How Long to Sit in the Sauna After a Workout?

There sauna and fitness seems to be interlinked somehow Several gyms have saunas which makes it clear that Saunas are useful for fitness in addition to relaxation and enjoyment purposes. We often hear it is beneficial to hop in the sauna after a workout but we do not usually get answers for how long to sit in the sauna after a workout. So, here we will discuss all these things related to the Sauna and especially how long you should sit in the sauna after a workout.

How Long to Be In Sauna After A Workout?

It is suggested to sit no more than 15-20 minutes after your workout in the Sauna because otherwise, you would overexert your body which might be harmful. Also, wait at least 10 minutes before going into the sauna after a workout. If you are new and haven’t been in a Sauna before, then start with small intervals of time and do not sit for more than 5-10 minutes in the Sauna.

The more you stay in a Sauna, the more increased risk of dehydration is. So, after coming out of the sauna, drink plenty of water or fluids over the time of 2-3 hours to rehydrate and flush out toxins from your body.

Types Of Sauna

They are based on the method by which they produce and heat the room. The common type of Saunas are:

1- Wooden Saunas: These are the traditional saunas that use wood-burning stoves to heat the air with high temp in the wood-paneled room.

2- Electric Saunas: These saunas use an electric heater for heating. The temperature is high and ranges from 160-220°F.

3- Steam Rooms: These saunas are also known as Turkish bathhouses. The temperature in them is lower with 100%.humidity.

4- Infrared Sauna: These saunas use close and far thermal radiation waves for heating the body directly. These radiation waves are safe and don’t pose any harmful effects on your body. They are usually around 140°F.

Now let’s discuss what should be done after sitting in the sauna.

What Should You Do After A Sauna?

You need to drink a lot of fluids after the sauna. This is because when you sit in a sauna after a workout, you lose a lot of water from your body in sweating and need to rehydrate yourself while coming out of the sauna. So, what you should do after the sauna is to put plenty of fluids in your body for 2-3 hours to flush out toxins from your body and avoid dehydration. Water is preferable over other fluids, but can also have other energy drinks if you want.

Now let’s find out if sitting in the sauna is safe after a workout or not.

Sauna After Workout: Is It Safe?

Sitting in Sauna after a workout is safe until you limit your time. A good safe time is to spend 20 minutes or less in the Sauna after a workout. Though generally, it is safe If you sit in the sauna for this much time after a workout, you should be careful of the time limit and any potential risks over time might cause.

Let’s know about the benefits of doing a sauna after a workout.

Benefits Of Sitting In The Sauna After A Workout

1- Helps you chill out

The sauna helps you relax and chill. It is a good stress management technique like good breathing that helps you relax and chill out.

2- Boosts Muscle Regain

Sitting in the sauna for some while increases blood circulation to the muscles. It increases the oxygen-rich blood supply to the depleted muscles which helps them recover.

3- Improves overall health

As there is increased oxygen-rich blood circulation in the body during sauna, it improves cardiovascular function and overall health as well.

The sauna offers way more benefits to your health. You can read about it here: 10 Benefits of Sauna Post Workout

Are There Any Risks Related To The Sauna?

The potential risk related to Saunas is dehydration. As the sauna exposes your body to direct warm temperatures, your body gets the heat that makes you sweat and lose a lot of fluids. For this purpose, it is important to drink a good amount of fluids to overcome the dehydration effects.

Conclusion

You should not sit for more than 15-20 minutes in the Sauna after your workout because it will overexert your body. If you haven’t used a Sauna before, then you need to start with small intervals of time and wait at least 10 minutes before going into the sauna after a workout. There are different types of saunas based on heat production and sitting in a sauna offers certain health benefits. So, with the proper safe use of a Sauna, the addition of a sauna trip after working out is a good addition to the fitness routine.