People use the sauna for many different reasons, from relaxing tired and sore muscles to improving blood flow and flushing out toxins and viruses from the body.
Moreover, studies show that sitting in the sauna can help with stuffy nose, headaches, sore throat, coughing, and breathing problems, which are common flu symptoms.
So, that all leads to the subject of this article—can a sauna kill the flu virus? Can a sauna session helps relieve cold symptoms? Well, for the most part, yes. Sauna exposure is not 100% proven to kill the flu virus. But, relaxing in a sauna may help fight the flu by minimizing common symptoms and boosting immune system function.
Read more to find out about the benefits of a sauna for flu and what a sauna session can do to reduce the risk of getting sick.
Why Use a Sauna When Sick With the Flu?
Getting sick with the flu is never fun. And while the flu often gets better on its own, it causes symptoms like body aches, headaches, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, breathing problems, and coughing, among others. But something can help when you’re sick with the flu—relaxing in the sauna.
There are various reasons why using a sauna when you’re sick with the flu is a good idea. Heat therapy is a century-old method and remains one of the most used methods to control and eliminate pathogens. And sauna heat exposure in the sauna has varying effects on the body. For example, sitting in the sauna promotes better blood circulation and alleviates aches and pains in joints and muscles brought on by the flu virus. Sauna exposure also promotes dopamine and beta-endorphin levels, helping with pain management and fatigue.
In addition, sauna home benefits include stimulating white blood cell production. All in all, helping improve your immune system and protects you against illnesses and diseases.
And depending on the type of sauna used, whether dry vs. wet sauna, it may help with the flu and ease certain symptoms.
For example:
- Traditional saunas (with 5% to 10% humidity) are great for detoxification and decreasing pulmonary congestion. And the increased blood flow helps alleviate muscle soreness from the flu. Additionally, regular traditional Finnish sauna use can increase white blood cells and lymphocyte levels, helping boost the immune system and fight off diseases.
- Infrared saunas (0% humidity) can help alleviate muscle soreness and kill bacteria and viruses. Since infrared saunas operate at around 120°F to 140°F, they can penetrate deeper tissue layers and easily increase your core body temperature.
- Steam saunas (with nearly 100% humidity levels) are excellent in reducing sinus symptoms. The elevated humidity levels in a steam room help loosen and flush out mucus from airways and relieve irritated respiratory systems.
Is a Sauna Good for the Flu Virus?
Sitting in a sauna isn’t a guarantee that you will get over a cold or the flu. But, reputed evidence suggests that a sauna can help you overcome flu symptoms, speed up your recovery from the flu, and reduce its occurrence.
A Sauna Can Help Fight a Cold or Flu Virus
Is sauna good for the flu? The shortest answer is yes. Exposing the upper airways to high heat, like during sauna bathing, inhibits complete infectious virus particles called virions. Sitting inside the sauna at 45°C (113°F) for 20 minutes is proven to suppress rhinovirus replication by over 90%.
In addition, inhaling the hot, humid air inside the sauna opens up the airways, helping fight symptoms like a stuffy nose caused by the flu virus. Heat stress from sauna use also further help fight the flu virus by boosting the immune system.
And based on a trial of 25 volunteers, regular sauna bathing reduced the incidence of common colds in half.
A Sauna Can Reduce the Risk of Getting Sick
The high heat inside a sauna has impressive effects on the body. For one, it raises your core body temperature, mimicking a fever state. And as uncomfortable as a fever is, the increase in body temperature is key in fighting off infections and viruses that cause you to become even more sick.
So, does sauna help with sickness? Yes, because a sauna help boosts your immunity. By inducing mild heat stress and heating your body from within, elevating your core temperature, a sauna session can help fight against bacteria and viruses. In fact, a study on heat as a therapeutic intervention states that hyperthermia induced by sauna use enhances immune defenses, giving you greater resistance against viral infections.
In other words, a sauna can help build your immunity and improve your body’s resilience against future exposure to diseases.
Saunas Offer Many Other Health Benefits
Sitting in a sauna goes a long way in relaxing tired muscles and an overworked mind. But beyond its use for relaxation, a good sweat session has a host of other remarkable benefits to enhance overall health and wellness. Evidence suggests the positive effects of sauna bathing on people with acute or chronic cardiovascular diseases.
Habitual sauna use can help modulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of hypertension. Additionally, an increase in sauna bathing habits can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death. But beyond the positive effects of sauna use on vascular health, it’s also associated with improved nonvascular conditions. For example, sauna bathing helps improve lung function, easing symptoms of asthma and chronic bronchitis and reducing risks of pulmonary diseases.
Other home sauna benefits that you can expect from regular sauna use may include:
- Increased blood flow due to heat stress
- Lower inflammation in the body
- Reduced muscle and joint pain or stiffness
- Improved physical performance
- Boosted immune function
- Reduced risk of neurocognitive diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
When Not to Use a Sauna
All in all, going into the sauna when sick with the flu can help minimize symptoms. However, sauna and flu may not be a good combination for certain people. For example, you might want to reconsider sitting in a sauna if you have the flu if:
- You have low blood pressure.
- You’ve had a heart attack.
- You’ve been drinking alcohol.
- You’re pregnant.
- You’re severely sick.
- You have kidney issues.
- You’re taking certain medications like blood-pressure-lowering drugs, diuretics, and other medications that can cause dizziness.
With the high temperatures in the sauna, there are always risks of heat discomfort, dehydration, low blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, and fainting. So, for some people with pre-existing conditions and health complications, you may feel worse after using an infrared sauna or any sauna, really.
Conclusion
Can a sauna kill the flu virus? It’s not so simple. According to compelling studies, saunas do have fantastic benefits in lessening symptoms commonly associated with the flu. It can help minimize fatigue and achiness and open airways, making it easier to breathe if experiencing congestion symptoms from the flu. Moreover, the sauna can help fight the flu by boosting your body’s immune function, speeding up your recovery.
That said, using a sauna doesn’t guarantee you will get over the flu. So, while sauna therapy can be a preventative measure against the flu by boosting your immune system, it is not a magical cure if you’re already sick.
Also, always proceed with caution when using a sauna if you’re not feeling well. Sweating inside the sauna may increase dehydration risk and worsen your illness. It’s also important to mention that when using a sauna to help with flu symptoms, it’s best to use a personal or an at-home sauna instead of using a public sauna. This way, you can limit the spread of germs and viruses.
