Dry Sauna Vs. Sauna Exercise Suit
Both saunas and sauna suits have a range of effects, from relaxation to detoxifying your body to aiding cardiovascular activity. When comparing the benefits and costs of dry saunas and sauna exercise suits, remember that they have different uses. Considering the purpose of a dry sauna vs. that of a sauna suit will help determine which is more appropriate to your exercise routine and goals.
Other People Are Reading
-
Features
-
A dry sauna can be either a traditional or far infrared style sauna. Usually constructed of cedar or other soft wood, dry saunas cause participants to sweat either by steaming hot rocks to heat the air or through infrared heaters that heat the body directly.
Exercise companies such as Bally Total Fitness and Everlast manufacture sauna suits. The suits come as a set of "sweatpants" and "sweatshirt" to be worn during workouts. They are typically made from vinyl or rubberized vinyl, plastic or nylon.
Function
-
The main purpose of dry saunas is to detoxify your body as you sweat. The heat of the sauna warms your blood, causing it to circulate more rapidly. While sweating opens your pores, the blood "pushes" the toxins out through the skin. Saunas can be used daily, but most regular users try to take a sauna one to three times per week.
The purpose of using a sauna suit is to maximize sweating. As you sweat, the suit traps the heat inside so your body works harder to sweat more and cool you. Sauna suits can be worn for every workout, but shouldn't be used in extreme temperatures (like for an outdoor run on a very hot day).
-
Effects
-
In addition to detoxification, which refreshes your body and your skin, a primary effect of a dry sauna is relaxation. Many users and some doctors believe that dry saunas help relieve muscle tension, improve circulation and soothe the pain of arthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
The major effect of sauna exercise suits is that they raise your body's core temperature and keep it high, increasing your circulation and making your heart pump harder.
Misconceptions
-
Though spas, health clubs and companies may promise the sauna is a weight loss tool, that's not guaranteed. You can lose some water weight, and the cardiovascular energy of your heart working to cool your body can burn calories, but the use of a sauna is not a substitute for regular diet and exercise.
Sauna suits, likewise, often promise rapid weight loss potential. Again, you lose some weight as you sweat in the form of electrolytes and water. However, as soon as you eat or drink to rehydrate after your workout, you'll gain back the water weight. This is not a long-term weight loss solution either.
Warnings
-
Overusing either a sauna or a sauna exercise suit can be damaging to your body. The largest concern is dehydration. Before, during and after using a sauna, or having a workout in a sauna suit, you should drink 24 to 48 ounces of water.
Limit your time in saunas to a maximum of 30 minutes. Be sure to rest for at least five minutes afterward to cool your body. Sauna suits have the risk of causing heatstroke if overused: As the body's temperature elevates, it cannot cool naturally because of the suit's "heat trap" design.
-
