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Mikrodermabrazja kontra sauna - Która metoda pielęgnacji skóry jest lepsza?
What Infections Could Develop From The Sauna?
A few things are known to come from saunas and that you should be mindful of. None of them are life-threatening, and if you follow sauna etiquette, there are very slim chances of these happening to you. There is a chance of the following infections: a yeast infection on the skin, a fungal infection, impetigo, and a few other bacterial infections that are less common but still possible.
Are Steam Saunas More Conducive to the Spread of Bacteria?
Steam saunas do not get as hot as traditional saunas, so it is easier for bacteria to thrive in these conditions. You should always go to a steam sauna that practices proper cleaning protocols. This may be more of a risk. The steam rooms’ tiles do not have any antibacterial properties like the wood used in a traditional sauna.
Are Infrared Saunas More Conducive to the Spread of Bacteria?
Infrared saunas don’t have all the humidity floating around in the air, so this important ingredient for bacteria to thrive is thankfully missing. Without all that damp moisture that a steam sauna has, bacteria and mold are both less likely to grow. That said, people are still sweating a lot, and leaving their own fluids behind. So, while the likelihood of bacteria or germs being present in an infrared sauna is lower, it’s still not zero.
Precautions and Safety
If your doctor says you can use the sauna, keep these precautions and safety measures in mind.
- Limit your time: Keep sauna use to less than 20 minutes. For first-time users, as little as five minutes is enough. It is important to see how the body reacts to the environment of the sauna.
- Hydrate: Drink two to four glasses of water after using the sauna. It is OK to drink water while in the sauna as well.
- Supervise children: Some pediatricians recommend children under six years old avoid saunas, since babies and young children have difficulty regulating their body temperature. Older children should always be supervised in the sauna, as some may experience symptoms such as dizziness.
- Avoid cold showers afterward: This may increase the risk of a cardiac event in people with pre-existing heart disease.
- Avoid alcohol: Alcohol promotes dehydration and increases the risk of arrhythmia, hypotension, and sudden death. Since saunas also cause water loss, steer clear of drinking before and after use until you're fully rehydrated.
Hydrate to Replenish Lost Sweat
The purpose of a sauna’s high heat is to make you sweat. While the process is healthy and beneficial, it is also extremely dehydrating. You can actually lose a couple of pounds of water when you’re in the sauna (we explore this in detail in our article about calorie loss in the sauna).
To replenish lost sweat, it’s important to drink at least six cups of water throughout your entire sauna experience, beginning before you enter and continuing after you exit. Keeping a water bottle with you while you’re relaxing inside the sauna helps with hydration and makes post-sauna hydration much easier.
Make sure to avoid using a metal water bottle when you’re in the sauna because it will become uncomfortably hot due to the high room temperature. Using a BPA-free plastic water bottle like this one (on Amazon) makes staying hydrated convenient, easy, and safe.
When you step out of the sauna and begin cooling off, continue to drink. When you sweat, you don’t just lose water but also lose important electrolytes, essential minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium.
Electrolytes help regulate nervous system functioning and muscle contractions, balance your pH levels, and play a key role in hydration. Therefore, after the sauna, you may want to drink beverages that contain and help replace electrolytes.
While sports drinks do contain electrolytes, they often don’t have enough to replace what is lost during the extreme perspiration caused by the sauna. Also, they tend to have a lot of added sugars and food coloring, which are unhealthy. Other electrolyte-replacement drinks that are healthier include:
Eat Nutritious Food to Replenish Minerals and Vitamins Like Sodium
The best way to replace lost electrolytes and other nutrients are not just by drinking plenty of nourishing fluids but also by eating nutritious foods. It’s important to eat a healthy snack as part of your post-sauna routine. You might notice that you crave salt when you leave the sauna.
That’s because of the lost electrolytes, especially sodium. While it’s tempting to grab a bag of chips or other high-sodium junk food, doing so is unhealthy and doesn’t add the right amount of sodium back into your system. Remember why you are embracing the sauna life in the first place.
Quite likely, you are doing it for positive health benefits. Enhance the benefits with the right foods to replace lost minerals the good way. Among foods that can replace water and nutrients lost to sauna sweating are green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, watercress, and collard greens, beets, nuts, bananas as well as foods that are high in water like melon and pineapple.
Because your body’s circulation hasn’t fully returned to normal and your digestive system isn’t experiencing adequate blood supply, avoid eating large and/or heavy meals. Stick to a small snack instead. This is where drinking beverages with electrolytes can be very helpful because it supplies your body with the minerals it lost without requiring intense digestion and can speed your recovery time.
Adding electrolytes to your water can be as easy as adding Hi-Lyte Sugar-Free Electrolyte Powder (on Amazon). A convenient way to snack and hydrate after the sauna is to make a smoothie (you can even add electrolytes to it) ahead of time. Step out of the sauna, keep sipping water, cool off in the shower, and then grab your smoothie out of the fridge and relax.
Use High Temperature To Thwart The Spread Of Sauna Bacteria
Bacteria love moist and warm environments, but many microorganisms will die in high enough temperatures. You should always look for a sauna that is above 150°F. Most bacteria will die between 140°F and 158°F, so anything between those is perfect if you want to stay safe in the sauna. You will want to keep your eye on the hygrometer and thermometer in your sauna.
Although saunas can be breeding grounds for germs, they can easily be cleaned out. If you are sitting in a public sauna, you will want to ensure you wear the proper clothing, rinse off before and after the sauna, and sit on a towel to catch the sweat. If you feel comfortable, you should always wear flip-flops or foot covers because the floor tends to be the germiest. Having your own sauna means less risk, but you should still always clean regularly.
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