Overview
Infrared saunas and steam rooms do magical things on the body. Strengthen systems. The heart works better, blood circulation circulates more freely, and breathing becomes even easier. Weight loss is attributed to some while in the sauna, but not necessarily all. Burning calories happens in a sauna, but how much weight can you lose?
There are several factors that play a role in weight loss, including things like diet, pre-existing health, and fitness habits. In this article, we will only focus on burning calories in a sauna. Even if someone burns a ton of calories per week, is still eating poorly, or already has health issues, weight loss may not go as planned.
What Is the Sauna?
A sauna is a room heated to temperatures between 65.6 ° C and 90.6 ° C. Finnish style saunas are considered "dry" while Turkish style saunas have a lot of steam. People typically spend about 15 to 30 minutes in a sauna. Although temperatures and humidity vary, saunas generally work the same when it comes to your body's reaction.
Before discussing how many calories you can burn in the sauna, you need to understand how it works.
And How Does It Work?
The popularity of the sauna, a traditional activity known since ancient times, has been revived in Europe and around the world in recent decades. At present, the dry sauna is widely used in sports, leisure, and rehabilitation. The new trend is supposed to improve your skin and mood, and maybe even help you lose weight while sitting around doing nothing. Researchers believe the sauna poses no risk to healthy people, including children and the elderly. Bathing in a sauna has a major impact on the functioning of many organs and body systems. When used properly, the sauna has a positive effect on the skeletal muscles by accelerating the elimination of metabolic waste. Sauna baths are most practiced for recovery after exercise. A single visit to a Finnish sauna (three sessions of 10 minutes at 90 ° C and 10% relative humidity) immediately after 30 minutes of aerobics reduces oxidative stress. Heat increases the efficiency of muscle recovery processes; It improves the flexibility and stretchability of connective tissue structures, thereby increasing the general flexibility. The sauna is used in sports to maximize the physical and mental recovery of athletes. Nevertheless, uncontrolled sauna bathing can pose a risk for various disorders, such as B. Severe dehydration, heat exhaustion, stroke, and burns.
How different types of saunas work
The most popular types of saunas:
• Wooden sauna - this is the traditional sauna. The wood stove heats the rocks and reaches high temperatures. The humidity inside is quite low.
• Infrared sauna - The principle of an infrared sauna is based on the use of light waves to warm the human body without heating the cabin.
• Electrically heated sauna - This type of sauna uses an electric wall or floor heating to heat the cabin. It offers high temperatures with low humidity.
• Hammam (Turkish bathhouse) - This is the place where there is almost 100% humidity while the temperatures are low.
Read on to find out exactly how many calories you can burn in a sauna and how you can use a sauna to help you reach your fitness and weight loss goals.
Do saunas burn calories?
Yes, saunas and steam rooms burn calories that can help you lose weight! These heated environments not only relax the body, but also stimulate the metabolism, blood flow, heart, and cardiovascular system.
It is claimed online that saunas can help you lose weight. You sure can, but that does not mean it is easy. Whether you disapprove of the benefits of a sauna or steam room or love spending time in one of these rooms, the research is specific if you claim you are burning calories.
Calculate How Many Calories You May lose in a Sauna
Nowadays it is not too difficult to determine exactly how many calories you can lose in the sauna. There are some great calorie-burning calculators that you can find on the internet.
The equation isn't too complicated and you can quickly estimate how many calories you can burn in each workout. Multiply the number of calories you can burn in the sauna for 30 minutes by 1.5. The result depends on your body weight and the temperature in the sauna. The number of calories burned while sitting for 30 minutes x 1.5 = The number of calories burned while sitting in the sauna for 30 minutes This is an average number of calories you can lose, but it can also be higher. You need to double the number of calories burned in the same amount of time if you want to know the maximum number of calories you can burn while exercising.
The number of calories burned in 30 minutes of sitting x 2 = The number of calories burned in 30 minutes of sitting in the sauna
However, the numbers you get give a standard range of how many calories the human body can burn in the sauna. The number of calories you can burn during this time depends on:
•Your weight
•Your weight
• Your age
• Your gender
Let's see what it looks like in a real-life example when you use a Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator for this purpose.
A 30-year-old woman, 5 feet, 5 inches (165 cm) tall, and 68 kg (150 pounds) has a BMR of 1,492 calories. This equates to roughly 31 calories per 30 minutes.
How does a sauna or steam room make you lose weight?
A sauna helps you lose weight by forcing the body to work harder. Your body needs to control temperature by sweating. The pulse rate increases, and the circulation increases by one level. Subsequently, it also increases the metabolism. When you leave a sauna, you can experience instant weight loss. It is very common. Unfortunately, you cannot trust these numbers. What you are losing is not fat. It is the water weight that is lost when you sweat. In fact, a 30-minute sauna session could use up to two liters of water. When you rehydrate, the water weight returns right away. So do not be fooled by what the scale says right after you exit! Yes. But you are not building muscle, you're not burning a drastically increased calorie count, and you're actually only losing water weight. Plus, if you do not replace the water you sweat, your body will have a harder time losing weight. The weight that you lose by sitting in a humid room is pure water, water that you must replace as soon as you lose, otherwise you will simply severely dehydrate your body. Not practicing proper hydration in one of these hotboxes is unhealthy and makes it harder for your body to lose weight permanently, as hydration is an essential part of losing extra weight. Really, you do not want to use a sauna for weight loss, even in the most temporary cases. For example, if you are trying to lose weight quickly for an event, or if you are trying to put on a certain dress, you will feel bad (and maybe even look like it) after losing the last few pounds in a sauna. before the event, without rehydrating your body after the sweating session. Consistent, moderate healthy habits are essential for losing and maintaining weight. Do your best to avoid extremes and quick fixes as this is usually a scam, not healthy, or not sustainable in the long run.
Be Careful While Trying To Lose Weight In The Sauna
The sauna is beneficial and generally harmless if you follow the rules of use and take care of yourself. The most serious problem people new to the sauna may face is dehydration. Since beginners often want to get benefits and lose weight as early as possible, they can put their bodies at risk. Always remember that the extreme heat makes you sweat profusely, which means you will lose a lot of fluids. If the fluid loss is much greater than the intake, you can become dehydrated. Therefore, you should drink enough water before entering the sauna and during and after the session.
Get a medical emergency if you notice any of the following signs of dehydration:
• Extreme thirst
• dry mouth
• Dizziness
• A headache
• Low frequency of urination
In addition, you should be very careful when using the sauna if you are pregnant or suffer from chronic illnesses such as:
• Cardiovascular diseases
• diabetes
• kidney disease
These conditions can accelerate the onset of dehydration.
Saunas and heart health
The high heat in a sauna causes your blood vessels to open and come closer to the surface of your skin. When the blood vessels dilate, your blood circulation improves, and your blood pressure decreases. Some recent studies have found links between regular sauna use and improved heart health. However, people with heart problems such as irregular heartbeat or recent heart attack are generally advised to avoid saunas. People with high blood pressure can use saunas, but the American Heart Association (AHA) warns against switching between extremely hot and cold temperatures as it can raise your blood pressure. Also, those taking heart medication should consult their doctor before using a sauna.
The takeaway
According to Harvard Health Publications, sitting in a sauna for 15 or 20 minutes is okay for most people. But saunas can dry you out, so drink plenty of water before and especially after. If you have certain heart conditions, such as arrhythmia, heart failure, or valve disease, avoid saunas unless you have permission from your cardiologist. Sitting in a sauna for long periods of time puts you at risk of heatstroke and the possibility of kidney damage, stroke, or heart attack, according to Military.com.
• According to Harvard Health Publications, sitting in a sauna for 15 or 20 minutes is okay for most people.
• If you have certain heart conditions such as arrhythmia, heart failure, or valve disease, you should avoid saunas unless instructed to do so by your cardiologist.
• While a sauna session is no substitute for a healthy diet and regular physical activity, the number of calories you can burn in a sauna can certainly complement your normal fitness efforts.
• For healthy adults, it is safe to sit in a sauna at a temperature of 87.8 ° C. If you are pregnant or have a chronic health problem, the first thing to do is see your doctor.
Conclusions
The results of our study showed significant correlations between BMI and BML values. The BMI is a good indicator of the amount of fluid that is lost from the body in a dry sauna. An increase in BMI was accompanied by a disproportionate increase in BML, expressed as a percentage of total body mass. Our results show that people with a high BMI are more likely to become dehydrated. Therefore, you should always refill the fluids during the sauna bath. The suggested equations for calculating BML values ​​based on a person's BMI can be helpful in estimating the number of fluids that men and women should add to their tank during a visit to a dry sauna. Considerable differences in BML values ​​between subjects with similar somatic parameters (height, body mass, and BMI) suggest that other factors (independent of BMI) can influence the BML. In addition to BML scores, height, and mass, future studies should include a body component analysis to determine the contribution of each body component to the BML.