There is a scant data demonstrating this temporary effect.
But overall, the health benefits of saunas are still being investigated.
Calories Burned in a Sauna
The bodyburns caloriesall the time, even at rest.
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A sauna is a heated space, which causes sweating.
The body tries to cool itself down, which leads to an increase in calorie expenditure.
Research into calories burned while using a sauna is lacking.
BMI is a dated, flawed measure.
It does not take into account factors such asbody composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age.
One study using a dry spa was done on sedentary young men.
Four 10-minute sessions were used, with 5 minutes in between.
The men burned about 73 calories in the first 10-minute session.
In the fourth 10-minute session, the average calories burned increased to 134.
There are both wet heat saunas and dry heat saunas.
Saunas are often located in gyms or spas, although some people may have them in their homes.
A sauna might beused after a workoutto relax muscles.
The temperature may be adjustable, depending on the sauna and if its public or private.
In public spas, it may be recommended or required to wear a bathing suit or a towel.
However, some saunas may allow full nudity.
A sauna may be used regularly or infrequently.
People may spend anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes in a sauna, depending on their heat tolerance.
Feeling dizzy or weak is a reason to exit the sauna to a cooler area.
There may be a small effect on weight loss from burning energy stores.
A study done in Poland looked at the weight lost after using a dry sauna.
The young men and women included in the research were age 19 or 20.
The people in the study lost body mass because of fluid loss.
People with a higher BMI lost more water and were more likely to become dehydrated.
The authors stress that hydrating during a sauna session is important to prevent dehydration.
Another study on young men showed they lost body mass after using a sauna.
However, this was largely due to losing body fluids through sweat.
Again, study participants with higher body mass and more body surface area lost more fluids.
Health Benefits of Sauna
There could be some health benefits from regular use of a sauna.
Acute heat beyond what humans find comfortable is stressful.
However, people can become used to the heat over time and are better able to tolerate it.
One review paper examined the research on how Finnish saunas affected health.
Using a sauna might have the same effect on the body as a high-intensity walk.
Using a sauna too often or for too long each time could lead to health risks.
Some of these can include:
Dehydration is a risk of sauna use.
Losing too much of the bodys fluids through heat stress can lead to serious health issues.
Losing between 8% and 10% of the bodys fluids could be fatal.
People withhigh blood pressure (hypertension)should talk to their healthcare provider about the use of a sauna.
The use of a sauna may be safe when blood pressure is well controlled.
Taking care to move slowly from an area of extreme heat to one thats cooler is important.
Anyone using a sauna should be aware of the risks of dehydration.
Replacing the lost fluids is important.
Healthy people can replenish by drinking more fluids, most importantly water.
Increasing fluid intake can be done both during the use of the sauna and after.
Electrolyte formulas are usually not needed.
Losing fluid through sweat is a risk of sauna bathing.
Using a sauna regularly for a typical 10- to 20-minute session is thought to be safe for healthy people.
There may be health benefits for some people with regular sauna use.
doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00115.2017
The American Heart Association.Getting active to control high blood pressure.
Harvard Health Publishing.Sauna health benefits: are saunas healthy or harmful?
