There is no denying that there are a lot of benefits that come with spending time in the sauna. One of the most popular benefits of the sauna is detoxifying your body which will help get rid of any toxins. This can manifest in different ways such as sweating, urinating, or pooping. Which in turn begs the question, can infrared sauna cause diarrhea?
There have been reports of people experiencing diarrhea or an upset stomach after using the infrared sauna. Diarrhea and an upset stomach are both linked to side effects of detoxifying the body. Detoxification is one of the main benefits of sitting in the infrared sauna. Having bowel movements after the sauna is normal but is not very common.
Keep reading to learn more about the specifics of whether infrared sauna can cause diarrhea or upset stomach.
Do some people get diarrhea after using an infrared sauna?
Infrared saunas use electromagnetic radiation from infrared lamps to warm your body directly as opposed to heating the air like traditional saunas. With temperatures that can get up to 150°F, it can get quite hot inside infrared saunas but it is seen as a tool to heal deep tissue and detoxify.
One of the manifestations of your body getting rid of toxins is through passing stool or diarrhea. If you are experiencing diarrhea symptoms, your cells will be more catabolic and excess cellular breakdown will take place.
There have been cases of infrared sauna usage causing upset stomach or diarrhea because your liver or bowels are highly active during the detoxification process. However, this is more on the extreme side of detoxification and if you are only inside the sauna for 15-30 minutes, you might not even feel these after-effects.
Keep reading to find out how your time in the infrared sauna and the detoxifying effects can affect your digestion.
Infrared sauna and digestion
Using the infrared sauna a few times a week helps with digestive disorders and can prevent irritation/inflammation around the digestive tract. When your digestive tract gets inflamed and irritated, you will experience bowel movements similar to diarrhea or an upset stomach.
People with chronic digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome and reflux disease will benefit from the infrared sauna because it can help with the irritation in your digestive tract.
If you have digestive issues, it is recommended to hydrate yourself before, during, and after your sauna session. Some people also tend to stretch before or after their sauna session because it will help your body get the blood pumping and will make your mind feel at ease.
Infrared sauna and bowel movements
Most people probably assume that all of the toxins released during a sauna session are sweated out, but is that actually true?
Toxins released during your time in the sauna may be released through sweat, urine, or stool. Because of this, some people with digestive disorders may see benefits from undergoing infrared sauna sessions because it helps prevent inflammation in the digestive tract.
That being said, having diarrhea or bowel movements after a sauna session can happen but does not occur often. There is no doubt that you will sweat a lot inside the infrared sauna and this will help you remove the toxins in your body. This is why it is important to stay hydrated during your sauna session to avoid getting dehydrated.
Is diarrhea linked to detoxification in the infrared sauna?
The word “detox” means undergoing treatment to remove toxins and impurities from your body. Regularly detoxing your body is important so that your body can work efficiently and make sure that the biochemical processes work well.
Using an infrared sauna is beneficial because it encourages sweating which is a healthy and natural way of detoxifying. Even medical professionals are recommending saunas because it is a great alternative to other forms of medicine.
Having diarrhea as a sign of detoxification is one of the more extreme cases and does not happen often especially after using the sauna. You are more than likely to sweat out the toxins as opposed to having bowel movements after the sauna.
Do infrared saunas release toxins?
Infrared saunas help increase your body temperature which mimics your body’s natural mechanism to boost and protect your immune system. This is one of the best ways that your body can get rid of toxins, bacteria, and viruses.
Saunas help you sweat and can release toxins and impurities from your body. Your body’s primary organs that are used for detoxifying are the liver and kidneys.
Some research states that 15-20% of the sweat you produce while in the sauna is made of heavy metals, ammonia, cholesterol, and sulfuric acid. This means that being in the infrared sauna enables the release of toxins through sweating.