3 Ways a Sauna Helps Decrease Bloating

If you often feel bloated, you’re likely searching for ways to feel better. Some people wonder if using a sauna can help with bloating. Let’s explore whether saunas really help with bloating.

What is bloating? What is a sauna? Does the sauna help with bloating? 3 Ways a sauna helps decrease bloating FAQs

What is bloating?

Bloating makes your stomach feel tight and heavy: In bloating, the belly feels full and tight. This uncomfortable feeling can show up out of nowhere and make you feel like you've eaten too much, even when you haven’t.

It often starts from gas, constipation, or bad habits: Common causes include constipation, trapped gas, overeating, stress, anxiety, smoking, digestive problems, or unhealthy eating habits.

You may feel pain, burping, or the need to fart often: Bloating can come with other signs like vomiting, stomach pain, heartburn, constipation, and frequent burping or farting.

Bloating makes it hard to focus on anything else: The discomfort can get so distracting that it affects your work, focus, and energy levels throughout the day.

It can also mess with your mood and sleep: Bloating doesn't just affect the stomach, it can increase stress and anxiety and make it harder to sleep well at night.

Handling bloating early helps you feel like yourself again: Since bloating affects so many parts of your life, it’s important to take care of it quickly to feel better and stay productive.

What is a sauna?

Saunas mainly come in two popular types: While there are several types, most people use either traditional saunas or infrared saunas . These are the most common and easiest to find in homes, gyms, and wellness centers.

Traditional saunas use high heat to make you sweat more: They usually reach 70 to 90°C using electric heaters or wood-burning stoves. The higher temperature causes deep sweating , which helps remove toxins from the body.

Infrared saunas work at lower heat but still make you sweat: These saunas use infrared light to heat your body directly. They stay cooler, around 38 to 65°C , but still help your body sweat and relax.

The type of wood affects how the sauna looks and lasts: Saunas are built from wood like cedar, hemlock, or redwood . Each type of wood gives a different feel, smell, and durability, adding to your sauna experience.

Both types of saunas offer many health benefits: No matter the type, saunas may help with heart health, pain relief, stress reduction, better blood flow, and glowing skin .

Not everyone should use a sauna without medical advice: If you have health issues like fever, pregnancy, low blood pressure, heart problems, or sensitive skin, it's better to ask your doctor before using a sauna.

Does the sauna help with bloating?

Saunas aren’t proven to directly alleviate bloating. However, they can indirectly help by reducing stress, water retention, and improving digestion, which are common causes of bloating.

To get the most benefit, doctors recommend sauna sessions lasting 15–20 minutes, about 3–7 times a week. Just make sure to drink water before and after each session to stay hydrated.

3 Ways a sauna helps decrease bloating

Sauna helps with bloating by reducing stress

Sauna helps people with stressful jobs feel more relaxed: Research shows that people in high-stress jobs like firefighters, police officers, and military personnel feel less stressed after regular sauna sessions. These jobs often come with poor sleep and eating habits, both of which add to stress, and stress is a big reason behind bloating. When stress goes down, bloating often goes down too.

Less stress from sauna means fewer stomach problems: According to Dr. Michael Ruscio , too much stress can mess with your gut bacteria. This can cause gas, bloating, and other digestive issues. He also points out that stress can make you feel bloated even if you’re not. Saunas lower stress, which helps bring your gut back into balance and keeps bloating away.

Sauna heat helps your body digest food better: When you're relaxed in a sauna, your blood flow improves. This helps your stomach work better, calms down any inflammation, and supports healthy digestion. All of this works together to reduce bloating naturally.

Increased Sweating Reduces Water Retention to Alleviate Bloating

Sweating helps your body release trapped water: Sauna use helps reduce water retention, a common cause of bloating. Water retention can happen when your diet is low in protein or vitamin B1 (thiamine). It can also be caused by certain medications like high blood pressure drugs, corticosteroids, or painkillers. These make your body hold on to extra water , making you feel swollen or bloated.

Sauna sessions can quickly remove this extra water: A study found that an overweight young man who rarely used saunas lost about 0.65 liters of fluid just by doing four rounds of 10-minute sauna sessions at 90°C (194°F), with short breaks in between. This sweat loss helps your body get rid of excess water, which can ease the bloated feeling.

Women in Finland use saunas to reduce period bloating: Finnish women have long used saunas to relax their uterine muscles and ease bloating during their periods. This shows how sauna heat not only reduces general water retention but also gives relief from hormonal bloating during menstruation.

Sauna improves your digestive system that help with bloating

Sauna heat improves blood flow to digestion: The sauna’s heat makes your heart beat faster and opens up blood vessels , sending more blood to your digestive organs.

Sweating in the sauna helps remove toxins: When you sweat in the sauna, your body gets rid of toxins, which supports a cleaner, healthier digestive system.

Better digestion from sauna use reduces bloating: With improved digestion and fewer toxins, bloating goes down, making you feel lighter and more comfortable.

FAQs

How soon can I expect to feel less bloated after a sauna session?

A sauna session can provide quick relief from bloating as the heat helps your body sweat out excess water. Some feel instant relief, while others may experience gradual results. Regular use, a few times a week, can lead to better long-term results and is often faster and more relaxing than other remedies.

Are infrared saunas better than traditional saunas for reducing bloating?

Infrared saunas penetrate deeper into the body, helping with internal inflammation, detox, and circulation, making them effective for bloating caused by digestive issues and water retention. Traditional saunas heat the air, leading to surface-level sweating that helps with water retention but isn't as effective for deep tissue inflammation. If bloating is linked to digestion, infrared saunas may offer more relief, while both types help with water retention.

What lifestyle habits can enhance the anti-bloating benefits of sauna use?

To boost the anti-bloating effects of sauna use, stay hydrated by drinking water before and after sessions. Eat fiber-rich foods, avoid excess salt, and exercise regularly to improve circulation and help release trapped gas. Managing stress also helps lower cortisol levels, which can reduce bloating. Aim for 15-20 minutes in the sauna for optimal benefits, alongside these healthy habits, to naturally ease bloating.

Can using a sauna after eating make bloating worse?

Using a sauna right after a large meal can cause digestive discomfort, as the heat may slow digestion and increase bloating. It's best to wait 30 minutes to an hour after eating before using the sauna. While saunas can help with bloating, timing is important for optimal comfort.