What Toxins Do You Sweat Out in a Sauna?

 From heavy metals like lead to harmful chemicals like BPA, there are many toxins out there that can enter the human body via various means and build up over time. These toxins can interfere with a range of bodily processes and even increase a person’s chances of getting seriously ill. Fortunately, there are various methods we can use to detoxify ourselves, and saunas can help with that.

Indeed, there is evidence to suggest that a sauna session can help remove toxins in a safe and natural way – sweating. If you’re wondering how this works and which specific toxins you can sweat out in a sauna, this guide is here to help. Read on to learn how saunas help remove unwanted chemicals and elements from your body.

Understanding the Science of Sweating

Before we dig into the details of how saunas can help the body release toxins, it’s important to understand what sweating is and how it works.

How Does Sweating Work?

Sweating, quite simply, is one of the body’s natural ways of cooling itself down. As you get hot, either via warm exterior temperatures, exercise, or even a fever, your body responds by triggering the production of sweat. Sweat glands, which are located all over the body, then start to secrete sweat, which helps to cool down the skin as it evaporates.

Of course, when it comes to sweating in a sauna, this process is faster and heavier. The high temperatures of sauna therapy rapidly trigger sweat production in high quantities. As a result, you only have to spend a small amount of time in a traditonal sauna or infrared sauna to sweat quite a lot, similar to working out intensely for a significant period.

Components of Sweat

In terms of what sweat actually is, it’s primarily made up of water. However, sweat can also contain other elements, including salts, sugars, proteins, and ammonia. Studies have also found that sweat can contain toxins, including the likes of arsenic, lead, and mercury. This is why it’s believed that using a sauna to induce sweating may help to remove toxins from the body.

Saunas and Toxin Release

Next, let’s dig further into the concept of the sauna detox, exploring how sauna bathing helps the body eliminate toxins.

The Concept of Detox Through Sauna

First, a definition. The concept of detoxification, or detox for short, is all about ridding the body of unwanted elements (toxins). Detoxing can take many forms, from changing diets to fasting, drinking lots of water or juices, using supplements, and so on. The idea has been around for a long time but has become particularly popular in recent years.

There are many potential detoxification benefits that may come along with this process. For instance, a 2017 review found that detoxing may aid with weight loss, and many detox methods also encourage people to hydrate more effectively and consume healthier foods. Another review, from 2014, found that detoxing can also aid with liver function and remove damaging toxins from your system.

Using a sauna is another oft-cited way to detoxify and remove toxins from our bodies. It’s believed that the main way in which you can use a sauna and detox yourself is through sweating. The heat from a regular sauna or infrared heat sauna raises the body temperature, triggering enhanced sweat production, and that sweating process can help draw toxins out via the skin.

Types of Toxins Released in Sauna Sweat

Studies into the components of sweat have found that it may contain various heavy metals, like cadmium and lead. These metals are not known to offer any benefits to human health. Instead, they are all believed to be carcinogenic, increasing a person’s risk of cancer and presenting other negative effects on various bodily systems, too, from the immune system to the renal system.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may also be eliminated via sweat. POPs are organic substances that can be found throughout the air and water that surround us each day, including the likes of pesticides like DDT and industrial chemicals. They can accumulate within the body over time and potentially cause harm, but sweating is one way to remove them.

The Role of Infrared Saunas in Detoxification

There are many benefits of sauna therapy. And it’s not just regular sauna sessions that can help people enjoy health and wellness advantages. The recent wave of infrared saunas, too, brings their own unique benefits, especially in the field of detoxification.

How Infrared Saunas Work

In a traditional sauna, a container filled with hot rocks radiates heat around the room, warming the space to very high temperatures. This, in turn, heats up the bodies of those in the sauna, and that can trigger sweat production. An infrared sauna, however, works a little differently.

These types of saunas are fitted with special infrared panels. The panels emit infrared light, which is able to penetrate the skin and effectively warm the body from within. It can heat up a person’s muscles and deep layers of skin, which also triggers sweat production. The biggest practical difference when compared to regular saunas is that IR saunas are way less hot.

While a traditional sauna can reach temperatures of around 175 degrees Fahrenheit, infrared saunas tend to reach a maximum of 130 degrees. That can make them much more comfortable for people to use. For example, if you find that the intense heat of a classic Finnish sauna is too much for you, an infrared sauna may be more to your taste. Get in touch with Komowa to discover more about how infrared saunas work.

Research on Toxin Elimination via Infrared Saunas

When it comes to “What do saunas help with?“ research has revealed an array of infrared home sauna benefits. And that includes possible toxin elimination. A 2022 review of multiple previous studies and research papers helped to support this claim. It found that the likes of mercury and bisphenol, among many other toxins, could be found in sweat after subjects used an IR sauna.

There haven’t been too many specific studies looking at how infrared saunas can promote the release of dangerous toxins from your body or exploring infrared sauna sweat analysis. However, scientists have repeatedly explored the components of sweat, finding that a broad range of dangerous heavy metals and other elements are found within it.

This is encouraging for anyone interested in the idea of using a sauna to boost the process of sweating and get rid of toxins through the skin. It suggests that, even in small or trace amounts, heavy metals and more can be excreted this way, and even getting rid of arsenic and lead in tiny quantities is still beneficial for the body as a whole.

Comparing Sweating in Saunas to Other Detox Methods

Of course, sweating in a sauna isn’t the only way that the body can rid itself of toxins. There are other natural processes that play a part in heavy metal and chemical removal. Here’s how sauna use compares.

Sauna Sweating vs Kidney and Liver Function

The main way in which the body gets rid of toxins is via natural detoxification processes, handled by the kidneys and liver. The kidneys use multiple mechanisms to cleanse or filter the blood, such as passive diffusion and filtration via the glomeruli. Toxins that are removed with the aid of the kidneys can then pass into urine to be excreted from the body.

The liver carries out a similar function. It regulates chemical quantities within the blood and draws out toxins and unwanted elements. Notably, the liver also produces bile, which is used to transport waste materials away, as well as clean the blood of drugs, alcohol, and other toxic substances that could cause harm if left in the system.

It’s important to understand that when it comes to detoxification, the kidneys and liver do a large part of the hard work. Sweating in a sauna and other detox methods, like drinking lots of water or eating healthy foods, can have an impact, but they can’t replace or match the level of work that is carried out by these organs.

Potential Risks and Misconceptions

Perhaps the biggest misconception around sauna use and detoxification is that some people believe all they need to do to stay healthy is spent time in a sauna. That’s simply not true. As explained above, sweating in a sauna can certainly help to detoxify your body, but it shouldn’t be relied upon as the only method.

In other words, people shouldn’t feel that they can eat unhealthy diets or drink lots of alcohol and then just sweat out the toxins in a sauna. It doesn’t work that way. Saunas can play a part in a holistic detox strategy, but they aren’t capable of getting rid of every single toxin you consume or are exposed to.

It’s also important to understand that, while sauna use is generally considered safe, it does involve certain risks. People with health conditions, like weak hearts, high or low blood pressure problems, and similar issues, should be careful. If you’re unsure about anything, consult with your physician or other qualified health professional for expert advice on whether or not to step into a sauna.

Practical Tips for Sauna Use for Detox

Here’s a quick look at some smart and simple tips you can use to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of your sauna sessions.

Best Practices for Using Saunas for Detox

If you hope to use a sauna to really sweat out toxins, arguably the most important tip is to stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water before you step inside, and remember to drink lots when you get out as well. This will help to keep your hydration levels up, which is ideal since you’ll most likely be sweating a lot during the sauna session.

It’s also best to start off slow, with just one or two sauna sessions per week of around five to 10 minutes. Later on, as your body adjusts to the temperatures and conditions of the sauna, you can work your way up to longer and more frequent sessions.

Complementary Detox Methods

It’s also a good idea to use saunas as part of a holistic approach to detoxification. By embracing other methods, you can maximize your body’s potential to get rid of toxins and chemicals. Other methods include drinking lots of water and healthy juices, having a healthy diet, and minimizing how much you drink and smoke.

Should You Use a Sauna to Detox?

Overall, the evidence shows that sweating in a sauna can indeed get rid of heavy metals and harmful chemicals from the body, albeit in small amounts. Therefore, saunas shouldn’t be relied upon as the sole source of detoxification but can be classified as a key component in an overall health and wellness strategy to promote a clean and healthy body. Contact Komowa today to find out more about how your small home sauna could help with your health.