You may be used to going to the sauna to heal various ailments. But it seems nausea is not one of them.
Sauna is not good for nausea. Heat and humidity make nausea worse. The sauna can also cause nausea on its own if you’re dehydrated or if the sauna is too hot, among other reasons. If you just can’t stay away from the sauna, the infrared sauna is your best bet due to its low temperature and humidity.
Read on to find out why the sauna isn’t recommended for nausea!
Can the sauna help with nausea?
We know the sauna is good for a lot of things. Nearly everything, really! Well, unfortunately, we’ve found an exception.
The sauna can not help with nausea and is not recommended when you’re feeling nauseous. Heat makes nausea worse, and saunas are hot! Your body even tries to cool itself down when you’re nauseous. Likewise, humidity can increase nausea too because it makes it harder for your body to cool off.
The sauna does not help with nausea. Heat often makes nausea worse, so that’s already a major con.
In fact, your body tries to cool itself off when you’re nauseous from motion sickness.
High humidity can also make nausea worse, so steam rooms are especially unhelpful. This is because humidity makes our bodies work even harder to cool off. Hence why the temperature feels hotter than it actually is when it’s humid out!
Can saunas cause nausea?
If you’ve left the sauna feeling woozy, you’re not alone.
Saunas can cause nausea if you don’t drink enough water, if you haven’t eaten enough food, if the sauna is too hot and dry, or if you have low blood pressure.
Saunas can cause nausea.
Here are some possible reasons behind sauna nausea:
- Dehydration
- Lack of food in your system
- Sauna too hot and dry
- Low blood pressure
Typical causes of nausea
Where does nausea come from?
Typical causes of nausea are pregnancy, stress, overheating, indigestion, viruses, and unpleasant odors.
Some typical causes of nausea include:
- Pregnancy
- Stress
- Overheating
- Indigestion
- Viruses
- Odors
Typical remedies for nausea
Let’s talk about some nausea treatments.
Typical remedies for nausea include cold drinks, bland foods, drinking slowly, avoiding alcohol, drinking mint or ginger tea, using Dramamine, and using Emetrol.
Some typical remedies for nausea include:
- Cold drinks
- Bland foods
- Drink slowly
- Avoid alcohol
- Mint or ginger tea
- Dramamine
- Emetrol
Which type of sauna works best to improve nausea?
So are any saunas good for nausea?
Although it’s not recommended, if you really want to use the sauna while you’re nauseous then your best bet is the infrared sauna. Infrared saunas have the lowest heat and humidity.
Infrared saunas are the best type of sauna when you’re nauseous because of the low humidity and heat.
However, they still aren’t recommended. Try to keep it short and sweet with a low temp.
Traditional sauna and nausea
If you just can’t stay away, what should you do?
If you have nausea, try to limit your time in the traditional dry sauna and keep the humidity and temperature low. If you find yourself feeling nauseous in the traditional dry sauna, hop out, drink some cold water, and eat a light snack.
People usually use the traditional dry sauna for three sessions a week at 15 minutes per session.
Although 15 minutes doesn’t seem long, it can be pretty unbearable if you’re very nauseous. Limit your time and listen to your body, keeping the temperature and humidity low.
Infrared sauna and nausea
The infrared sauna is your best option, although still not recommended.
If you have nausea, try to limit your time in the infrared sauna and keep the humidity and temperature low. If you find yourself feeling nauseous in the infrared sauna, hop out, drink some cold water, and eat a light snack.
Usually, people use infrared saunas three times a week at 30 minutes per session.
Now if you’re experiencing nausea, the infrared sauna is your best bet due to its low humidity and heat. However, 30 minutes is a very long time and you should aim for something closer to 5.
Steam rooms and nausea
Unfortunately, steam rooms and nausea don’t mix.
If you have nausea, try to limit your time in the steam room and keep the humidity and temperature low. If you find yourself feeling nauseous in the steam room, hop out, drink some cold water, and eat a light snack.
The normal protocol is to use a steam room three times a week at 15 minutes per session.
If you’re going through a bout of nausea, that’s going to be way too much for you. This is especially pertinent to steam rooms because your body will have trouble cooling itself down.
(Why, you ask? It’s harder for sweat to evaporate off of your body when the air is already at 100% humidity!)
So if you’re an avid fan of steam rooms and just can’t stand to take a break, at least take it easy and keep the temperature on the lower side.
Final conclusions – is sauna good for nausea?
Let’s sum things up.
Saunas are not good for nausea. Heat makes nausea worse. The sauna can also make you nauseous on its own for multiple reasons, such as not having enough food in your belly or getting dehydrated.
Our advice? Wait until you feel better!