Why do we sweat in the sauna?
As heat is dissipated through the evaporation of moisture on the skin, sweating represents our own personal cooling system. The blood in the small blood vessels just under the skin is cooled in the process, which helps regulate body temperature. During physical activity, our body really gets going. We get hot, our facial skin flushes and sweat drips from our foreheads. And what about when we go to the sauna? Our body starts to sweat as soon as we enter the sauna – a reaction to the high outside temperature, which the body tries to compensate by sweating. Therefore, we sweat a lot to avoid overheating and maintain a constant body temperature.
Is sweating healthy?
Sweating has been used therapeutically for centuries. Even the Mayans used sweat lodges 3,000 years ago to balance body and mind. In Finland and other Scandinavian countries, taking a sauna has great cultural significance. A sauna session not only clears the mind, but also helps maintain muscle mass and prevent inflammation. Sweating can also promote blood circulation and collagen formation. At least once a week, take a deep breath and visit the sauna for physical relaxation.
Physical and emotional tension begins to dissipate. Mentally, we are relaxed, refreshed and ready to face the challenges of the day. The body’s response to moderate, prolonged heat has been extensively researched and is demonstrated daily by people around the world. As a result, more and more doctors are advocating the healing and cleansing properties of heat.
Sweat makes you happy
In all seriousness. As soon as you get hot in the sauna, your heart speeds up its pumping pace. This happens so that the heated blood from inside the body can flow past the veins near the skin, be cooled by sweating, and then flow back to cool the inside. In this way, the heart is exercised and happy hormones such as endorphins are released, causing a biochemical rush of joy and relaxation.
How much sweat is lost in the sauna?
During a sauna bath, between 20 and 40 grams of sweat are produced per minute. This means that a person loses 0.5 to 1.5 liters of fluid during a bath with three sauna sessions. The blood, which is thickened for a short time, is the main source of the excreted fluid. As the body tries to keep the composition of the blood constant, fluid is removed from the fatty and connective tissues and muscles. The waste products in the blood are excreted not only by the sweat glands, but also by the kidneys.
This also explains why one should not consume fluid in the sauna, because the body adds the supplied fluid directly to the thicker blood via the intestines and thus prevents the breakdown of the substances. The above-mentioned loss of fluid by sweating out also explains a weight loss of 500 to 1500 g during three sauna sessions. However, this cannot be called weight loss, since the body’s fluid deficit is made up by eating and drinking after the sauna session.
