How Often Should You Sauna

Maybe you have heard about Scandinavians going to the sauna daily, so you might be wondering if it’s okay to do that too. However, note that these people have been used to saunas since they were young, which means their bodies have adapted to a specific regime.

Overall, how often should you sauna depends on several factors, including age, condition, tolerance to heat, and the sauna type. With that said, learn more about it below.

Traditional Sauna

In this case, a traditional sauna is a wooden room heated by stones, wherein the standard temperatures range from 71 to 90℃. Then, to increase humidity, you pour water on the heated rocks.

Staying in such a sauna can be relaxing and beneficial for the human body. However, good results only come with regular sessions. So, to gain the benefits, such as boosting metabolism, increasing immunity, and improving cardiovascular health, it’s best to have sauna sessions at least once a week.

However, the frequency you need to stay in saunas per week will depend on how your body feels. Overall, you just need to make sure not to overstress your body and practice balance.

With that said, most specialists suggest 20-minute sessions at a maximum of three times per week to enjoy a sauna’s health benefits without overdoing it. Moreover, you should note that excessive sessions can be harmful to your health.

Aside from this, it’s essential to cool your body between sessions by getting fresh air or taking a cold bath. Lastly, remember that it is crucial to rehydrate and relax, avoid strenuous workouts, alcohol, and hard labor after sauna sessions.

Infrared Sauna

Late in the 19th century, Dr. Kellogg was the first to create an infrared sauna, which he called the “Incandescent light bath.” In this case, an infrared sauna is a small room or cabin heated with infrared emitters, increasing the temperature from 38 to 65.5℃.

With infrared saunas, it’s unnecessary to reach peak temperature because infrared can penetrate the human skin and raise body temperature within. Therefore, a person can sweat without feeling the temperature rising inside the cabin.

With that said, how often should you use infrared sauna will depend on whether it is your first time or not.

So, once you begin the infrared sauna, a 24-hour break is needed between sessions. Moreover, the duration you spend inside at the beginning should be shorter to enjoy a sauna’s long-lasting benefits.

Then, after about three weeks of doing infrared sauna on alternate days, you can increase your time inside the cabin.

Overall, it’s better to use the sauna frequently to know how your body responds to specific wavelengths during the initial period. That way, your body will learn to adapt to increased heat. However, once you are ready to use the sauna daily, it’s best always to remember that you must be consistent.

For example, suppose you keep yourself hydrated according to the level required. In that case, you can enter the cabin daily for a maximum of 60 minutes every session.

Nevertheless, it is good to rest from the sauna at least once a week. Doing so allows your body to have enough time to remineralize and rehydrate for your next session.

On the other hand, if you have been consistent in your sauna routine, you can begin using the sauna twice daily. Doing so can help with chronic diseases by causing blood hyper-oxygenation, improving circulation, alleviating the symptoms, and relieving pain.

However, note that the more frequently you do saunas in a day, the less time you need to spend inside the cabin. Therefore, you must limit your sitting time to 15 minutes. Once you have adapted, you can add 30 more minutes to your time, depending on your health condition.

Physicians suggest having sauna sessions in an infrared sauna in the morning if done once per day. If you’re doing it twice, the second session is best spent before ending your day. How often one should do a sauna will always depend on one’s unique reaction to the therapy.

Conclusion

Saunas offer incredible health benefits to users, especially when done regularly. However, it can be confusing just how often should you sauna at the start. With that said, hopefully, this article has cleared some of that information, and you can now enjoy the benefits of saunas without worrying how often or long you need to spend in one.