Can You Lose Weight with Sauna?
Sauna has grown in popularity within the wellness space in recent years. It's a great way to relax and unwind, and serves as a great meditative space. But heat also increases your heart rate, which leads many people to ask the question, how many calories does sauna burn?
The answers can range significantly, as they are influenced by weight, age, and sex, but a 30-minute session can burn between 50 and 300 calories.
However, this isn't the magic weight loss bullet that it may look like. As any reputable source will tell you, this loss is compromised primarily of water weight. In fact, most studies regarding sauna weight loss are specifically focused on water loss during sauna sessions, not long term weight loss.
What do the studies say?
For example, the study "Sauna-Induced Body Mass Loss in Young Sedentary Women and Men" determine that in sedentary men and women aged 19-20, the results correlated that water loss increases relative to a persons BMI. But the discussion wasn't focused on weight-loss, but on best practices for rehydrating during and after sauna.
Another study that focused on physiological effects on sedentary and overweight young men had results that showed that several sauna sessions in a short period of time, specifically for people that are overweight, could result in the body working too hard. In this study, participants were monitored for several successive sauna sessions, and during the fourth session the average blood pressure for the participants reached levels of stage 1 hypertension. Which the researchers believe was a pre-existing condition that was exacerbated by the high temperatures.
You may notice, both of these studies weren't looking at or exploring long term weight loss, but how to properly manage time in a sauna and hydrate. Because at the end of the day, sauna is not a substitute for exercise.
Key Takeaways
While saunas do offer health benefits like stress reduction, muscle relaxation, and improved circulation, they can't replace proper diet and exercise for weight loss. The weight loss that you will see is going to be predominately water weight, which is why you should stay hydrated throughout the day, as well as during and after your sauna sessions.
If you are dealing with health issues or concerns, it's best to talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of sauna for you. While sauna is generally safe for people with managed health conditions, if you have concerns then it's best to talk with a medical professional.
It's also important to listen to your body while you sauna. If you ever feel light-headed, dizzy, or thirsty, then it's important to listen to your body and get out of the sauna to rest and re-hydrate.
At the end of the day though, sauna should never be used as a primary method for weight loss. Weight is best controlled through proper diet and exercise. That said, choosing to incorporate sauna into your weekly wellness routine is an excellent compliment to other healthy habits.
Sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4295591/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6360547/