If you enjoy relaxing in a sauna, you might be tempted to stay for an hour or so.
Despite the health benefits that infrared or traditional sauna brings you, staying too long inside a sauna can affect your health badly. Overstaying in a sauna will actually do you more harm than good.
So how long to stay in the sauna? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
- How Long Should You Stay in a Sauna?
- How Often Should You Use the Sauna?
- Is It Ok to Sauna Every Day?
- What Happens if You Stay in a Sauna for Too Long?
- Can I Stay in the Sauna for an Hour?
- What Are the Risks Associated With Prolonged Sauna Stay?
- Isn’t More Time in a Sauna a Good Thing?
- What Are the Benefits of Staying in a Sauna for a Short Time?
- Conclusion
How Long Should You Stay in a Sauna?
You should stay in a sauna for 10 to 20 minutes. Beginners shouldn’t stay for more than 10 mins. Any longer can make you sick.
Know that overstaying in the sauna doesn’t translate to better results. In fact, it’s the other way around. You’ll be exposing your body to dehydration.
How Often Should You Use the Sauna?
You should use the sauna 3 times a week, maximum. A number of studies show that 3 times a week is ideal for gaining benefits from the sauna bath without endangering your health.
That said if you are suffering from health conditions, or can’t tolerate high temperatures and humidity, then visiting the sauna just once or twice should be fine.
A quick tip: Ensure that you take two full glasses of water before and after every sauna session to keep your body hydrated.
Is It Ok to Sauna Every Day?
It is not safe to go to the sauna every day. However, you can visit saunas for 3 days every week. Not more than that.
If you can’t tolerate high temperatures or if you have health issues, then you should not visit the sauna more than once or twice per week.
What Happens if You Stay in a Sauna for Too Long?
Staying in a sauna for too long exposes your body to dehydration. You can also suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke due to overheating.
Overstaying in the sauna may lead to dizziness, light-headedness, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and sometimes, uneasiness. Should you experience any of the symptoms, leave the sauna immediately.
It’s worth mentioning here that if you have any medical condition, overstaying in a sauna can interfere with the healing process. It is not advisable to step into a sauna at all if you are unwell. You should recover and only after you are completely healthy should you visit the sauna.
If you’ve ever suffered from a heat stroke or a heart attack, then you need to avoid using the sauna completely.
Also read: Infrared Sauna Benefits & Disadvantages (Myths Busted)
Can I Stay in the Sauna for an Hour?
You can’t stay in the sauna for an hour. That’s too long. However accustomed you might be to using a sauna, you still risk suffering from dehydration if you stay for more than 45 minutes.
What Are the Risks Associated With Prolonged Sauna Stay?
Some of the risks associated with prolonged sauna stays include dehydration and blood pressure complications. Blood pressure medication interferes with the usual response of your body to heat exposure. And with dehydration comes a lot of health complications like migraines, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue.
Overexposure to heat in the sauna can also cause skin irritation (heat rash) and breathing issues. It can trigger wheezing and chest tightness especially if you have asthma or any other type of lung disease. Open wounds can also start festering.
Isn’t More Time in a Sauna a Good Thing?
More time in a sauna isn’t a good thing. You risk suffering from a variety of illnesses by prolonging your sauna stay. Overheating can lead to dehydration and blood pressure complications, skin irritation, and breathing issues.
What Are the Benefits of Staying in a Sauna for a Short Time?
Staying in a sauna for a short time helps strengthen your immune system, metabolism, and your cardiovascular system. Besides helping you relax, the sauna has many long-term benefits. It helps you flush toxins from your body. It lowers the risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Regular sauna therapy helps boost deep sleep and reduces aging. Your skin becomes clearer. Sauna also helps you burn calories so you might find yourself becoming thinner.
According to a new study, regular sauna sessions help you prevent ailment and early death.
Conclusion
Sauna sessions are great but overexposing yourself to the infrared sauna heat can lead to long-term health complications hence it’s important to stay only for the recommended 10 to 20 mins.
And remember, if you feel uncomfortable, step outside immediately. You can go back to the sauna after 24 hours. Spend that time dehydrating your body by drinking a ton of water.
(Feature image by PIRO4D from Pixabay)
