There is no question that saunas are wildly beneficial in the treatment of very specific disorders as well as for overall health, and potentially longevity.There are over 12,000 studies that have been published in peer reviewed journals that tout the benefits of sauna, including the regular use of saunas to decrease all-cause mortality. There are a few instances where saunas are not safe to use.
It is surprising for some individuals to hear that even those with heart conditions may benefit from regular sauna use, as well as several other conditions for which one may believe there to be strong contraindications against the use of saunas, but in fact find that the reverse is true. Aside from temporary states such as pregnancy, childhood, or male fertility for example, saunas seem to be safe for most people, most of the time. There is one condition that occurs in very few individuals globally, and for those with this active disorder should avoid saunas at all costs.
So, what is this condition? Known medically as Anhidrosis is a condition in which the body makes either little or no sweat at all. While rare, if you do have Anhidrosis, then you should avoid saunas, and all instances where the body will be exposed to extreme heat. (1)
What Is Anhidrosis?
Anhidrosis is simply the inability to produce perspiration, therefore cool the body off and self regulate temperature. Humans are rare among mammals in that we all sweat as our primary mechanism to cool off. For instance, our furry friends, the dog, cannot sweat and therefore must depend upon panting to release built up heat in the body. So, by virtue of our sweat glands we are able to self regulate internal temperature when exposed to high heat.
This difference that separates humans from other animals allows us to leverage heat as a healing tool as seen in saunas. The hormetic effect of heat exposure for a controlled amount of time and temperature allows the human body to harness all of the positive biological effects of heat exposure and therefore sweating.
The real issue for a very few individuals is this. What if you cannot sweat?
Anhidrosis is not a specific disease, but rather the circumstances that result from specific disease, medications, or life circumstances that cause a person to be unable to sweat. This is an umbrella term to describe the outcome of little to no sweat. In some instances, individuals are born without sweat glands, but this is a very rare occurrence. Many individuals may believe that they don’t sweat, but in reality they sweat less than most, and less readily, but still are able to sweat.
It is important to receive a proper diagnosis from a medical professional to find out if you have any diseases, or genetic mutations that would lead to the inability to sweat. If you do, then you must not use a sauna ever!
If Anhidrosis is associated with a genetic condition it is lifelong; however if you are taking a medication that is impeding your ability to sweat, if you stop the ingestion of this medication sweat glands will return to their normal function.
It is very important to determine why you are not sweating before deciding on any specific action. According to a paper published in the National Library of Medicine entitled ‘Anhidrosis’, there are many causes for this condition:
“A rare condition in which the sweat glands make little or no sweat. It can affect the whole body or a small part of the body. Anhidrosis may be caused by severe burns, radiation, infection, inflammation, or other injuries to the skin. It may also be caused by certain medicines and some conditions that affect the skin, nerves, connective tissue, or sweat glands. It may be inherited as part of a genetic condition or develop later in life. Also called hypohidrosis.” (1)
If you are in any of the latter categories, for example have damage to a section of skin, from a burn for instance, then it is still okay to sauna as you will still be able to cool the body off through perspiration from the rest of the skin that is not affected by the scar tissue. Therefore you will not be putting your body into a dangerously high heat situation.
Here are three conditions that are not temporary. If you have any of them you should most likely skip sauna use altogether for safety sake.
Horner Syndrome:
“Horner syndrome is one of the causes of anhidrosis and is an uncommon condition, occurring with a frequency of approximately 1 per 6,000. It may occur at any age or with any ethnic group.” (1)
Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia:
“…patients either do not have eccrine sweat glands or are sparse and rudimentary. In the US, the prevalence of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia is estimated to be 1 per 100,000 births. Internationally, the prevalence is reported at 7 cases per 10,000 births.” (1)
Naegeli-Franceschetti-Jadassohn (NFJ) Syndrome
“Naegeli-Franceschetti-Jadassohn (NFJ) syndrome is also a rare cause of anhidrosis and is reported to have an international prevalence of around 1 case in 2-4 million population.Fabry disease is another disorder where there is a lack of sweat glands, and its prevalence has been observed to be 1 per 40,000 people.There are many other disorders that present with anhidrosis and have variable epidemiological indicators.” (1)
As you can see, the chances of having an underlying, unchanging condition that causes Anhidrosis is highly unlikely, however it does occur. If you fall under these categories, it is very important to ensure that you do not get too hot ever. This means exercising in climate controlled environments, and avoiding heat altogether. The inability to sweat, if the body is heated, can cause loss of life.
If you are taking medications that interfere with your ability to sweat and you want to use a sauna, then it is important that you consult with your medical practitioner to ensure that it is safe to stop using your medication.
A List of Drugs That Interfere With the Ability to Sweat:
- Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists such as hexamethonium and trimethaphan
- Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists such as atropine or scopolamine
- Calcium channel blockers
- Alpha-adrenergic blockers such as phentolamine
- Alpha2-adrenergic agonists such as clonidine
- 5-fluorouracil
- Topiramate
- Zonisamide
- Quinacrine” (1)
There may be more than are mentioned above, so please consult with your doctor to find out if any of your medications are interfering with the ability to sweat.
Can Someone Living With Anhidrosis Still Benefit From Thermal Therapy?
There are many health benefits associated with harnessing the thermoregulatory system that are induced from high heat as well as low temperatures. Both heat and cold exposure induce the production of heat shock proteins, encourage ameliorated circulation, improve mood, and enhance overall well being.
Regardless of the cause of your Anhidrosis, or inability to sweat, you may want to consider cold therapy. This can mean an ice bath, accessing a cold plunge, or simply taking a cold shower.
According to Dr. Susanna Soberg, founder of the Soberg Institute and expert in the field of contrast therapy, spending just 11 minutes in cold exposure a week can amplify mood, resilience, immunity, circulation, mitochondrial biogenesis, and heat shock protein production.(2) The good news is that you can benefit from all of this without sweating, and without accessing a cold plunge or ice bath. Even if you can spend 11 minutes a week in a cold shower you will benefit from many of the health upgrades associated with heat therapy.
While, it is clearly difficult to live with Anhidrosis, and not optimal, if you do find yourself in this unfortunate situation, but would still like to try thermal therapy, then consider turning to the cold.
Anhidrosis is a Condition That Mandates a Complete Abstinence From Sauna
If you are having trouble sweating or have never dealt with heat very well, it is important to consult with a physician to find out if there is an underlying condition. If you are experiencing Anhidrosis it is very important to find out why. You may be among the very few who are genetically unable to sweat, or you simply may not sweat easily, or perhaps your medication is prohibiting your sweat glands from functioning properly.
Once you know why you are not able to sweat it will enable you to make the appropriate decisions for your lifestyle. Anhidrosis cannot be taken lightly because the inability to cool the body off through perspiration can result in the overheating of the body, which in some cases can be terminal.
If you have permanent Anhidrosis, or if you are unable to get off the medication that is causing it, you may want to consider using a cold plunge, or other cold therapy instead of a sauna to receive many of the same benefits as sauna bathing.
Please take caution if you do not sweat, or sweat minimally and consult a certified medical doctor to find out why. Do not ever use a sauna if you are living with Anhidrosis.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555988/
- https://soeberginstitute.com/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11165553/
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15891-anhidrosis-lack-of-sweat
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/300216/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11165553/
