People trying to lose weight often try a variety of methods to shed pounds. Sitting in a steam room has been said to assist with weight loss, but does it? If so, how?
Water Loss
When you sit in a steam room, water is leaving your body through the pores in your skin. Because water makes up a significant part of your body weight, losing enough water will cause you to lose a few pounds. This type of weight loss is temporary, however, because as soon as you replace the lost fluids by eating or drinking, you will regain those pounds. Furthermore, too much water loss can cause dehydration, a potentially dangerous condition.
Increased Heart Rate
The high temperature of a steam room can temporarily increase your heart rate, which also increases blood flow and circulation. While this has some health benefits, such as improving the immune system, weight loss is not necessarily one of them. The increased heart rate contributes somewhat to an increased cardiac workload, thus creating a workout for your heart similar to aerobic exercise such as a brisk walk, but the effect is limited. To accomplish calorie burn significant enough to cause weight loss in a steam room, you would have to spend so much time in there that it would be impossible to avoid dehydration, heat exhaustion and other adverse health effects. In addition, trying to burn calories by sitting in the steam room rather than exercising deprives your body of other benefits of exercise, such as muscle toning, increased strength and endurance, and the prevention of injuries.
Detoxification
Some people believe that the increased blood flow and sweating provoked by sitting in a steam room helps cleanse the body of toxins, and that eliminating such toxins assists in weight loss and maintaining overall health. The science behind this is much debated. Most toxins are eliminated from the body by the liver and kidneys rather than through sweat. Furthermore, there is little or no credible evidence demonstrating a link between detoxification and weight loss.
Muscle Relaxation
The warmth of the steam room following a good workout can ease the pain of muscle fatigue and help you relax. Exercise is essential for maintaining a healthful body weight, but can occasionally result in stiffness or soreness. This discomfort can make it difficult to stick with an exercise program long enough to see results. A visit to the steam room can reduce this discomfort and lessen the dread of recovering from a tough workout, making it easier to incorporate exercise into your weight loss plan.
The Bigger Picture
Using a steam room can be relaxing and beneficial for a number of reasons, and can contribute to weight loss by temporarily raising your metabolism and easing the discomfort of exercise. However, it will not cause significant long-term weight loss by itself. If you are undertaking a weight loss program, make sure it also includes good nutrition, a well-rounded exercise routine and the oversight of your physician.
References
- Annals of Medicine; Regular Sauna Bathing and the Incidence of the Common Cold; Ernst, E. et al.; 1990
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences; Facts and fables about sauna; Kauppinen, K.; 1997
- The Mayo Clinic; Detox diets: Do they offer any health benefits?
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