Is it the heat or the sweating that benefits the body??
Ive been using a infrared sauna for the last 3 years, every day for about an hour. Its how I start my day. I’m a truck driver and I deal with hazmat every day.
My routine is downing a 32oz glass of lemon water with a pinch of salt, then I refill that glass with water and a couple capsules of active carbon, I finish that in the first 15 min, from there I’ll usually polish off a liter of water or more, I dont pay attention, but I keep my body saturated.
sometimes I take niacin, but not always, I’ve been doing this so long i’m less concerned about detoxing and more about wither or not i’m in the mood for it.
But i’m not concerned with the heat. I start with it cranked at 150, some days I take the whole hour at 150, some days I’ll go as low as 136,
I found that doing intervals really gets the body sweating.
(when the temp drops down to 136 then crank it back up to 150, when it hits 150 drop it back to 136, when it hits 136, crank it back to 150 etc etc etc for the hour.
but I cant find anything in your research or anybodies research about whether its the heat or the sweating.
I like to think its the sweating, because when I add salt to my water as I often do, I can taste it in my sweat and feel it sting in my eyes, which tells me that its going from my stomach and radiating out to my skin. I go through 2 towels a day, and I feel like if the towels arnt soaked enough to my liking, then I didn’t drink enough water, or just didn’t have a good sweat. My heart rate doesnt go much above 150, but i’m 39, and I dont try to get my heart up unless its to get the sweat flowing.
i’m finally investing in an chest freezer to do ice baths, as I feel i’ve been to lazy to long.
but again, the research I’ve read and even your videos all talk about the heat, and a laughable 20 minutes. is it the heat that is doing it, or is it the sweating.
Thanks, and love your info
Hello Dr. Patrick.
I really enjoyed your video on the sauna. My first sauna experience was around 1970. I have been a convert since. By my rough estimation, I have taken approximately 4,250 saunas since then. Now that I am 70+, I am using the sauna only about once a week. I am lucky enough to live in the country on 10 acres. My sauna is wood-fired so that means I have to chop wood (hedge), light the fire and tend to the large tank for a cold dip. If I wanted to sauna several times a week I would probably have to convert my sauna to electric which would be more convenient but would not have the atmosphere of the wood sauna. We like to run our sauna between 200 and 220 degrees F. and do at least 3 “rounds” of sweating and cool down each session. Gym saunas are not worth the effort as to me they are just a warm room. One of the main benefits of the sauna for me that you didn’t mention was the sauna for mental health. I enjoy the ritual of chopping wood and lighting the fire. It also means a good amount of time away from screens and forces you to relax and take time out of your day to slow down and meditate. We also enjoy the camaraderie of a group sauna and often share fondue after. Although I like to sauna year round my favorite time is deep in winter when the outside temperature is well below freezing. Nothing beats going from a 200 degree sauna to a tank of ice cold water for a steamy plunge. Often, my hair will freeze before returning to the sauna. Thank you for sharing your medical insights on the benefits of the sauna.
First off I’d like to say thank you very much for your podcast and the information that you provide. I have been a fan of yours for over a year now and just love all the research that you’re doing.
I have a Finnish style sauna at home that I use predominantly in the evening. My question for you is about. Sauna usage after food consumption. I know that when you eat you want to be in a parasympathetic state to help your food digest. Therefore is it bad to go in a sauna after eating a meal. Due to its metabolic stimulation and the sympathetic to state that it puts you in.?
Thank you for sharing this Rhonda. I have a question about the time in Finish sauna. You mentioned 20+ minutes. I wonder is it time per one session or is it combined per visit? What I mean is. When I go to the sauna I stay there 15 minutes then I go out to have a cold shower/pool then go in again for another 15 minutes. I repeat this 2 - 3 times. So my combined time would over 30 minutes but only 15 minutes per session. Looking forward to the answer. Thanks.
I’m asking the question that a lot of people have on here, and for some reason, I can’t see a definitive answer that helps with it. Can you do this heat therapy with a hot bath? I don’t have room currently for a sauna, and the nearest sauna is not local, so getting one every day would be impossible. Is it that the head needs to be involved in the heating process to get the full benefits of the heat shock proteins? Or can this be achieved if the body only is heated as it would in a bath? If a bath can have a near or the same benefit then what sort of temperature would it have to be? This is a critical question that really needs to be addressed, if a bath can have the same sort of benefits of a sauna then it brings this treatment to the masses, not the few, which would be amazing news.
I took my oven thermometer into the finnish sauna (no water poured on rocks though) and the steam room. I thought the steam room would be much hotter, because it FEELS much hotter. It was not. The temp hovered at 115-120. In the finnish sauna it stayed at 110. My gym has the sauna FIXED…it is not possible to make it any hotter. I called ‘round to many gyms some in my state (NJ) and some gyms in surrounding states – they all said they did the same – their sauna is fixed at 120 and will not go higher.
Based on my research, the only alternative is to purchase the equipment after ensuring the temp can be made that high, or to build it oneself. I have found a Near/Far Infrared “store” where one can purchase sessions and use the equipment – I called them to see how high temps get and it is 150, no higher. So, you see, I cannot understand how anyone could actually FIND a sauna that would be heated to 170. I made an exhausting number of calls and found nothing. Waon therapy is set at 140 Fahren. Has anyone else found a manufacturer of saunas that builds them to allow for temps this high? Up to and over 170? (Fahrenheit) I am eager to learn where the holes are in my own research! Thank you!
Hi there, I’m not in the US so I can’t speak to any businesses that would provided this service for you, there. However, I’ve found a couple of manufactures of infrared saunas will do custom builds which will get hotter. I can’t attest to if this factual. My suggestion to you, is contact the manufactures and ask if they can do a custom build, what guarantees they have etc. I’m sure you’ve thought of this already, so apologies if that’s the case.
My next thought would be to purchase an at home Finnish sauna. There are plenty of suppliers, they have kits that are ready to be built like an Ikea unit. They often have to be hard wired into the electrics though.
But, as is mentioned in the presentation, you can use lower temperatures to achieve the same result. But, you would have to sit in the waon or lower temperatures for longer (45+mins) and more frequently (5+ times per week). Obviously, this could be an inconvenience for you but it is an option either until you find a suitable solution or ascertain you can’t find a solution that’ll work for you.
Hopefully, someone else can give you much more detailed advice or advice about where you could locate a place that would meet your needs.
Following - I would also like to know whether a steam room would have the same benefits? If so, what temp would be considered optimal for health benefits?
I have the same question as cbtaylor. I live in Japan where hot baths at night in the home are pretty common. 42c or 107 is often used and people often stay in for 20-30 minutes. It’s hard to imagine how a sauna would be any more or less effective than a bath. If a long hot bath was just as effective as a sauna that would be good to know as more homes have baths than a sauna, so people would not have the need to go someplace or buy a separate unit. I wonder if there has been any research done to compare the effects of baths and saunas?
I am curious about other ways of increasing body temperature, in particular, hot bath or hot-tub. (I assume a typical steam room would be roughly equivalent to a ‘wet’ sauna.) I regularly use a hot-tub that is kept at 107 F. I have not taken my temperature during or after use, but my body temperature certainly rises. Have there been any studies comparing sauna use to hot-tub use?
I read these studies on sauna use with great interest but still have not been able to find a single sauna facility that allows their Near/Far and/or full spectrum saunas to reach anywhere near 170 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact very few go beyond 120 and the cap based on my calls and visits to numerous facilities is 150. Wondering what others have found ….
Yes, but she mentions Waon works just as well however you need to be in the sauna for longer (45mins). Is there a specific reason you’re looking at Near/Far and/or full spectrum saunas instead of traditional? Asking, because I don’t have the space for a traditional sauna so I too would be interested in this option.
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Is it the heat or the sweating that benefits the body?? Ive been using a infrared sauna for the last 3 years, every day for about an hour. Its how I start my day. I’m a truck driver and I deal with hazmat every day. My routine is downing a 32oz glass of lemon water with a pinch of salt, then I refill that glass with water and a couple capsules of active carbon, I finish that in the first 15 min, from there I’ll usually polish off a liter of water or more, I dont pay attention, but I keep my body saturated. sometimes I take niacin, but not always, I’ve been doing this so long i’m less concerned about detoxing and more about wither or not i’m in the mood for it. But i’m not concerned with the heat. I start with it cranked at 150, some days I take the whole hour at 150, some days I’ll go as low as 136, I found that doing intervals really gets the body sweating. (when the temp drops down to 136 then crank it back up to 150, when it hits 150 drop it back to 136, when it hits 136, crank it back to 150 etc etc etc for the hour. but I cant find anything in your research or anybodies research about whether its the heat or the sweating. I like to think its the sweating, because when I add salt to my water as I often do, I can taste it in my sweat and feel it sting in my eyes, which tells me that its going from my stomach and radiating out to my skin. I go through 2 towels a day, and I feel like if the towels arnt soaked enough to my liking, then I didn’t drink enough water, or just didn’t have a good sweat. My heart rate doesnt go much above 150, but i’m 39, and I dont try to get my heart up unless its to get the sweat flowing. i’m finally investing in an chest freezer to do ice baths, as I feel i’ve been to lazy to long. but again, the research I’ve read and even your videos all talk about the heat, and a laughable 20 minutes. is it the heat that is doing it, or is it the sweating. Thanks, and love your info
Hello Dr. Patrick. I really enjoyed your video on the sauna. My first sauna experience was around 1970. I have been a convert since. By my rough estimation, I have taken approximately 4,250 saunas since then. Now that I am 70+, I am using the sauna only about once a week. I am lucky enough to live in the country on 10 acres. My sauna is wood-fired so that means I have to chop wood (hedge), light the fire and tend to the large tank for a cold dip. If I wanted to sauna several times a week I would probably have to convert my sauna to electric which would be more convenient but would not have the atmosphere of the wood sauna. We like to run our sauna between 200 and 220 degrees F. and do at least 3 “rounds” of sweating and cool down each session. Gym saunas are not worth the effort as to me they are just a warm room. One of the main benefits of the sauna for me that you didn’t mention was the sauna for mental health. I enjoy the ritual of chopping wood and lighting the fire. It also means a good amount of time away from screens and forces you to relax and take time out of your day to slow down and meditate. We also enjoy the camaraderie of a group sauna and often share fondue after. Although I like to sauna year round my favorite time is deep in winter when the outside temperature is well below freezing. Nothing beats going from a 200 degree sauna to a tank of ice cold water for a steamy plunge. Often, my hair will freeze before returning to the sauna. Thank you for sharing your medical insights on the benefits of the sauna.
Hi Dr Patrick,
First off I’d like to say thank you very much for your podcast and the information that you provide. I have been a fan of yours for over a year now and just love all the research that you’re doing. I have a Finnish style sauna at home that I use predominantly in the evening. My question for you is about. Sauna usage after food consumption. I know that when you eat you want to be in a parasympathetic state to help your food digest. Therefore is it bad to go in a sauna after eating a meal. Due to its metabolic stimulation and the sympathetic to state that it puts you in.?
Thanks and please never stop what you are doing.
Cheers
Nile Reinartz
Thank you for sharing this Rhonda. I have a question about the time in Finish sauna. You mentioned 20+ minutes. I wonder is it time per one session or is it combined per visit? What I mean is. When I go to the sauna I stay there 15 minutes then I go out to have a cold shower/pool then go in again for another 15 minutes. I repeat this 2 - 3 times. So my combined time would over 30 minutes but only 15 minutes per session. Looking forward to the answer. Thanks.
I’m asking the question that a lot of people have on here, and for some reason, I can’t see a definitive answer that helps with it. Can you do this heat therapy with a hot bath? I don’t have room currently for a sauna, and the nearest sauna is not local, so getting one every day would be impossible. Is it that the head needs to be involved in the heating process to get the full benefits of the heat shock proteins? Or can this be achieved if the body only is heated as it would in a bath? If a bath can have a near or the same benefit then what sort of temperature would it have to be? This is a critical question that really needs to be addressed, if a bath can have the same sort of benefits of a sauna then it brings this treatment to the masses, not the few, which would be amazing news.
I took my oven thermometer into the finnish sauna (no water poured on rocks though) and the steam room. I thought the steam room would be much hotter, because it FEELS much hotter. It was not. The temp hovered at 115-120. In the finnish sauna it stayed at 110. My gym has the sauna FIXED…it is not possible to make it any hotter. I called ‘round to many gyms some in my state (NJ) and some gyms in surrounding states – they all said they did the same – their sauna is fixed at 120 and will not go higher. Based on my research, the only alternative is to purchase the equipment after ensuring the temp can be made that high, or to build it oneself. I have found a Near/Far Infrared “store” where one can purchase sessions and use the equipment – I called them to see how high temps get and it is 150, no higher. So, you see, I cannot understand how anyone could actually FIND a sauna that would be heated to 170. I made an exhausting number of calls and found nothing. Waon therapy is set at 140 Fahren. Has anyone else found a manufacturer of saunas that builds them to allow for temps this high? Up to and over 170? (Fahrenheit) I am eager to learn where the holes are in my own research! Thank you!
There’s also this link: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/news/stories/ffyz2v
Hi there, I’m not in the US so I can’t speak to any businesses that would provided this service for you, there. However, I’ve found a couple of manufactures of infrared saunas will do custom builds which will get hotter. I can’t attest to if this factual. My suggestion to you, is contact the manufactures and ask if they can do a custom build, what guarantees they have etc. I’m sure you’ve thought of this already, so apologies if that’s the case.
My next thought would be to purchase an at home Finnish sauna. There are plenty of suppliers, they have kits that are ready to be built like an Ikea unit. They often have to be hard wired into the electrics though.
But, as is mentioned in the presentation, you can use lower temperatures to achieve the same result. But, you would have to sit in the waon or lower temperatures for longer (45+mins) and more frequently (5+ times per week). Obviously, this could be an inconvenience for you but it is an option either until you find a suitable solution or ascertain you can’t find a solution that’ll work for you.
Hopefully, someone else can give you much more detailed advice or advice about where you could locate a place that would meet your needs.
Following - I would also like to know whether a steam room would have the same benefits? If so, what temp would be considered optimal for health benefits?
Further to questions regarding hot tubs and baths, do steam baths provide the same benefits as saunas?
I have the same question as cbtaylor. I live in Japan where hot baths at night in the home are pretty common. 42c or 107 is often used and people often stay in for 20-30 minutes. It’s hard to imagine how a sauna would be any more or less effective than a bath. If a long hot bath was just as effective as a sauna that would be good to know as more homes have baths than a sauna, so people would not have the need to go someplace or buy a separate unit. I wonder if there has been any research done to compare the effects of baths and saunas?
I am curious about other ways of increasing body temperature, in particular, hot bath or hot-tub. (I assume a typical steam room would be roughly equivalent to a ‘wet’ sauna.) I regularly use a hot-tub that is kept at 107 F. I have not taken my temperature during or after use, but my body temperature certainly rises. Have there been any studies comparing sauna use to hot-tub use?
I read these studies on sauna use with great interest but still have not been able to find a single sauna facility that allows their Near/Far and/or full spectrum saunas to reach anywhere near 170 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact very few go beyond 120 and the cap based on my calls and visits to numerous facilities is 150. Wondering what others have found ….
Yes, but she mentions Waon works just as well however you need to be in the sauna for longer (45mins). Is there a specific reason you’re looking at Near/Far and/or full spectrum saunas instead of traditional? Asking, because I don’t have the space for a traditional sauna so I too would be interested in this option.
Following. I am wondering the same thing.