Information On A Dry Heat Sauna For Weight Loss

An estimated 72 million Americans are considered obese in the United States. With many of these people seeking ways to lose weight, hundreds of methods and routines for shedding excess pounds have circulated. One common way that has been used both for personal use and in the sports world for quick weight loss is the dry sauna. However, before using this method, it's important to understand the ways a dry sauna can create weight loss, as well as the dangers associated with this method.

The Myth

Although saunas can provide temporary weight loss as far as a scale is concerned, the weight loss benefits are only temporary, with weight returning the moment you drink water. For real weight loss to occur, your body needs to burn fat for energy. This occurs when you create a calorie deficit, or in other words, your body burns more calories through activities like exercise than you take in from the foods you eat. Although your body burns calories in the sauna due to the energy used to keep your body from overheating, it is typically not enough to burn enough fat for long-term weight loss.

The Truth

Weight loss from a sauna occurs from water weight. When you enter a dry sauna, you expose your body to temperatures as high as 185 degrees Fahrenheit, causing your body skin temperature to quickly jump to as much as 104 degrees within just minutes within the sauna, according to medical publications from the Harvard Medical School. To keep your body from overheating, the process of sweating is activated, which pushes water from inside your body to the outer surface of the skin to release heat from the body. As this water evaporates off the skin, your body loses the weight of that water, resulting in small amounts of visible weight loss on the scale.

Dangers

Along with not creating long-term weight loss, using a sauna to shed pounds can also possibly put your health in danger. For example, the amount of sweating produced by a dry heat sauna can contribute to problems with dehydration. Dehydration can progress into heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Dehydration can also contribute to swelling of the brain, seizures, hypovolemic shock, kidney failure, coma and even death. These side effects have prompted organizations such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association to put out warnings against the use of saunas for weight loss.

Possible Benefits

Although saunas are not recommended for weight loss, using a dry sauna in moderation may still offer other health and wellness benefits. Moderation consists of exposure to heat in the sauna for less than 20 to 30 minutes at 95 to 100 degrees Celsius, or 200 to 212 Fahrenheit. The heat of the sauna may invoke stress relief and muscle relaxation, as well as increase the circulation of blood toward the surface of the skin. However, before using a sauna, check with your health-care provider, especially if you have pre-existing diseases or are over the age of 65. Use good judgment in the sauna by leaving if you feel dizzy or nauseated, and drink plenty of water before and after you use a dry sauna.