use dry heat along with a relative humidity which stays between 10 and 20 percent. In other sauna types, the moisture level remains higher. The Turkish-style saunas, involve a greater level of humidity. The purpose of sauna use is to raise the skin temperature roughly up to 40° Celsius or 104° Fahrenheit. And as the skin temperature escalates, heavy sweating certainly occurs. Even, the heart rate increases as the body strives hard to keep cool. Although, it is not anomalous to lose about a pint of sweat while being occupied in a sauna for a short time. 

How Sauna Works?

Now you must be wondering what’s the difference between a sauna and a steam room, as speaking about sauna many people would get a rough image of a room filled with steam and sweaty people. Well, both types of rooms are manoeuvred to promote sweating, but by using different types of heat in order to accomplish it.

Saunas operate with dry heat generated from a stove or hot rocks to maximize the room temperature up to 195°F (90.5°C) with very low or minimal humidity. On the other hand, steam sauna rooms operate with maximum moist heat at lower temperatures, usually around 110-120°F (43-49°C) and 100-percent relative or full capacity humidity.

There are several types of saunas such as electrically heated saunas, wood burning saunas, steam room or infrared room saunas. Nevertheless, how a sauna is heated, or what’s the humidity level, the effects of sauna on human body are similar.

When a person sits in a sauna, the heart rate certainly increases and the blood vessels start to widen. This leads to increase in blood circulation, in a similar way to low or moderate exercising, depending on the sauna use duration.

Usually, the heart rate in people using sauna increases up to 100-150 beats per minute which comes with several health benefits. However, not to forget drawbacks would be there too.

Let’s have a brief look on the advantages and disadvantages of using sauna: 

Advantages of Using Sauna

1. Body muscles relaxation

After a long tiring day or on weekends after a long exhausting working weekdays, a sauna can help your body to relax and rejuvenate to help lower your anxiety levels. Your body muscles lose the tension and rigidity to relax completely which also increases the production of good hormones. 

2. Reduced stress levels

Spending time in sauna makes you forget the rest of the world which allows you to relax and calm down. The warmth of the sauna soothes your skin, your muscles by promoting blood circulation. The more you sweat, the more your mind releases the feel-good hormones known as endorphins which gives you both mental and physical relaxation.

3. Improved heart health

High stress levels impair heart health which affects your blood pressure and blood circulation in the body. Using sauna increases your heart rate which improves the health of the arteries. Thus, it brings down the risk of hypertension significantly by keeping your heart active and healthy. 

4. Alleviating body pain

Increased blood circulation throughout your body delivers nutrients throughout your body and blood which passes through muscles and joints which enables damage repair, inflammation reduction, and muscle relaxation. All these conditions are associated with muscle or joint pain that get alleviated by the heat exposure to your body.

5. Better skin health

The more you sweat, the more you look radiant. Sweating flushes out toxins from your skin and cleanses the pores which is one of the best advantages of using the sauna. Your skin becomes free of dirt, pollutants, and toxins enabling your skin to restore its natural elasticity and glow naturally. Your skin also becomes free of acne breakout as well. 

6. Relief in asthmatic symptoms

People with asthmatic symptoms may get relief by using a sauna. If your lungs are absolutely healthy, spending time in a sauna couple of times a week can help in keeping them healthy and prevent the lungs disease. Researchers have also found that saunas do actually improve conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and chronic bronchitis and relaxing in the sauna can even ease the respiratory symptoms of cough, colds, flus, and acute bronchitis. The reason is the sauna helps in opening airways and congested nasal passages, loosen phlegm, and reduce stress.

7. Improved sleep

Sitting in a sauna several times a week has been associated with better sleep patterns. Saunas are known for promoting mental and physical relaxation, which is essential to get a proper night’s sleep. Being a part of natural circadian rhythm, your body cools down naturally, and endorphin levels drop during the bedtime. The body’s gradual cooling process causes decline in endorphin generation helps your body and brain to prepare for deeper and undisturbed sleep.

8. Detoxifying body

One of the huge advantages of using sauna is that it improves overall wellness of your body by eliminating harmful toxins from your body. Environmental toxins such as copper, mercury, and nickel can compound in the body and have severe adverse effects on health. However, these toxins can be flushed out of your system by severe sweating, leaving your body healthier and active to function efficiently.

9. Improved brain health

Just like the other primary organs in human body, brain is an organ that also gets benefitted from sauna use. The increased circulation surrounds brain with nutrient-rich blood, and the active shifts in neurotransmitters and hormones enhance the pattern in which it functions and responds to stress. According to several studies, regular sauna-goers have shown a lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Disadvantages of Using Sauna

1. Risk of dehydration

As saunas use dry heat with minimal humidity to make you sweat, prolonged exposure to dry heat can cause loss of important fluids and also one may lose to a pint of sweat in a single session, which is one of the strongest disadvantages of using sauna. People who have intolerance to dry heat can feel severely dehydrated which may end up in emergency medical attention.

2. Heat exhaustion

Overheat temperatures can lead to the point of developing heat exhaustion or heat stroke, and both are very dangerous conditions. If you spend prolonged time in the sauna, your body’s natural cooling process gets exhausted due to overwork and eventually will shut down. Staying properly hydrated, keeping the sauna temperature within the recommended range, and reducing the time of your sessions can help to avoid heat exhaustion. The recommended session time for beginners is 15-20 minutes and up to 30 minutes is okay for seasoned sauna-goers who are quite experienced and aware of sauna guidelines.

3. Reduced fertility in men

The high heating effect of saunas has been associated with decrease in sperm production, similar to the effect of hot water shower for men. According to a study, even two 15-minute sessions per week can adversely affect sperm count in men. However, fortunately, the sperm production does eventually recover, but it can take up to five weeks for this to happen.

4. Skin irritations or burns

Getting a sunburn from a sauna is impossible because saunas don’t produce ultraviolet light, but one can get burned from hot surfaces like the stove or, maybe the bench. Installing a guard around the stove or sitting on a mat or towel can help in preventing skin burns. Sauna overuse can also irritate and dry out your skin.

5. Risk of getting exposed to infections or certain illness

As sauna is used my several people, there are chances of unclean and unhygienic saunas that are the breeding grounds for all sorts of bacteria, microorganisms and also yeast that can make you sick, yet another disadvantage of using sauna. The unclean saunas may harbour bacteria, mildew, molds, and fungi that can cause infections, certain illness, and skin conditions like athlete’s foot. 

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