Reviewed by the Palmako UK content team with insights from our garden building experts.
During the colder months, we spend more time indoors with the heating on. This might be great for staying warm, but it’s a breeding ground for cold and flu viruses. Next thing you know, you’ve got the dreaded cold and flu symptoms you’ve been avoiding, and you’re applying all sorts of remedies to get rid of them.
One of these remedies may be the sauna. Tradition holds that warm steam can greatly decrease stuffy noses and chest congestion, but is it true? We look into the facts and examine whether a sauna really is good for the common cold.
Quick Overview
A sauna can be good for a cold because it relieves mild cold symptoms by loosening congestion, soothing body aches, and stimulating immune cell production through a temporary increase in core body temperature. However, it is not a cure and should be avoided if you have a high fever, severe flu symptoms, or are experiencing dizziness. For safety, limit sessions to 10 minutes, stay hydrated, and use a private sauna to avoid spreading the virus to others.
Table of Contents
- How helpful is a sauna when you have a cold?
- When to avoid sauna use during a cold
- What type of sauna is good for a cold?
- Tips for sauna use when you have a cold
- Final Assessment: Is a sauna good for a cold?
- FAQs: Is a sauna good for a cold?
How helpful is a sauna when you have a cold?
When common cold symptoms start to develop, we want to find relief fast and to shorten the duration of the illness. But as anyone who has had a cold will know, there are things you do that provide temporary relief, and there are things that can make you feel a whole lot worse. Sauna bathing can fall into both categories depending on your symptoms and the severity of the cold.
Increase in immune system activity
Traditional sauna and infrared sauna raise the core body temperature by 1-2 degrees, which induces an artificial fever. This increases the production of white blood cells, also known as immune cells (lymphocytes, leucocytes and neutrophils), which are vital for fighting viruses and bacteria associated with the common cold. By elevating the core body temperature, a sauna will aid the body’s natural defense systems in fighting cold viruses.
A regular sauna does more than just relieve cold symptoms. The long-term health benefits have made it a popular choice for thousands of years. In our buyer's guide to the best outdoor saunas, you can see the modern alternatives that are taking the market by storm.
Relief of body aches, muscle tension and congestion
Muscle pain during a cold is caused by the immune system releasing inflammatory chemicals such as cytokines and prostaglandins to fight the virus. The downside of the immune system’s work is the aches and pains you get. Both cytokines and prostaglandins cause blood vessels to dilate, leading to a runny nose, swelling in the nasal passages, and congestion.
A hot sauna can help relieve muscle aches by soothing the tension that often accompanies pain during a cold. It can also loosen mucus, which will ease the congestion caused by the swelling of airway tissues. Traditional saunas, where you can create and control hot steam, are particularly helpful if you have a lot of sinus pain due to nasal congestion.
Increased sweating
While increased sweating will help your lymphatic system to get rid of dead cold viruses, it won’t cure your cold. It will run its course in 7-10 days despite regular sauna bathing. However, regular sauna sessions during the first days of your cold can greatly relieve cold symptoms, reducing discomfort while you recover.
Increased mental well-being
Interestingly, the greater benefit of ‘sweating it out’ in the sauna is the psychological benefits that help enhance recovery. By producing profound relaxation and decreasing the feeling of anxiety and stress during illness, the sauna can have a positive effect on recovery. This is mainly due to the release of endorphins and the lowering of cortisol, which enhances a state of well-being.
When to avoid sauna use during a cold
There are times when sauna use should be avoided during a cold. While saunas are helpful if you have a low-grade fever and mild symptoms, you should not use them under the following circumstances:
- You have low blood pressure, which is affected during periods of illness. Consult with your healthcare provider to ensure it's safe to use the sauna.
- You have severe symptoms that are making you feel fatigued, dizzy, nauseous, and negatively affecting your respiratory system. In this case, a sauna could make you feel worse and cause additional issues.
- You have the flu. Colds usually present with mild symptoms, and a sauna can help to relieve the discomfort. However, flu is a more serious illness, and it's best to avoid the sauna altogether until your symptoms are much better. This can take between 7-14 days.
What type of sauna is good for a cold?
Steam saunas and infrared saunas are the best when it comes to relieving cold symptoms. Steam saunas and electric saunas are a good option when you have congestion, and want to relieve mild aches and pains. Infrared saunas gently heat the skin and increase the core body temperature, which creates an artificial fever, helping to promote immune system activity.
In Types of Sauna: Features and Benefits Explained, we examine different types of saunas and what benefits you can expect to get from each type. Here you’ll find more saunas that can help relieve your cold symptoms and increase your well-being year-round.
Tips for sauna use when you have a cold
How you use a sauna can greatly increase the benefits you want to get during an illness. First and foremost, you do not want the experience to worsen how you feel, and these tips can help you recover more comfortably from your cold.
- Limit sauna sessions to 5-10 minutes and use lower temperatures. This will give you the benefits of increased body temperature, sweating, decongestion, and improved mental well-being, without taxing the body.
- Stay hydrated. Ensure you are well hydrated during the entire duration of your cold, but even more so before you go for a sauna session. Symptoms of dehydration are thirst, dry mouth, fatigue, headache, dizziness1. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, the chances are a sauna will only make this worse.
- Listen to your body. The best for a cold is one of rest, and helping your body along with gentle support (like short saunas, over-the-counter medications, steam inhalation with essential oils, and plenty of water). Your body knows what it needs, and if a sauna isn’t it, then skip the sauna. You’ll only put additional stress on your already compromised immune system.
Final Assessment: Is a sauna good for a cold?
The debate rages on about whether a sauna is good for a cold, and may point to the fact that the experience is highly subjective in sauna users. Reports on the topic agree that there is insufficient evidence to prove that the sauna shortens the illness or has a significant impact on symptoms. However, the potential relief of muscle aches and pains, decongestion, and increased relaxation can make things more comfortable for people during illness.
On community threads, like those found on Reddit, there are mixed reports about using a sauna when you are sick. They report that it is beneficial for easing breathing and helps to relax sore muscles. However, there are cautions about using saunas when experiencing a high fever.
If you would like to enjoy the benefits of a sauna all year round (not just when you have a cold), you can explore our range of modern outdoor garden saunas.
FAQs: Is a sauna good for a cold?
1. Is it good to go to the sauna when you’re sick?
Saunas can be good for temporarily relieving mild cold symptoms such as congestion, sore throat, and muscle aches. However, it is important that you are well hydrated before using the sauna because dehydration and overheating can make you feel worse (even when your cold symptoms are mild). Keep sauna sessions between 5-10 minutes, at lower temperatures. The sauna should be avoided if you have a fever, chills, or severe flu symptoms.
2. Is taking a hot shower the same as having a sauna for a cold?
Inhaling hot steam from a shower can also help loosen mucus, soothe body aches, and promote relaxation during a cold. However, a shower and a sauna differ significantly in temperature and the amount of moist air they produce. Saunas operate at around 65-90 degrees Celsius, while a shower is much cooler at 37-49 degrees Celsius.
3. Can a sauna cure my cold?
No, unfortunately, a sauna cannot cure colds any more than over-the-counter medications. The common cold currently has no known cure, and will run its course in 7-10 days. During this time, you can use a sauna to greatly increase your discomfort by promoting sweating, inducing improved circulation, and supporting immune function. The sauna will mainly help with symptom relief, calming some of the unpleasant cold symptoms that come with a viral infection.
4. Can I go to the public sauna when I have a cold?
While a sauna benefits those who have mild cold symptoms, it is not advisable to visit a public sauna when you’re sick. An infected person can spread cold viruses up to 10 days after getting ill, and these viruses spread rapidly in enclosed spaces. Even if you are careful, you run the risk of infecting others. Try taking a hot shower/bath at home, and using a humidifier (to increase moist air and relieve congestion).
References:
1. Dehydration: Symptoms & Causes.
