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Mikrodermabrazja kontra sauna - Która metoda pielęgnacji skóry jest lepsza?
Who Shouldn’t Use A Sauna
Certain people should avoid using the sauna, Fierstein said, including:
- People under the influence of alcohol and drugs
- Patients with uncontrolled hypertension and severe heart disease, including those who have recently experienced heart attacks, heart failure, or heart surgeries
- Sick or infected individuals, including those with a fever or acute infections
- People with open wounds
- Patients with kidney disease
- Those with certain skin conditions like atopic dermatitis
- People with autonomic dysfunction (those who may have difficulty regulating their heart rates and blood pressure)
- People with seizure disorders
- Patients with chronic respiratory disease
- Pregnant women
- Children under the age of 6
Ascher added people who suffer from joint pain, and depression and those without pre-existing heart problems can usually “enjoy spending a limited time in the sauna.”
The Final Verdict
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
By Alyssa Hui
Hui is a health news writer and former TV news reporter. She was the 2020 recipient of the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association Jack Shelley Award.
Other Possible Health Benefits
There are several other reasons related to general wellness that people use a sauna, including:
Although these are popular reasons for sauna use, some need more medical research to fully support them.
As far as more specific medical benefits, some studies have found that sauna use has heart-health benefits. For example, a study conducted on middle-age men concluded that frequent use of a sauna was associated with a high reduction of fatal cardiovascular outcomes.
Cool off with a Cold Shower or Cold Plunge
Your post-sauna routine is all about transitioning from the intense heat of the sauna to a cooler environment. Saunas change the activity in your body, so when you step out you need to cool off and recover to return your body to its normal functioning.
Cooling off with a cold shower or cold plunge is important for a number of reasons and processes, including lowering your skin temperature, closing your pores, cooling airways and lungs, stabilizing your blood pressure and circulation, redirecting blood flow to your core organs, as well as the stimulation of muscles.
As your body heats inside the sauna, your heart beats faster and your blood pressure rises in order to divert blood flow away from internal organs and to your skin. Your pores then dilate so you perspire efficiently, flushing your body of toxins.
While this process brings many health benefits, it’s unhealthy to keep your body in this heat-activated state for a long period of time. It’s crucial that you cool off before resuming normal activity after a sauna session.
Some people enjoy more extreme cooling techniques after leaving the sauna. Unless you have underlying medical conditions, such as heart or respiratory problems, anemia, Raynaud’s syndrome, kidney disease, or infections, cryotherapy can quickly help your body cool off after sauna use (see our article about cryotherapy for more information about this cooling method).