Do Saunas Help You Lose Weight?
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Struggling to shed those extra pounds? Frustrated with ineffective diets and workouts?
Nearly 1 in 3 adults are overweight, and over 2 in 5 have obesity in the United States.
Discover how saunas can help you lose weight, providing a relaxing and effective solution.
Dive into our guide to learn useful tips and find out how much weight you can lose.
Key Takeaways
- Short-term Weight Loss: Sauna sessions can cause temporary weight loss through dehydration.
- Metabolism Boost: Saunas increase metabolic rate, helping burn more calories.
- Calorie Burn: Regular sauna use enhances calorie burn and improves body composition.
- Stress Reduction: Saunas reduce stress, improve sleep, and balance hormones, aiding weight management.
- Usage Tips: Stay hydrated, combine with exercise and a healthy diet, avoid alcohol, and have regular sessions for safe weight loss.
What is obesity ?
The Cleveland Clinic defines obesity as a chronic, complex disease marked by excessive body fat that can harm overall health and quality of life. It occurs when calorie intake consistently exceeds the energy the body uses, often influenced by genetic, behavioral, environmental, and metabolic factors. Obesity is not just about appearance—it raises the risk of serious health issues, from heart disease to type 2 diabetes.
Among the primary causes of obesity are:
Genetics: Some people inherit genes that affect appetite and how fat is stored.
Poor eating habits: Frequent intake of processed, sugary, and high-fat foods contributes to excess calories.
Lack of physical activity : Sedentary lifestyles reduce energy expenditure.
Sleep deprivation: Disrupts hormones that control hunger and fullness.
Medications: Certain drugs, including antidepressants and steroids, can lead to weight gain.
Stress and emotional eating: Can increase cravings for calorie-dense “comfort” foods.
Medical conditions: Disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome and hypothyroidism may promote weight gain.
Obesity can significantly affect daily life, leading to fatigue, joint pain, reduced mobility, and emotional distress.
However, effective management is possible. A practical strategy is combining small dietary changes with enjoyable physical activities, like walking or dancing. Support from a healthcare provider or therapist can also make a lasting difference. Even modest weight loss, just 5% to 10%, can dramatically improve your health and outlook.
The Science Behind Sauna and Weight Loss
Using a sauna can actually help you lose weight and improve your health. A 2018 study , looked at how steam saunas affected 90 active adults.
After just seven 15-minute sauna sessions, they saw noticeable drops in weight, total cholesterol, and bad LDL cholesterol, while their good HDL cholesterol went up.
Another study , from 2014 focused on 674 college students and found that people with higher body fat lost more weight in the sauna.
Overweight individuals lost the most weight, but the study also warned that they should stay hydrated while in the heat.
A 2003 study , with athletes, showed that after three 20-minute sauna sessions, both men and women lost weight.
Men didn't lose any strength or performance, but women showed a small decrease in jump height, which was linked to how much weight they lost.
Overall, these studies show that saunas are a simple, effective way to shed pounds and improve your metabolism, all while helping you feel better.
Do Saunas Help You Lose Weight?
- Sitting in a sauna makes you lose weight quickly, but it's mostly water: Spending time in a hot sauna can make the number on the scale drop fast. That’s because you sweat a lot and lose water from your body, not fat.
- Most of the weight you lose in a sauna comes back after drinking water: Once you drink water again, the weight usually comes back because it wasn’t fat loss, it was just your body getting dehydrated.
- Sauna can still help people who are trying to manage their weight: Even if it’s not permanent weight loss, using a sauna can support people looking to manage their weight, especially since so many people around the world are struggling with being overweight or obese.
How do saunas help you lose weight?
Saunas temporarily boost your metabolism, helping your body burn more energy.
- Sitting in a sauna makes your body burn energy faster: Saunas can aid in weight loss by boosting metabolism. Exposure to sauna heat can increase your metabolic rate by 25–33% , allowing you to burn more calories at rest.
- Even when you're resting, your body keeps burning more calories: Metabolic rate refers to how quickly your body burns calories for energy, even at rest. A higher metabolic rate means you’re using more energy, even when you’re doing nothing.
- Using a sauna regularly keeps your metabolism working harder: According to a study , regular sauna use can enhance metabolic rate and lead to continued increased calorie burn, even as your body gets used to the heat over time.
- Short sauna sessions are enough to boost metabolism safely: To get the benefits without stressing your body, experts suggest staying in the sauna for just 15 to 20 minutes. That’s enough to help your metabolism without overdoing it.
- Sticking to a routine keeps the energy burn going: When you use the sauna often, your body adjusts to the heat but still keeps your metabolism higher, helping with weight loss over time.
You lose water weight through sweating during a sauna session.
- Overweight and obese people lose more water weight: A study showed that overweight and obese people sweat more during sauna sessions, leading to greater water weight loss compared to others.
- Sauna weight loss is temporary: The weight you lose during a sauna session is mostly water, not fat. It’s a short-term loss that comes back once you rehydrate.
- Hydration is key for safety: Since saunas cause you to lose water quickly, it’s important to drink enough fluids before, during, and after your session to stay safe and avoid dehydration.
Increased heart rate in saunas leads to more calories burned.
- Sitting in a sauna makes your heart beat faster, which burns more calories: Spending time in a sauna raises your heart rate, just like light exercise. This increase in heart rate helps you burn more calories even while you're just sitting and relaxing.
- The heat makes your body work harder, which speeds up metabolism: Being in a hot environment pushes your body to stay cool. This process increases your metabolism, helping you burn more calories even without moving much.
Regular sauna use can lower stress levels, which may reduce stress-related eating.
- Sauna helps reduce stress that leads to overeating: Stress is a major reason people gain weight, especially in high-pressure jobs. Using a sauna regularly can calm your mind and help prevent stress-driven eating habits.
- Lower stress means better heart health and less belly fat: When stress goes down, blood pressure and belly fat often go down too. Saunas help with both, which makes it easier to keep your weight under control.
- Too much stress can mess with your sleep and make you hungrier: Stress doesn’t just make you feel bad , it affects your sleep and hormones, making you feel hungrier and store more fat, especially around the belly.
- The pandemic showed how stress made people gain weight: During the pandemic , many people gained extra weight because they were stressed. This shows how powerful stress can be when it comes to eating and body weight.
- Less stress from sauna use helps protect your heart: Keeping weight under control lowers your risk for heart problems. Saunas help you relax, which makes it easier to stay healthy and manage your weight.
- Sauna heat relaxes your body and lowers stress hormones: The heat from the sauna gets your heart rate up but lowers cortisol , your main stress hormone. This helps you feel calmer and more balanced overall.
- Saunas work best when combined with healthy habits: Saunas won’t make you lose weight all by themselves, but they’re a great support. Add them to good sleep, exercise, and a healthy diet for better results.
Spending time in a sauna may help reduce appetite for a short period.
- Sauna heat naturally reduces your appetite: The warmth from a sauna lowers ghrelin, the hunger hormone, helping you feel less hungry after a session.
- Heat exposure helps balance blood sugar: Regular sauna use may influence insulin levels, supporting better control over blood sugar and reducing sudden hunger spikes.
- Appetite drops = easier calorie control: With less appetite and fewer cravings, it becomes easier to eat less, making weight loss more manageable.
- Sauna as a support tool for weight management: The combined effects of appetite suppression and craving control make saunas a helpful addition to a weight-loss routine.
| Benefit | How It Helps in Weight Loss |
| Metabolism Boost | Increases calorie burn by 25-33% |
| Water Weight Loss | Temporary reduction due to sweating |
| Calorie Burn | Raises heart rate and energy expenditure |
| Stress Reduction | Lowers cortisol, which contributes to fat storage |
| Appetite Suppression | Alters hunger hormones like ghrelin |
Other Therapies that help with Lose Weight
acupuncture
If you're exploring other ways to support weight loss, acupuncture is worth a look. It helps by calming your nervous system, reducing hunger, and boosting your metabolism.
One study showed that , people who got regular acupuncture along with a low-calorie diet lost fat, lowered their cholesterol, and even reduced inflammation in the body.
Another review , of 21 studies found that acupuncture helped people drop weight, shrink their waistlines, and improve their overall health. It’s a natural, low-risk option that can work well alongside healthy eating and exercise.
cryotherapy
Another therapy that helps with weight loss is cryotherapy, which means exposing your body to freezing cold temperatures for a short time.
This cold shock makes your body work harder to stay warm, which burns calories and can activate fat-burning brown fat.
In one study , women who did 20 sessions of whole-body cryotherapy lost belly fat, dropped inches from their waist, and lowered their BMI, all without changing their diet or exercise.
Another study , from slimming centers in the Philippines showed that cold machine treatments helped people lose weight, body fat, and even lowered their health risks.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy doesn’t just feel good, it can actually help your body lose weight in real ways. It works by boosting blood flow, helping your body break down fat, and improving how it uses sugar for energy.
One study found that , abdominal massage helped mice lose fat and weight, even when they kept eating a high-fat diet, by turning on fat-burning genes.
Another review looked at , 12 human studies and showed massage lowered weight, BMI, waist size, and even cholesterol. So, massage isn’t just relaxing, it can support real results in your weight loss journey.
Useful Tips for Using a sauna for Weight Loss
"It's never too late to start losing weight. Aside from diet and exercise, having a partner or buddy who can be there for you through your thick and thin days and nights is crucial," says Adam Shafran , chiropractor, author, fitness expert, and broadcaster.
Support and accountability can make a significant difference in achieving long-term weight loss success.
Saunas can aid in weight loss, but it’s crucial to take precautions and start slowly.
To ensure a safe experience, begin with shorter sessions and gradually increase the time by a few minutes each week as your body becomes more accustomed to the heat.
This gradual approach helps prevent overloading your system and enhances the benefits over time. Here are some tips for using saunas effectively for weight loss:
- Drink Plenty of water
- Combine with Exercise
- Healthy Diet
- Avoid Alcohol
- Regular sauna sessions
How much weight loss in sauna?
- Sauna Can Help You Lose Weight Through Dehydration: A study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that sauna sessions cause significant body weight loss due to dehydration.
- Men and Women Experience Different Weight Loss in the Sauna: In the study, 12 athletes (6 men and 6 women) went through three 20-minute sauna sessions at 70°C. Men lost 1.8% of their body weight, while women lost 1.4%.
- Rehydrating After Sauna Doesn’t Quickly Undo Weight Loss: Even after drinking fluids to rehydrate, the weight lost during the sauna session didn’t come back quickly.
- Sauna May Affect Women's Physical Performance More Than Men’s: While men’s strength and jump ability remained the same after rehydration, women saw a decrease in their squat jump performance. This suggests sauna sessions might affect women’s performance more.
FAQs
Can saunas help with long-term weight loss or is it just a temporary effect?
To see weight loss results from sauna use, aim for 3 to 4 sessions per week. This frequency supports fat burning without overdoing it. Using a sauna daily may not speed up weight loss significantly and can lead to dehydration or exhaustion. Combine regular sauna use with a healthy diet and exercise for the best results. 3-4 sessions per week strikes a good balance for fat loss.
Are saunas safe for people with certain health conditions, such as heart disease or high blood pressure?
Saunas can be risky for people with heart conditions. The heat may cause blood vessels to dilate, increasing the heart’s workload and potentially leading to complications. Long sauna sessions can worsen symptoms for those with high blood pressure. Individuals with arrhythmias should consult a doctor before use. Stay hydrated, limit sauna time, and stop if you feel lightheaded or uncomfortable.
Do saunas reduce fat specifically, or do they only help with water weight loss?
Saunas lead to water weight loss through sweating, not fat loss. While they can temporarily make you feel lighter, fat loss occurs through calorie burning, which saunas don't directly promote. After a sauna session, any weight lost is mostly water and will return once you rehydrate. However, regular sauna use, combined with exercise, may slightly boost metabolism. Saunas don’t specifically target fat.
How often should you use a sauna for weight loss benefits?
For weight loss, aim for 3-4 sauna sessions per week. This frequency supports fat burning without overdoing it. While daily use won't speed up weight loss significantly, too much can cause dehydration or exhaustion. There's no strict limit, but moderation is key. For maximum results, combine sauna use with a healthy diet and exercise. The optimal frequency varies by individual, but 3-4 times a week works well for most.
Ryan "The Sauna Guy"
Ryan has been using and writing about saunas extensively since 2019.
