When you enter a sauna, the heat surrounds you, sweat forms quickly, and your heart starts beating faster. Many sauna users wonder: does sweating in a sauna count as a workout? Let us explore whether sweating in a sauna can replace exercise, examine what happens inside your body when exposed to extreme heat, and help you understand how saunas fit into a healthy lifestyle.
What Happens to Your Body When You Sweat in a Sauna?
Sweating in an outdoor infrared sauna engages several internal systems. This creates sensations that mimic the physical exertion of exercise without the mechanical or metabolic demands of physical activity. It is worth mentioning that the body interprets heat stress and physical exertion stress differently.
While your cardiovascular system responds to heat by increasing your heart rate, your muscles, bones, and metabolism are not challenged in the same way they are during actual exercise. The key elements that drive fitness improvements, muscle engagement, cardiovascular conditioning, calorie expenditure, and metabolic stimulation, are absent during a sauna session. Here are details of what happens when you are exposed to high temperatures.
· Your Heart Rate Increases
Many users report that their heart rate can rise to levels similar to those experienced during light to moderate exercise when using the sauna. This is because the body works to pump more blood to the skin's surface to release heat. The heart works harder in the heat, resulting in a temporary cardiovascular response. However, this increase is a response to thermal stress only. It is not driven by physical movement or oxygen demand from working muscles.
· Muscle Relaxation Occurs
The sauna heat helps increase blood flow to the muscles, which relaxes tight areas and relieves stiffness or soreness. However, this passive relaxation differs from the active engagement muscles receive during exercise, where fibers contract, stretch, and strengthen through movement or resistance.
· You Lose Fluids Rapidly
Sweating is the body's primary cooling mechanism in high heat. While inside the best home sauna, your body can quickly lose significant amounts of water, creating a feeling of exertion. This loss of fluids leads to temporary weight loss, which is purely water weight and not fat or muscle reduction. Excessive fluid loss without proper hydration can strain the heart and kidneys.
Is Sweating Equivalent to Exercising?
One of the most common misconceptions is that sweating equates to burning calories and improving fitness. Many people associate heavy sweating with intense workouts and assume that sweat equals results. But sweating is not an indicator of calorie burning, fat loss, or muscle engagement. Sweating is not enough workout due to:
· Lack of fat loss: The weight you lose in a sauna is water weight, not body fat. Once you rehydrate, the weight returns. Fat loss requires a caloric deficit, achieved through dietary changes or sustained activity.
· Limited calorie burn: The heart rate may increase during a sauna session. However, the calorie burn is minimal compared to physical activities like walking, swimming, jogging, or strength training. The energy required to sweat and maintain body temperature in the heat is lower than what is needed to move muscles and elevate breathing during exercise.
· No muscle activation: Exercise involves active muscle contractions, resistance, and sometimes impact. All these processes stimulate muscles, bones, and connective tissues. Sitting in the best outdoor sauna does not challenge your muscles in the same way. You cannot build endurance, strength, or functional capacity without exercising.
· Lack of metabolic boost: Exercise increases your metabolism during and after activity, sometimes for hours, through excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Sitting in a home sauna does not create this after burn effect.
· Absence of bone or joint benefits: Weight-bearing exercises are essential for maintaining strong bones and joint health. A sauna does not provide the mechanical loading to stimulate bone growth or joint resilience.
What Science Says About Saunas and Fitness
Several scientific studies have explored the effects of sauna use on health and fitness. Some of these findings suggest benefits that resemble certain aspects of exercise. They include:
· Cardiovascular Benefits
Research has shown that regular sauna use can positively affect heart health. A study conducted in 2015 and published in JAMA Internal Medicine followed over 2,300 middle-aged men in Finland for 20 years. The study found that frequent sauna helped reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular disease. Heat exposure improves circulation, lowers blood pressure, and enhances vascular function. These benefits resemble some effects of moderate exercise.
· Calorie Expenditure
The calorie burn during a sauna session is modest. A study published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine in 2019 showed that a 25-minute sauna session elevated participants' heart rates to levels comparable to low-to-moderate intensity exercise. The energy expenditure was approximately 50–150 calories for a 30-minute session.
· Heat Acclimation
Athletes sometimes use heat exposure to improve their tolerance to high temperatures, enhancing endurance performance in hot climates. A 2010 study published in The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport found that post-exercise sauna bathing increased run time to exhaustion in male distance runners by an average of 32%. This suggests that repeated sauna use can help the body adapt to heat stress, benefiting endurance athletes competing in warm conditions.
Situations Where Saunas Can Support Fitness Goals
Even though saunas cannot replace traditional workouts, they can complement an active lifestyle. Here is a more detailed look at how saunas can enhance fitness and well-being when used alongside regular exercise.
· Muscle Recovery
Saunas help increase circulation by causing blood vessels to dilate, improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tired muscles. This enhanced blood flow assists in the removal of metabolic waste products such as lactic acid, which can accumulate after intense exercise.
The heat can also soothe sore muscles and reduce stiffness by relaxing muscle fibers and soft tissues. A study published in SpringerPlus in 2015 found that regular sauna use can minimize muscle soreness and improve perceived recovery, allowing athletes to return to their training routines more quickly and with less discomfort.
· Mental Well-being
Regular sauna sessions have been associated with reducing stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. The calming environment and heat exposure inside the best infrared sauna can promote the discharge of endorphins in the brain. According to a 2018 study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, sauna bathing contributes to psychological relaxation and stress reduction.
Mental well-being is crucial for maintaining exercise adherence over time. Individuals who manage stress effectively are highly likely to stay motivated and committed to their fitness routines. The relaxation effects can also improve sleep quality, further supporting recovery and performance.
· Heart Health Support
Saunas have been linked to lower blood pressure, improved endothelial function, and reduced arterial stiffness. A 2015 Finnish study published in JAMA Internal Medicine demonstrated that frequent sauna use helped reduce risks of fatal cardiovascular events. When paired with an active lifestyle, these benefits enhance cardiovascular resilience, providing a holistic approach to heart health. Regular exercise strengthens the heart through physical demand, while sauna use may support stress reduction and vascular relaxation.
Finally
Sitting in a sauna can increase your heart rate, helping you sweat profusely and leaving you feeling drained. However, it does not count as an actual workout due to the lack of muscle engagement, absence of metabolic challenge, and minimal calorie burn. Still, saunas can be a great complement to a healthy fitness lifestyle. They help with muscle recovery and stress relief, and offer mild cardiovascular benefits. Are you seeking the ideal practice to complement your health and fitness routine? Adopt the sauna today and accelerate your post-workoutpost-workoutpost-workout recovery.
Reach out today and find out more from our sauna experts.
