Does Sauna Detox Your Body? Unpacking the Science & Myths
Does sauna detox your body? debunking myths and revealing what truly benefits your body.
With wellness trends constantly evolving, it’s hard to identify the best practices that deliver results. So, you might wonder if the latest craze is worth your time and money before jumping on the bandwagon. For instance, while using a sauna has long been a popular way to relax, today, many people are drawn to its purported health benefits, namely detoxification. But does sauna detox your body? And how to use the sauna properly? This article will help you understand whether using a sauna can genuinely help detoxify your body, backed by science, so you can confidently decide if incorporating sauna sessions into your wellness routine will enhance your overall health.
As you’ll discover, GoPolar’s sauna app can help you achieve your objectives. This valuable tool can help you understand whether using a sauna can genuinely help detoxify your body. It is backed by science, so you can confidently decide if incorporating sauna sessions into your wellness routine will enhance your overall health.
Why's Everyone Talking About Sauna?
Saunas are hot right now. Their growing popularity can be traced to a global wellness movement about:
- Relaxation
- Stress relief
- Holistic health practices
As we navigate a post-pandemic world, people increasingly prioritize self-care, looking for ways to slow down and counteract the effects of modern living. Saunas are perfect for this. Not only do they help with recovery and relaxation, but they also boast a long list of health benefits that have roots in cultures worldwide.
What Are Saunas?
Saunas are small rooms or buildings designed to be heated to high temperatures. They create an environment for dry or wet heat sessions that help people relax and recover. The word sauna comes from Finland, where the tradition of using hot, dry rooms for health and relaxation dates back thousands of years.
Today, most saunas are made of wood and can be found in homes, gyms, and spas. They have become popular additions to personal wellness routines, helping to improve recovery, support athletic performance, and promote relaxation.
Saunas and Culture
Saunas boast a long history and diverse cultural significance around the world. The earliest saunas date back 10,000 years, and their origins can be traced to pit saunas dug into the ground and heated with stones.
The first official saunas are thought to have emerged in Finland, where the tradition was rich with social and spiritual customs. For centuries, saunas were used as places not only for relaxation and recovery but also for childbirth and healing. Even today, the Finnish sauna culture is recognized by UNESCO for its cultural importance.
The Benefits of Sauna Use
Scientists have discovered that regular sauna use can:
- Improve heart and lung function
- Muscle recovery
- Mental health
A study published in 2018 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that men who used saunas four to seven times a week had a 66 percent reduced risk of dementia and a 65 percent lower chance of Alzheimer's disease compared to those who did not use saunas. Another study showed that regular sauna use helped lessen the severity of flu and other viral infections.
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Does Sauna Detox Your Body?
You can’t sweat away toxins any more than you can sweat actual bullets.
What Does Detox Really Mean?
In everyday speech, detox refers to the body’s natural way of removing harmful substances. Our liver and kidneys handle most detox functions. When we sweat, we release some toxins, but only trace amounts. Research shows sweating is not an effective way to remove toxic substances from the body.
What Happens When We Sweat?
When your body temperature rises, your sweat glands release fluid to cool you down. This process occurs due to:
- Exposure to heat
- Physical exercise
- Sauna use
The eccrine glands all over the body produce this type of sweat. Eccrine sweat is more than 99% water. Small amounts of minerals like sodium and calcium are dissolved in that water, plus small amounts of various:
- Proteins
- Lactic acid
- Urea
The Role of Sweating in Urea Elimination
Urea is a waste product, so sweating flushes a bit from the body. But the process plays only a minor role in our bodies’ waste removal systems; for the most part, your kidneys handle the heavy lifting. Most of the urea leaving the body is in urine. Only if your kidneys are failing does sweat become an essential way for the body to eliminate that particular waste product.
What About Toxins? Is Sweat Toxic?
Most detox products and diet plans are vague about what toxins we need to eliminate. Pesticides? Metals? Whatever makes up processed cheese? Whatever they are, they sound nasty, and we want them out. And because we can’t see them, it’s easy to convince people that fasting, drinking green stuff, or sweating a lot will do it.
Although sweat can contain trace amounts of hundreds of substances, including some that are toxic, chemist Joe Schwarcz notes they’re present in such low levels that they’re essentially harmless. "You always have to ask how much,” he explains. “Plenty of substances are found at very low levels in sweat. But just because something is present doesn’t mean there’s enough of it to create a health risk.”
What Do Experts Say About Detoxing in Saunas?
Research on the effects of sweating on detoxification is limited. A 2018 study from the University of Ottawa found that while certain persistent organic pollutants (like pesticides) get stored in body fat, the levels seen in sweat are so low that they’re meaningless.
A 2018 study found that a typical person doing 45 minutes of high-intensity exercise could sweat two liters in a day (normal background perspiration included), and all that sweat would contain less than one-tenth of a nanogram of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
To put that in perspective: “The amount in sweat is .02 percent of what you ingest every day on a typical diet,” says Pascal Imbeault, an exercise physiologist at the University of Ottawa who led the study. “If you really pushed it on your exercise regime, you might release up to .04 percent of my average daily intake of pollutants. In other words, there’s no way you could sweat enough to get rid of even one percent of the tiny amount you’ll eat in my food that day.”
Keep in mind that the levels of pesticides and other pollutants in most people’s bodies are also deficient.
What About Heavy Metals and Other Toxins?
Small amounts of heavy metals like lead and bisphenol A (BPA) in plastics make their way into sweat because these pollutants dissolve more readily in water than the fat-loving ones. But again, the amount removed by sweating is relatively low, and because far more BPA leaves the body through urine than through sweat, you’re more likely to rid yourself of that chemical on the toilet than in the sauna.
Focus on Food and Drink Containers
You don't need to start gulping down gallons of water, either. According to efficient researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, avoiding eating and drinking from containers made with it is the best way to reduce your BPA exposure.
Likewise, if you’re concerned about pesticides and other pollutants in your food, you’re better off avoiding them first than trying to sweat them out later. To help filter out whatever you take in, you can keep your kidneys healthy by avoiding:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Heavy use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen
Dehydration also stresses the kidneys, so ironically, sweating heavily without drinking enough water could harm your body’s ability to cleanse itself.
What’s the Bottom Line?
No credible science demonstrates that saunas, infrared or otherwise, can cleanse us of toxins. The body is highly efficient at detoxifying itself without the help of:
- Saunas
- Detox diets
- Other quick fixes
As much as we’d all love a quick fix, a boring old healthy lifestyle is still the best we can do. None of this has stopped the growing sweat-detox industry, which now touts infrared saunas that use light instead of electric heaters or steam to create heat.
Sauna use has been correlated with better cardiovascular health, possibly because when we’re hot, our heart beats faster, as in moderate exercise. But no credible science demonstrates that saunas, infrared or otherwise, can cleanse us of toxins.
7 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Saunas
1. Relaxation: Unwinding with Heat
Saunas help people relax. As you increase your heart rate and dilate your blood vessels, blood flow to your skin increases, which may cause some people to feel relaxed. Your body's reaction to heat may lead to positive feelings. Using the sauna is also a social experience in some countries like Finland. A Finnish population-based self-report study suggested that the shared nature of the sauna was partially responsible for positive feelings reported by people who routinely used it.
2. Pain Relief: Finding Comfort in the Heat
Some studies suggest that people who have used a sauna report a reduction in pain. In a sauna, blood vessels relax and dilate, blood flow increases, and the experience can help reduce joint tension and relieve sore muscles. This may contribute to pain relief.
Saunas may also help reduce chronic pain. One 2019 study found that saunas helped ease lower back pain. While all participants in that study reported some benefits, the improvements were not found to be statistically significant. The authors recommend that people with these conditions undergo a couple of trial sessions to see whether sauna use improves their symptoms before incorporating it as part of their treatment routine.
3. Improved Blood Circulation: Getting Your Blood Pumping
Some people report improved circulation and cardiovascular health from using a sauna. In a 2022 case-control study, sedentary adults were randomly assigned to an exercise group or a group with exercise and a sauna.
The group-assigned exercise and sauna bathing:
- Improved cardiorespiratory fitness
- Decreased systolic blood pressure
- Lowered total cholesterol levels
The researchers suggest that more investigation is needed to determine how often an individual might need a sauna to see these benefits. Since the research was combined with exercise, it’s difficult to know how much of the benefit is due to the increased exercise and how much may be attributed to the sauna exposure.
4. Improving Cardiovascular Health: Sauna Use and Heart Function
Reducing stress levels when using a sauna may be linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular events. One study in Finland followed 2,315 men ages 42 to 60 over 20 years. Findings suggested that people who use a sauna may have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
Of the participants in the study, a total of 878 died from cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, or sudden cardiac death. Participants were categorized by how often they used a sauna, including:
- Once a week
- Two to three times a week
- Four to seven times a week
After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, increased sauna use was linked with a reduced risk of fatal cardiovascular-related diseases. Participants who used the sauna two to three times a week were 22 percent less likely to experience sudden cardiac death than those who only used it once a week.
Those who used a sauna four to seven times a week were 63 percent less likely to experience sudden cardiac death and 50 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who only used a sauna once a week. More research is needed to find out if there is a definite link between sauna use and a decrease in deaths from heart disease.
Sauna use may also be associated with lower blood pressure and enhanced heart function. While studies may be promising, sauna use should not replace an exercise program to keep the heart healthy. There is more evidence to support the benefits of regular exercise.
5. Skin Problems: Can a Sauna Help My Skin?
A dry sauna dries the skin during use. Some people with psoriasis may find that their symptoms reduce while using a sauna, but those with atopic dermatitis may find that it worsens.
6. Asthma: Sauna Use for Improved Breathing
People with asthma may find relief from some symptoms by using a sauna. A sauna may help open airways, loosen phlegm, and reduce stress.
7. Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s: Sauna Use and Dementia
In 2016, researchers from Finland published findings of a 20-year study that linked sauna use with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The study involved 2,315 healthy men aged from 42 to 60 years. Those who used a sauna 2 to 3 times per week were 22 percent less likely to get dementia and 20 percent less likely to get Alzheimer’s than those who did not use a sauna. Nevertheless, the results do not prove that a sauna causes the risk reduction. It may be that people with dementia do not use a sauna. More research is needed to confirm these findings.
GoPolar: The Ultimate Cold Plunge and Sauna Tracker
Our cold plunge app is the go-to resource and tracking app for people who like to take cold plunges and saunas. With GoPolar's cold plunge app, you can track your cold plunge, cold shower, and sauna sessions with your Apple watch.
After your plunge or sauna session, you can review your heart rate during a session, see trends in the app with Apple Health data, and track your scores in our leaderboard/community. With our app, you can also find the best spots to cold plunge in your area!
Download our cold plunge app for free today to level up your cold plunge and sauna sessions with our tracking features and the GoPolar community leaderboard.
Is it Healthy to Sauna Everyday?
The Benefits and Risks of Daily Sauna Use
Regular sauna use is part of many people's health routines. From spas to gyms, they’re everywhere, and for good reason: sauna use can be an excellent way to relax after a workout or a long day.
Clinical studies show it can benefit our health and well-being, mainly when used consistently. One study even showed that using a sauna regularly can reduce the risk of:
- Heart disease
- Dementia
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Other serious health conditions
Using a sauna daily can be safe and provide many health benefits if you can tolerate it. Just be mindful to stay hydrated during your sessions. While daily sauna use isn’t harmful, prolonged single sauna sessions can increase the risk of dehydration.
How Often Should You Use a Sauna?
Everyone is different, and sauna use isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. How often you should use a sauna depends on your:
- Individual goals
- Preferences
- Tolerance
For instance, if you aim to improve cardiovascular health, Dr. Andrew Huberman recommends using a sauna 2 to 3 or 7 times weekly. For general health benefits, the same leading expert suggests using a sauna for 1 hour per week, split into 2 to 3 sessions.
Use a sauna infrequently (once per week or less) to increase growth hormone levels and follow a specific protocol. Give yourself enough time between sauna sessions to cool down and return to baseline levels before going back in.
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How Long Should You Stay in the Sauna?
If you’ve never used a sauna before, sources like the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Sauna Society, and expert sauna bathers generally agree: You should start small. Beginners may want to start using a sauna for 5 to 10 minutes and build your time sauna bathing. Don’t use the sauna for more than 20 to 30 minutes.
While some experienced sauna users, especially in Finland, may turn the sauna into a longer social event, don’t overdo it. The longer you stay in the sauna, the more you risk dehydration, so a general rule is to cap your time to 15 to 30 minutes. The Finnish, whose word “sauna” comes from, may have an even simpler suggestion since the sauna is meant for relaxing, not ticking off minutes: Leave the sauna once you feel hot enough.
Level Up Your Cold Plunge and Sauna Sessions Today With GoPolar's Free Cold Plunge App
GoPolar is an app for people who enjoy cold plunge and sauna sessions. With GoPolar’s cold plunge app, you can monitor your cold plunge or cold shower, and your sauna sessions as well with your Apple watch. After your plunge or sauna session, you can:
- Review your heart rate during your session
- See trends in the app with Apple Health data
- Track your scores in our community leaderboard
- Find the best spots to cold plunge in your area!
Download our cold plunge app for free today to level up your cold plunge and sauna sessions with our tracking features and the GoPolar community leaderboard.
