People use saunas for different reasons. But they come with physical and mental benefits when you start with about 10 minutes and increase your sessions based on your comfort and start enjoying a number of very important health benefits. But a majority of people have this one question on their mind - do saunas burn calories? Let us find out.

You CAN burn calories
A sauna bath is nothing new and saunas have in fact been used for centuries. In some countries such as Finland, it’s the norm to have a sauna every week. But why? What are the benefits of using a sauna and do saunas burn calories? Yes, saunas do burn calories and they offer other health benefits too, but there are some information sources that tend to exaggerate the figures when it comes to how much weight you can lose with sauna bathing.

The question of how many calories are burned in a sauna is subjective and depends on things such as weight and health. The honest truth is that you can burn calories using a sauna but it's not going to be some kind of miracle weight loss process that many people expect.

It is accepted though, that you are burning more calories in the sauna than were you just sitting on a couch. To effectively use a sauna for the purpose of weight loss, you need to stay longer than 15 minutes so as to achieve maximum results.

Relieves aching muscles
There are other health benefits of sauna bathing and we can benefit from sweating it out in the sauna. You can already feel the tension fading away from your tired, sore muscles. Your muscles unwind and you can emerge from the sauna feeling more energized.

In fact, you can say that saunas relieve stress all over and not just in the muscles. This is because the sauna helps with regulating the level of cortisol in the blood. This is the hormone that is released when we’re stressed and high levels of cortisol lead to health issues. Sauna bathing reduces these levels and instead stimulates the production of serotonin, the happy hormone and we can emerge from the sauna feeling good.

Reduction in risk of vascular diseases
Vascular diseases are dangerous and include things such as high blood pressure, mental health disorders, and cardiovascular disease among others. The health benefits of sauna bathing are broad and certainly have a positive effect on immune-, circulatory-, respiratory-, and cardiovascular issues. Regular sauna bathing reduces blood pressure, arterial stiffness, inflammation, bad cholesterol, oxidative stress, and bad circulation.

Reduces colds and flu
We’ve all experienced a time of nasty cold and flu symptoms with covid 19. Did you know that research tells us that with sauna bathing we can reduce our incidences of influenza and colds? Yes, when the body is exposed to the heat of a sauna, white blood cells are produced more rapidly, and this is what helps the body to get rid of viruses.

Saunas may also help to relieve the agonizing symptoms of sinus congestion we get from these colds. Evidence also suggests that sauna bathing is able to improve lung function too.

Reduces lower back pain
We all know how therapeutic hot water can be when we’re feeling low. A how shower or bath can do wonders. A dry sauna bath has similar effects. Studies show that it can be an effective way to bring relief from lower back pain. But sauna bathing has also been linked to an improvement in other pain as well.

It can help with both pain and the symptoms associated with musculoskeletal disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Anyone with a severe headache knows how debilitating it can be. Having sauna baths also improved headache disorders. Studies show that infrared saunas can help to decrease muscle soreness but also help to increase recovery from strength-training sessions.

Make sure to remain hydrated
When you go into a sauna, several things happen. Your pulse rate goes up, your skin temperature rises and your blood vessels dilate. Your heart begins to pump more blood and you sweat.

As your heart rate goes up and your blood vessels dilate, blood flow is encouraged. Since the blood vessels relax and dilate in a sauna, this is what causes the blood flow to increase. Remember to drink plenty of water before and after using a sauna because there are complications that come with dehydration.