Saunas have been an agent of wellness since even before the term “wellness” was invented. For centuries, these “sweat lodges” have helped with the alleviation of a handful of ailments.
It is safe to say that the public is split into agreeing that saunas can be harmful at some point. For example, temperature fluctuation in the sauna is a common factor. A high-quality water heater can be a solution for that issue to keep your sauna safe and tankless water heater reviews for safe heaters are thus necessary.
If you are a person who just signed up for the wellness boat, it is a wise move to learn the benefits of going to a sauna. But it is an even wiser step to know the harmful side as well. While reading this, you will see both sides by side to give yourself enough to think about your next course of action.
1. Sauna Burns
Relieving stress is one of the many things that saunas are very famous for. A sauna bath is probably the most natural way to get rid of stress since all you do is take your clothes off get into a room with wet steam and sit there for fifteen minutes. No physical exertion is required.
Who doesn’t want that right?
Though rare, SAUNA BURNS happens. The hot air temperature inside a sauna builds up in time. Temperatures that reach 190F are no longer a healthy number of our bodies.
Your skin will tell you immediately of this burning sensation. Sauna burns, when ignored, can penetrate layer after layer of skin and may even lead to amputation.
2. Affects Fetal Development (First Trimester)
Breakouts are one of the most hated things during pregnancies. When you sweat, dead skin cells are washed off leaving new and healthier ones. Bacteria is rinsed off the epidermal layer giving you that young healthy glow.
Pregnant women can enter a sauna room as long they don’t stay for more than FIFTEEN (15) MINUTES and watch that the temperatures do not rise to 102.2F. This is greatly HARMFUL to THE BABY in the womb, especially in the first trimester.
3. Does Not Count as a Weight Loss Program
You sweat in the healthiest way possible inside a sauna. You feel lighter with every bead of sweat cascading down your body. This is a myth that’s been haunting sauna baths for decades. The sweat that you get in the sauna is called water weight – simply put, this is your body’s excess water, NOT FAT.
Frequenting the saunas can never be a form of weight loss program. However, you can lose more water weight inside infrared saunas than the traditional steam versions.
4. Dehydration
Have you ever noticed NBA stars going straight to portable saunas after a game?
Although an extreme jolt of temperatures in form, in the paper, this method is very helpful to relax muscles. In steam showers, your muscles are in a fully relaxed state. Endorphins are released through the mist thus easing muscle tension and soreness.
However, staying inside a steam bath for more than the required time will result in DEHYDRATION. Your heart can be strained under such situations. Although rare, brain fog can also happen. Think of it as a really, really bad headache with minor memory loss.
5. Doesn’t Cure Fungal Infection
Flushing bad toxins out of our body through sweat is what saunas do best. Even in ancient times, this is a known fact. This, in turn, promotes an improved heart rate and better blood circulation since passages are no longer clogged with unwanted elements.
Saunas who have installed a tank with fewer water heaters claim that detoxification is at a different level using this system. For one thing, you’ll have an almost limitless source of hot water and it costs less than electric or gas-powered models.
However, detoxification isn’t the same thing as the removal of harmful organisms in your body. FUNGUS thrives in warm and moist places like saunas. This doesn’t mean though that you will grow a fungal infection when you go to one, rather this is not a solution to this skin condition.
6. Can Lead to a Heart Attack
This is a common practice both for seasoned and up-and-coming athletes. Baths inside sauna rooms will give you a better heart rate and blood circulation. Frequent visits will in time train your body and mind to go beyond its limits—which is good for a competitive athletic person.
But saunas are known to be places where HEART ATTACKS happen for six out of ten people. While saunas have been proven to be beneficial to the elderly, the heat of the steam will cause a problem if caution isn’t practiced properly.
7. Will Make You Lightheaded
Toxins are flushed out, our heart is good, our body is rejuvenated, and our skin is glowing—the next part of the program is to fall into a deep and well-deserved sleep. This is an instant effect of sauna visits.
While doctors tell us all the time that proper sleep is important to our bodies, having too much of it can and will cause NAUSEA, DIZZINESS, and COLD SWEATS.
How to Avoid These Problems?
Noticeably, the common factor in these dangers is our reluctance to tolerate the heat that a sauna produces. Therefore, a high-quality water heater is important to keep your sauna safe.
We feel so relaxed that we don’t even mind getting our skin burned or feeling suddenly thirsty. Our bodies will let us know when the heat is too much. At times like these, do not hesitate to step out of the sauna and cool down.
It is better to go to a dermatologist clinic than to trust the heat of a sauna’s steam to get rid of a skin condition. The worst case is until you don’t feel satisfied, you might burn your own skin. Whereas a skin clinic will give you the help you need.
If you are trying to lose weight, hitting the gym is the wiser choice. In truth, athletes only use the saunas as a sort of follow-through to their health regimen.
In Conclusion
There is no doubt that saunas have been contributing a lot to well-being and physical wellness. Some on a positive note, others, not so much. But what’s gracious about sauna baths is that their creation is intended as a means to help people, abusing it, is all up to them.
Disclaimer: All images are provided by the author.
About The Author:
Melissa loves blogging in her free time. She would like to share tips and tricks to solve various home improvement and health issues. When she’s not writing, you can find her doing research about the future of smart homes.
