SaunaScape

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Sick? Then stay out of the Sauna!

Posted on December 14th, 2010 by Chris in Sauna Benefits, tags: flu, health, sauna, sick, Spa Week, Steam room

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Spa Week Daily recently posted “Seven Reasons NOT to Spa When You’re Sick.” Since its the time of year when runny noses, colds and flus are making their rounds, we thought that this would be worth sharing here.

We’ve already covered how regular sauna visits can help keep you from getting sick, but what happens when you’ve succumbed to that cold? A trip to the steam room might be just what you need to clear the creeping crud out of your head.

Not true according to Spa Week.

Rapid temperature shifts going into and out of hot rooms like saunas and steam rooms are just going to weaken you further than the cold already has. Possibly to the point where you might faint.

The idea that you can “sweat out a cold” is a myth. Germs don’t respond to it, so why tempt them?

Finally, if you’re going to a public sauna, with your weakened immune system, your body is more likely to catch other germs that other people are carrying around the facility. There are thousands of viruses that are floating around out there. Nothing is worse than getting one strain of cold after another.

And of course, don’t forget the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If you’re sick, you don’t want to be spreading your germs around to all the other patrons there.

So when the sniffles strike, stay home, rest and use a steaming bowl of chicken soup to help clear your head. Save the sauna for after you’re better.

Spa Week Daily

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 at 10:27 am and is filed under Sauna Benefits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Sweaty

Bollocks! Just do it! You will feel better. Just dont cough without covering your mouth . Lots of water while you are in there.
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lily

If you’re talking public saunas, OK yes, but otherwise I don’t agree with this advice. Of course a lot depends on the type of ailment/disease you’ve picked up, but if you have your own sauna and you feel up to it you can definitely benefit from the hot steam. A hot sauna may not kill germs on the floor and benches but it kills off a good many bacteria and viruses in your body, especially in the respirotary tract. My Finnish grandfather used to say: if a sauna doesn’t help, nothing will : )
- http://www.saunascape.com Saunascape
  
  Yes, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that a sauna can help you “sweat out a cold,” but when you look at clinical studies, you are better off staying out of the heat while you’re sick. The stress on your body, the heat and dehydration all can make you stay sicker longer.
  
  Now, if you’ve got your own sauna, it can help you relieve some symptoms, especially crud in your throat. So your grandfather may be right about that.
Vicki

I’m 33 never had the Flu before, just started using the sauna at my gym! I came down with the Flu! I can’t help but wonder if I contracted it from the sauna! Is there a special way they should clean the sauna! Or is it more of a possibility, that I contracted it from one of the machines?
- http://www.saunascape.com Saunascape
  
  You probably got the flu from another person near you. According to the CDC, the flu virus is most commonly spread when someone near you coughs or sneezes. They can be up to 6 feet (1.8m) away. The flu virus lives on surfaces for only 2-6 hours. Many flu viruses can be killed at sauna temperatures.
  
  If you were in the sauna with someone else who had the flu, this would be a really quick way to transmit it. While in the sauna, your respiratory tract can become more susceptible to the flu.
  
  Thanks for commenting. Hope you get well soon.