The idea that saunas can help with weight loss has been around for ages, but how true is it? In this post, let’s discuss a common question – does sauna help you lose weight or belly fat, and how much weight can you lose with sauna?
While stepping into a sauna might make you feel lighter, the weight you lose during a session, typically ranging from 1 to 3 pounds, is temporary. This is because the pounds you shed are from water loss through sweating, not fat. As soon as you rehydrate by drinking water, juice, or any other liquid, the lost weight returns.
Our bodies are made up of about 90% water, and sweat is simply one way we release this fluid. The sweat glands in our skin, the body’s largest organ, act like tiny faucets when exposed to the heat of a sauna. This explains the rapid loss of water weight, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s fat burning. Wrestlers and athletes might use saunas to meet weight requirements, but this isn’t a short-term fix for a long-term weight loss. Experts consistently recommend exercise and a healthy diet as the real cornerstones of weight loss.
Do Saunas Really Boost Metabolism?
A common belief is that saunas increase your metabolism and help burn calories. While it’s true that the heat raises your heart rate, which may slightly boost calorie burn, the effect is minimal compared to physical activity. Sitting in a sauna doesn’t force your body to expend significant energy like it does during exercise or even when fighting a fever. Instead, it’s the external heat that makes you sweat, so your body doesn’t have to burn many calories to stay warm. A 20-minute sauna session at 170°F (77 C) might have some metabolic benefits, though.
Studies differ in their numbers on how many calories you can burn in a sauna per hour, ranging from 20-400 calories. While it is probably closer to the lower number in the range, studies estimate that you burn around 1.5 more calories than just sitting in a normal temperature room. Having said that, how many calories you normally burn (basal) will depend on your muscle mass, activity levels and so on.
That being said, this doesn’t mean that sauna cannot help you to reach that perfect weight or lose that belly fat. There are many benefits of sauna that you will find out about below.
Benefits of Using a Sauna
Although saunas aren’t a weight-loss miracle, they offer several potential health benefits that might support your fitness journey indirectly.
1. Improved Sensitivity to Insulin
Using a sauna can help your body react better to insulin, which is essential for controlling blood sugar. Regular heat exposure decreased insulin resistance and blood glucose levels in diabetic rats, according to studies. Although human research on saunas is still in progress, the findings point to potential benefits for metabolic health. People who suffer from high insulin, such as women with PCOS, find it hard to lose weight and require management of insulin to aid with weight loss. So, it can be a great tool to incorporate into your routine.
2. Encouragement of Muscle Growth
Sauna heat exposure promotes the synthesis of heat shock proteins, which aid in muscle growth and repair. When compared to mice who did not get heat treatment, those that received frequent heat therapy showed a 30% increase in muscle mass during periods of inactivity. Saunas may aid in muscle mass maintenance and recovery, but further human trials are required.
3. Temporary Water Weight Loss and Detoxification
The weight you lose in a sauna is primarily water weight, but there’s more to sweating than meets the eye. Saunas can help reduce water retention by improving circulation and flushing out toxins stored in fat tissues. This detoxification process may make your body function more efficiently, supporting your weight loss efforts in the long run.
4. Reduced Cravings
Regular sauna use has been linked to reduced cravings for sugar and unhealthy fats. Your thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, and other organs that control hunger can all be balanced by the heat. You may discover that you reach for fewer unhealthy snacks if you address underlying imbalances.
5. Boosted Growth Hormone Production
Saunas have been shown to increase the production of growth hormone, which supports muscle recovery, fat metabolism, and energy levels. A session protocol, such as two 20-minute saunas at 176°F (80 C) with a cooling interval, can double your growth hormone levels. For more dramatic results, higher temperatures or longer sessions can increase hormone production up to 16 times normal levels. The effects of this hormone boost can last for hours and are even more pronounced when combined with exercise.
6. Might be better than intense exercise
While exercising is great for health and weight loss, overdoing exercise can also be harmful. Too much exercise puts sympathetic nervous system in overdrive, which can then also lead to stress in thyroid and adrenals. Our organs that are important in waste elimination, such as kidneys and liver, can also suffer from intense workouts. Exposure to high heat in sauna, however, doesn’t produce these negative effects. Having said that, coupling light-moderate exercise with sauna therapy might be ideal for weight loss, without causing too much stress to your body. That’s especially true for people experiencing adrenal fatigue (we all lead stressful lives nowadays), cortisol and thyroid issues and so on. Sauna therapy can help you relax after a stressful day or an exercise routine.
Why sauna isn’t an ultimate solution to weight loss
It’s a common misconception that saunas ‘melt fat’. The reality is that most of the weight you lose in a sauna is just water. As soon as you hydrate, the weight returns. Trying to use saunas as your main weight-loss tool can lead to dehydration, which is not only counterproductive but can also be dangerous. Prolonged dehydration can strain your organs.
Experts caution against relying on saunas for weight loss. Instead, think of them as a supplement to your fitness routine rather than the main focus. They can help with detoxification, recovery, and circulation but are no substitute for eating well and exercising regularly.
Don’t overdo it with sauna. How long to stay in a sauna?
Using saunas safely is important. Limit your sessions to 15–20 minutes per day when just starting out and make sure you stay hydrated. Overusing saunas can lead to severe dehydration and other health risks, so moderation is key. In the first week, you should limit your session to a maximum of 30 minutes per session.
After getting more experience, in a few weeks or even months, you can increase your time in sauna, but still limit it to 60 minutes per session. Much will also depend on your health, of course. If you have a cold, shorter and more frequent sessions might be more beneficial.
Let’s conclude
While saunas won’t help you lose weight directly, they can provide a variety of health benefits that might support your overall wellness goal and help you reach you weight loss goal much easier. Improved circulation, detoxification, improved insulin sensitivity and hormonal balance are just some of the ways saunas can enhance your fitness journey. Even these benefits alone are great reasons to start using sauna regularly for your health.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4908103/² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4908103/³ “The Power of Infrared Saunas,” Goop, accessed May 22, 2020, https://goop.com/ wellness/detox/the-power-of-infrared-saunas/.
Podstawski R, Borysławski K, Clark CCT, Choszcz D, Finn KJ, Gronek P. Correlations between Repeated Use of Dry Sauna for 4 x 10 Minutes, Physiological Parameters, Anthropometric Features, and Body Composition in Young Sedentary and Overweight Men: Health Implications. Biomed Res Int. 2019 Jan 21;2019:7535140. doi: 10.1155/2019/7535140. PMID: 30800676; PMCID: PMC6360547.