Detox Saunas: Does Sauna Detoxify?

Do you know that sauna can relieve fatigue and tension, remove all unnecessary toxin elements from the body, and at the same time, lose a couple of extra pounds? Yes, everything is possible in the Sauna bath!

While you are staying in the sauna room, you can get rid of toxins from your body. This is because the sauna heat helps open pores, cleansing them, and finally renewing your skin cells. And in the sauna room, you can also lose weight while detoxing your body.

Sauna detox even has been embraced widely as a healthy therapy in alternative treatment. And nowadays people are preferring more self-directed & natural treatment procedures for detoxification like a sauna bath. Thus, detox sauna practices are continuously getting further attention and recognition.

You may now ask why should I go with the sauna instead of trying other detoxification methods. Well, the ultimate focus of sauna detoxification is detoxifying your entire body to cleanse all toxic substances that can cause a host of typical illnesses.

Thus, Ridding your body of such toxins with natural sauna detoxification may help reduce symptoms, stop future illness, and also increase overall vitality and health.

However, there are some other reasons and benefits of trying sauna detox. So, in this article below, we will learn about everything related to sauna detox. Let’s dig deeper to know if the sauna really detoxifies your body or not and if it works then how?

Should I Prefer Infrared Sauna Session For Detoxification, And When To Use It?

An infrared sauna uses infrared light (this isn’t visible to the naked eye). This light penetrates deep into your body producing heat from within.

Generally, the optimal sauna experience occurs between 100 degrees and 130 degrees Fahrenheit. With deeper penetration of heat into your body, deliver even better health benefits, while you enjoy relaxation.

While traditional saunas, also called Finnish saunas, uses hot rocks or steam to heat the room to 190degrees-220 degrees. Due to the excessive heat, the traditional sauna can be discomfiting. This is because some people find it difficult to breathe.

On the other hand, the time you spent in infrared therapy, is more relaxing than in Finnish saunas. In infrared therapy, your body core receives around 80% of the heat, and the rest 20% surrounds the inside air.

Then this temperature range increases the core body temperature to stimulate your immune system, lymphatic system, and also your cardiovascular system.

Thus, your body responds to infrared heat by sweating profusely and releasing toxins, heavy metals, etc. through your skin. Your body’s water also resonates with this heat, which helps the detoxification procedure.

Therefore, infrared sauna therapy is one of the safest and most relaxing ways to detox your body. That is why you SHOULD prefer an infrared sauna For detoxification.

However, when using use the full spectrum infrared saunas or far infrared saunas is concerned then we must say that detox sessions may differ based on your day-to-day activity level and tolerance.

To get the body accustomed to the sauna, start with 10 to 15-min sessions every other day. And then, increase towards 40-min daily sessions gradually. Here, you should listen to the body and its capacity.

Be careful of excessive detoxifying. In case you start to feel signs such as fatigue, nausea, or flu-like symptoms while your sauna sessions, discontinue it.


Why Should We Detox?

Throughout our daily lives, we’re exposed to numerous different kinds of toxins.

Our body receives toxins from the air we inhale, the food we eat, and also the medicines we take for our medical conditions. And unfortunately, our bodies stores these toxins in the fatty tissues.

As per the US EPA, there are more than 400 toxins in the tissues of our bodies.

With all these toxins held up for long times, we can be more exposed to a wide range of ailments, such as fibromyalgia, cancer, and also autoimmune conditions.

Thus, detoxifying with infrared sauna heating sessions can support our bodies to release heavy metals and toxins. Although our kidneys and liver are accountable for natural detoxing, most people nowadays getting more exposed to toxins that require outer help.

Therefore, taking part in additional detoxing activities like regular exercise or an infrared sauna can help back the operation of these organs since it decreases the workload of detoxing the body. So, all things taken into account, you can see why you should detox your body with external help like a sauna.

Theory of Saunas And Sweat For Detoxification

We can expect to sweat when we sit in a sauna room for long periods, right? Even if you have not tried a sauna yet, you can see photos of people drenched in sweat or completely soaked with sweat. But that is not the case for everyone out there.

Well, this happens because there is a connection between the sauna and sweat for detoxification. When the heat of our bodies gradually increases, our heart beats quicker, and our skin blushes.

This drives blood nearer to the skin’s surface. After that, a procedure called “lipolysis” starts to break down our fat tissues. These tissues hold toxins that get released into our bloodstream.

In this procedure, some toxins come out of our bodies via the skin, and others reach the liver and kidneys. And all these happen easily due to the enjoyable experience of the sauna. Sauna therapy increases the level of toxins with increased sweating, and thus, pushes toxins out via urine and human waste.

NOTE:

In a sauna, the human body reaches a certain temperature where people sweat heavily and the toxins present in the body start coming out with sweat. Thus, the body gets detoxified in a relaxing way.


What Makes Infrared Sauna Better for Detox?

Our body gets many benefits when our body sweats. And these health benefits get a dramatic boost if you get sweat by using infrared light sauna bathing.

Research has revealed that 20% to 25% of the sweat generated by the infrared light sauna is formed from a wide range of heavy metals and toxins.

These analyses support the declarations that saunas deliver additional detoxing benefits that traditional saunas just can’t. But do you know how is that even possible? Let’s know here how is that happen…

Lower Heat Than Conventional Sauna

Infrared light lets the heat be lower than in traditional saunas. This lower heat makes the sauna experience enjoyable and tolerable for long periods. Moreover, the lower heat is more relaxing for many people out there.

As you can stay longer in the infrared saunas, this allows you to obtain more benefits of detoxification from the heat and light of the infrared sauna.

Skin Penetration

Well, infrared beams can directly penetrate the skin way better than traditional sauna heat sources. to be true, infrared saunas are great for detoxing the body because the rays can penetrate deep up to 3 inches of the skin.

And this penetration is useful when detoxing since it reaches the fat cells to detoxify the body. As we have already said, plenty of toxins get accumulated in the fat cells.

Thus, when infrared light goes to these fat cells they can help remove the toxins with all the sweat induced from the sauna practice.


Is There Any Trustworthy Data To Support “Sauna Detox”?

Yes, there are trustworthy data and quite a lot of studies demonstrating how saunas and sweating can boost and facilitate detoxification. Okay, let us explain the fact below.

Study 1

As per this analysis: Blood, Urine, & Sweat (in short BUS) Monitoring and Elimination of Toxic Elements. Through urine, blood, and sweat, our body removes its toxicants. These toxicants are “cadmium (25-fold), aluminum (3.75-fold), lead (17-fold), and cobalt (7-fold) in sweat vs urine.”

So, when you practice sauna, your body reaches a certain temperature to produce sweat. This sweat induced by the sauna brings toxins out of your body.

Study 2

Another study was Human Excretion of Bisphenol. This study is again a BUS Study. It indicates that Bisphenol A is more excreted via sweat than via urine. Thus, practicing the sauna helps you a lot to detox your body.

Study 3

Finally, the following study was conducted on men and women for Sauna-Induced Body Mass Loss. It has been revealed that “While sauna bathing (194 degrees F), sweating starts quickly and then reaches its utmost at around 15-min, with the average total secretion of 500g”.

NOTE:

From these studies, we can say that activities causing sweat (regular exercise and saunas) promote detoxification.


Is There Any Risk of Infrared Sauna For Detoxification?

Generally, an infrared sauna is safer and more tolerable than traditional saunas. However, there are still a few side effects.

Side effects are typically temporary and mild. And these symptoms occur only shortly after or during the use of the sauna. These comprise the following:

  • Heat intolerance or discomfort
  • Irritated breathing
  • Temporarily reduced motility and sperm count
  • Temporary pain
  • Low blood pressure or Lightheadedness

If you are concerned about motility and sperm count because of the short-term negative impact of sauna, then reduce or avoid sauna.

Especially when you are trying for a baby. Avoiding sauna use for 6 months has been indicated to reverse the adverse impacts on sperm.

Moreover, some people may also be at a higher threat than others of experiencing negative effects because of heat therapy. In case any of these factors occur to you, immediately seek medical guidance before starting routine sauna use.

  • Heart conditions
  • Known heat sensitivity
  • Chronic pain ailments include joint pain, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome

How To Lower The Chance Of Side Effects Of Detox Saunas

There are some steps you should take to help reduce the chance of side effects of sauna.

Avoid alcohol: You should avoid consuming alcohol before, during, or shortly after your sauna session. Because this combination often causes adverse results and can even cause death.

Drink plenty of water: Since you lose a lot of fluid from your body due to sauna sessions, you should make sure you are drinking plenty of water. If you don’t do that, you may face some issues with dehydration. So, to avoid dehydration, drink plenty of water before, during, and after the sauna detox.

Listen to your body: Always pay close attention to your body language. If your body is indicating you to leave the sauna room, do it immediately.

Avoid saunas when you are sick: You should avoid going to the sauna room when you are sick.

Why Use Saunas For Detoxification?

There are several ways to detox your body. But none of them are as relaxing as saunas. For example, you can exercise regularly to sweat out heavy metals and toxins from your body. But exercise can never be as relaxing as sitting in a sauna room.

So, it is better to use a sauna when all you try is to detox your body. However, the sauna is not only good for detoxification but also there are other health benefits.

For example, with a sauna, you can lose body weight, which will help you with pain relief, lowering blood pressure, and so many more.

What Brands And Types Of Saunas Are Best For Detoxification

You can see that we already have mentioned that infrared technology has more benefits than traditional saunas.

However, there isn’t seem to be any study directly comparing these different types of saunas for detoxification. But infrared light allows for gushing sweating at a lower heat than a conventional sauna.

Thus, an infrared sauna provides a more relaxing option to get similar results. It is great for those people who are sensitive to heat.

In case you are searching for an infrared sauna or other saunas, it’s significant to consider a brand that does not use toxic chemicals to produce heat.

Otherwise, the toxic chemicals will emit huge amounts of EMF (electromagnetic) radiation or off-gas during sauna bathing.

However, if you are planning to buy a sauna booth for your home but think it is cost-prohibitive, then you should go for portable versions that are less costly. Nevertheless, if you do not want to buy one then find a health club or spa in your locality that provides a sauna service.


FAQ On Detox Saunas

Following are the common questions on detox saunas

Do Saunas Detox?

YES. Of course, the sauna detox your body. Mainly, when you take a sauna bathing, you sweat a lot. And we all know that we release toxins from our body through sweat, urine, and blood.

So, we can say that sauna helps to detox our body by helping us sweat a lot throughout the sauna bathing process. Thus, if you want to detox your body while spending your time relaxing, you must consider performing a sauna session.

Which Sauna Is Better For Detox?

Both traditional and infrared saunas are great. However, traditional saunas are not as comfortable as infrared saunas. So, as long as comfort and relaxation are concerned, an infrared sauna is better for detox.


BOTTOM LINE

Heat therapy or sauna bathing is compelling at eliminating numerous toxic compounds from your body. Especially sauna bathing is an acquiescent formation of heat therapy.

An infrared sauna is one of the easier and more relaxing methods to get rid of toxic compounds present in your body.

It helps to relax your body while you release all the harmful heavy metals and toxins in your body. Moreover, with the help of regular sauna bathing, you can get other benefits.

Hope our content helped you get your answer regarding the detox sauna!

 

References:

  • sunlighten.com/my-en/infrared-sauna-health-benefits/detoxification
  • fasttwitch.com.au/learn/infrared-saunas-for-detox-a-healthier-you?format=amp
  • eversolepoolandspa.com/infrared-saunas-and-detox-the-benefits-of-a-good-sweat-from-an-at-home-infrared-sauna/
  • degreewellness.com/2019/05/am-i-still-getting-a-good-sauna-detox-if-im-not-drenched-in-sweat/
  • daveasprey.com/infrared-sauna-benefits-detox/
  • greatplainslaboratory.com/gpl-blog-source/2016/12/12/how-to-maximize-the-benefits-of-sauna-for-detoxification
  • drruscio.com/infrared-sauna/