While the professional health spa has benefits, we cannot discount the risk factor associated with it, especially after what happened at 2010 World Sauna Championships in Finland, the Russian finalist Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy died after being inside a scorching hot sauna at 230 degrees for 6 minutes. This is the reason I bring to you 5 safety tips to follow during a sauna. Read on to find out the thumb rules of sauna bath!
1. Limit The Time And Temperature In The Sauna:
While most of the people have a notion that the hotter the better inside sauna, it can be actually life threatening just as what happened with the Russian finalist, who spent whole 6 minutes in a scorching 230F temperature.
While it completely depends upon you whether to take a wet or dry sauna, you should always take care of the temperature your body can tolerate and the time spent in the wooden room. The wet/steam sauna uses a burning stove that creates steam which then gets filled up in the enclosed wooden space. Dry sauna, on the other hand, raises the room temperature up to 185 degrees. However temperature higher than 185 degrees increases the risk of burning the skin.
Even though the temperature is lowered, make sure you do not spend more than 15 minutes in the room, especially if you’ve high blood pressure and heart related problems.
Always consult with your doctor and take professional’s help before you take a steam or dry bath in the sauna.
2. Drink Water Before Entering Into The Sauna And After Coming Out:
One of the major advantages of sauna is that it helps release toxins from the body through sweat. And in this process, the person loses up to 1 pint of water per every session. And loss of this much of water increases the risk of dehydration in the body. So, it’s important to drink 1-2 glasses of water before entering into the sauna and make sure you consume the same after the steam bath.
3. Cool Down After Leaving The Sauna:
Just as it is necessary that you drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, same way it is important to get cooled down. After workout, cooling down is advised to help reduce muscle soreness and sweat to dry off from the body. In the same way, cooling down after sauna spa helps the body to heal from overheating, thereby bringing it back to the normal temperature. Use a cool, damp towel to soothe your skin that got heated up inside the room. You can also go for a swim few minutes later for rejuvenation.
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However, be warned not to jump into the pool or take a cold shower immediately after the sauna as it may cause hyperventilation and other side effects. Let the body temperature cool down normally.
4. Avoid Drinking And Eating Before Taking Sauna Bath:
I strongly suggest you not to eat and drink anything except water before entering into the enclosed wooden space. As your body temperature rises rapidly, you can experience dizziness, nausea and fainting at the worst case possible. And consuming alcohol can be quite dangerous as it impairs your judging capacity, thereby putting you in the room for longer time period than recommended which may be harmful.
5. Remove All Metals And Accessories Before Entering Into Sauna:
Metals get heated up rapidly inside the sauna and the heated jewelries on your body may burn your skin, so take it as a thumb rule to never wear any jewelry inside the sauna. You should remove all your clothing inside the room, and also develop a habit to avoid carrying the gadgets into the sauna.
So those were the 5 safety tips to follow during a sauna. Hope this helps!