Can a sauna help you lose weight? Here is the answer

If you are working hard to lose weight and looking for new ways to boost your progress, you may be wondering ‘can a sauna help you lose weight?’

Infrared sessions, which penetrate the skin more deeply, have particularly gained a lot of attention recently for their overall benefits.

Sauna benefits for weight loss

You de-stress

As you bask in the heat of a sauna, you naturally relax and tension leaves your body while you de-stress and work up a sweat. When experiencing periods of high stress, many people find that they do not take care of themselves as well. This is when habits such as making unhealthy food choices can show up and it can be tougher to shed weight when your body is releasing higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). So when you de-stress in a sauna, you can release the happy hormones, endorphins.

Your metabolism increases

Drastic temperatures cause your metabolism to increase, as your body has to work harder to keep you cool or warm you up. The boost in your metabolism lasts longer than just your sauna session and you can experience great fat burning effects.

You detoxify your body

Your body is constantly going through detoxification through standard bodily processes. But sweating is something that flushes out toxins and impurities, rather than allowing the chance of it all just recirculating. While the human body naturally sweats, many people do not engage in vigorous enough activity to sweat the amount necessary to really release these toxins and impurities. It is helpful to dry brush and activate your lymphatic system before a sauna session and properly hydrate so that your channels are open. This can boost the effectiveness of a session and proper detoxification frees up your body to burn fat effectively and more efficiently.

You’re sweating off water weight

Some people have found that they lose 1-5 pounds after a sauna session just from water weight. As you replenish your body with water, however, that weight does come back.

The most important thing to remember is that while a sauna can help you lose weight, it is important to add it as part of your self-care routine and not rely on it as your ‘only’ weight loss option. Not everyone sees significant weight loss as a result of sauna sessions, though the proper hydration and encouragement to eat clean and practice greater self-care after a session can significantly contribute to weight loss results.