The heat in a sauna actually causes
the capillaries in the skin to dilate, which in effect lowers
blood pressure. In Finland, high blood pressure is something of
a national problem, and yet most enjoy saunas at least occasionally.
One could argue that the two are related, but our high blood pressure
is due more to excess salt and alcohol than anything else. On
the other hand, if you suffer from a low blood pressure, you should
start taking saunas slowly, so you can judge its effects personally.
Many people enjoy a beer or two
during a sauna, and a healthy person may well indulge in such
pleasures. Low blood pressure and excessive alcohol intake don't
mix well with the sauna, however
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.
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.
Some sauna equipment manufacturers
claim that sauna or steam baths can help lower body cholesterol.
I have not come across scientific evidence and remain skeptic.
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.
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 recovered by drinking a couple of glasses of juice
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 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.
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.
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.
