Waking up to a bloated body is not pleasant. Puffy under-eyes, engorged tummy, or swollen ankles are just some signs that your body may be retaining fluid. Many times a few simple lifestyle adjustments can help to manage abnormal fluid retention. Taking a sauna seems like a really good way of eliminating excessive fluid in the body to reduce a bloated appearance, but does this really work? The answer to this question is more nuanced than it may appear at first glance.
Provided there is not a serious underlying medical condition causing the fluid retention, which sadly can be the case, in general saunas can help to alleviate bloating but not for the reasons that you may think. The act of taking a sauna engages many aspects of human physiology, and in doing so helps to ameliorate many different systems in the body that can assist in the removal of excessive fluid retention.
The fluid lost during a sauna as a result of perspiration is only temporary and will not last long, nor will it help to truly relieve the body of habitual bloating. If you have an upcoming event and would like to shed some excessive fluid for a few hours, then yes, a sauna will likely help with this provided you are well hydrated.
If you are looking for a more reliable means of avoiding habitual bloating, it is important to sauna regularly and examine the underlying biological mechanisms that occur during a sauna that help to eliminate retained bodily fluid.
Find out what bloating actually is, and if your body is holding on to fluid for reasons that can be addressed with sauna therapy, or if there are potentially serious underlying issues that require medical attention. Finally find out if there is one type of sauna, or method of using a sauna that is more effective than another at reducing water retention.
Learn how you can use saunas to regulate fluid retention for single events, or on a long term basis by ameliorating key systems in the body responsible for the disposal of unnecessary fluid.
What is Bloating and What Causes Bloating to Occur?
Feeling bloated is deeply uncomfortable and can affect the texture of the skin, how someone appears, and even mobility. There are a plethora of reasons and causes for why someone would experience fluid retention. Sadly, at times underlying conditions that may be causing excessive swelling in the body are serious and require immediate medical attention. This is not always the case and many times a few simple lifestyle adjustments can help release excessive fluid in the body.
Someone may say that they feel ‘bloated’ and this may refer to just the abdomen, or the full body. Fluid or water retention is referred to medically as oedema, or edema. (1)
According to a publication from the Mayo clinic entitled ‘Edema’ (2), the authors define this condition in these words.
“Edema is swelling caused by too much fluid trapped in the body’s tissues. Edema can affect any part of the body. But it’s more likely to show up in the legs and feet.” (2)
This same article continues to define the symptoms of edema efficiently here.
“Symptoms of edema include:
- Swelling or puffiness of the tissue right under the skin, especially in legs or arms.
- Stretched or shiny skin.
- Skin that holds a dimple, also known as pitting, after it’s been pressed for a few seconds.
- Swelling of the belly, also called the abdomen, so that it’s bigger than usual.
- Feeling of leg heaviness.”
Some causes of fluid retention may range from premenstrual symptoms, pregnancy, travel, a disrupted endocrine system, excessive stress, malnutrition, a salty diet, lack of protein, a sedentary period of time in one’s life, a lack of efficient lymphatic drainage, or chronic inflammation. Aside from pregnancy and malnutrition, the use of a sauna may help to relieve the above mentioned causes for edema.
There are times when edema is present and immediate medical attention should be sought, as it could be a sign of a much more serious condition. For example, if shortness of breath, pain in the chest, or an irregular heartbeat is present alongside fluid retention you should seek emergency medical attention. (2)
Other serious causes of bloating may include:
- “Congestive Heart Failure
- Kidney Disease or Failure
- Liver Damage
- Lymphedema
- Severe Lung Diseases” (3)
If you know that you are not currently suffering from any of these previously mentioned more serious diseases, you may want to consider using a sauna to support systems in the body that help to regulate fluid retention.
Sauna Use to Regulate Fluid Retention, or Systemic Bloating
- Cortisol Regulation
- Inflammation Reduction
- Lymphatic System Support
- Mimic Aerobic Exercise
- Improve Circulation
- Relaxation of the Digestive Tract
- Relieve PMS Symptoms
A single sauna session may release significant amounts of fluid, but this will not alleviate fluid retention for more than a few hours, and is not the reason to use a sauna to help reduce bloating. Sauna use can positively affect fluid retention in many ways by addressing the health of specific systems and tissues in the body that regulate the disposal of unnecessary fluid.
The use of a traditional sauna, a steam room, or an infrared sauna are all acceptable sauna types to address the primary causes of non-lethal fluid retention. Given the numerous causes of fluid retention, it should be noted that sauna use cannot help with all root causes. For example if you are swollen due to protein insufficiency, it is best to consume protein, or if you have been traveling by air, then the use of a sauna may help to reduce water retention, but is not necessary.
There are very real ways that sauna use can support specific systems in the body to reduce swelling on a daily basis.
Cortisol Regulation, Chronic Stress, Abdominal Bloating, and Sauna Use
- Use a sauna 2 hours before bed to ensure a positive night sleep and ultimately help reduce late night cortisol levels that can keep an individual awake and vigilant.
A dysregulated 24 hour cortisol cycle can cause excessive bloating in the abdominal region. An individual can be doing everything ‘right’ in their life, but still be unable to lose the flesh tire around the midriff. This ‘cortisol belly’ can be upsetting if you are someone who exercises regularly and eats a healthy diet. The reality is that long term stress for any reason may be the cause for the large belly.
Cortisol is a necessary hormone for human survival and should not be vilified, but rather an examination into the contents of one’s life that may be causing excessive release of stress hormones should be examined and addressed. Chronic stress for professional reasons, relational disruptions, grief, difficult life circumstances, or any number of reasons that would cause stress in one’s life can disrupt cortisol secretion.
The goal is to ensure that cortisol is at its highest in the morning, and at its very lowest before bed. (4) When cortisol levels are high at night it can feel impossible to sleep as this hormone is released out into the body to maintain vigilance. To help regulate cortisol levels, take a sauna within 2 hours before bed. This will help to initiate a positive night’s sleep in two ways. Relax the body and draw the nervous system out of states of stress response and back into states of relaxation. Additionally, the late evening sauna will elevate the core temperature of the body so that as the individual falls asleep the internal temperature can drop. This dropping of core temperature allows the body to ‘fall’ asleep.
In addition to taking a sauna in the evening, make sure that in the mornings you engage your cortisol by going outside, moving around, and being active. This early morning active use of the cortisol will help to initiate a positive 24 hour cycle so that by the evening your cortisol levels are dropping down as low as possible.
By regulating cortisol levels the abdominal swelling that is experienced from heightened levels of cortisol will diminish over time. So, by addressing a dysregulated cortisol cycle with a sauna it is possible to reduce abdominal swelling.
Reduce Chronic Inflammation With a Sauna
- The physical experience of the heat from a sauna releases anti-inflammatory cytokines to decrease chronic inflammation.
If your bloating is caused by chronic inflammation then regular use of a sauna can definitely help to reduce swelling. As an individual experiences a sauna session the thermoregulatory system of the body is engaged, and this process enlists a cascade of biochemical reactions within the body. One such reaction is the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines. (5)
Saunas are among the most effective non-pharmacological means of reducing inflammation within the body and brain. ‘C-reactive protein’ is a blood marker for systemic inflammation, and studies have found that with increased sauna use, this marker is dramatically reduced. The authors of the paper entitled ‘Sauna bathing and systemic inflammation’ (5) published by the National Library of Medicine describe both the study as well as the results in this statement.
“C-reactive protein is a leading blood marker of systemic inflammation. The study consisted of 2084 men (42-60 years) without acute or chronic inflammation. A total of 533 (25.6%), 1368 (65.6%), and 183 (8.8%) participants reported having a sauna bath once a week, 2-3 times, and 4-7 times per week; mean serum C-reactive protein levels were 2.41 (standard deviation 2.91), 2.00 (2.41), 1.65 (1.63) mmol/L, respectively. In a multivariable analysis adjusted for baseline age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, smoking, type 2 diabetes, previous myocardial infarction, and serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol, alcohol consumption and physical activity, there was a significant inverse association between the frequency of sauna bathing and the level of C-reactive protein.” (5)
If you feel that chronic inflammation is the cause of your water retention, rest assured there is plenty of well documented evidence to support the use of a sauna to reduce inflammation, and therefore fluid retention in the body.
Lymphatic System Support With a Sauna: Lymphatic Drainage From Infrared Sauna Use
- A full spectrum infrared sauna has been shown to be more effective for lymphatic drainage than other sauna types. The saunas should be taken consistently throughout the week to support the lymphatic system.
The big player in the game of water retention is none other than the lymphatic system. Literally, one of its primary functions is the removal of excess fluid buildup within the body. So, if your lymphatic system is not functioning at its maximum capacity consider supporting it with an infrared sauna, ideally, but any sauna will help.
It has been found that taking a full spectrum infrared sauna that includes red light therapy elicits positive changes in the lymphatic system. (6) This is in part due to the positive changes that occur within the mitochondria in response to the phototherapy from the combination of red and infrared light known as photobiomodulation.
Lymphatic health is positively affected by exposure to an infrared sauna for two reasons: Increased blood flow and circulation as well as improved mitochondrial function. (6)
Through the process of photobiomodulation, mitochondrial metabolism is improved. In so doing every cell of the body experiences ameliorated health, including those cells that are existing within the lymphatic system.
When the lymphatic system is operating at its best it will effectively remove any excess fluid quickly and efficiently and therefore reduce bloating.
Aerobic Exercise and Improved Circulation For Individuals Unable to Exercise
- A sauna session mimics aerobic exercise for those who are unable to exercise. Activation of the cardiovascular system improves circulation to help reduce inflammation and swelling.
Swelling of the body, or bloating, can occur from an excessively sedentary lifestyle. Most individuals who are forced to live without exercise are unable to do so for physical reasons. Aerobic exercise can improve circulation dramatically and help eliminate excessive fluid retention in the body.
So, how does a sauna session mimic exercise? By virtue of stimulating the thermoregulatory system to cool the body off from the heat of the sauna, the cardiovascular system is recruited to begin the cooling down process via perspiration. This act of cooling the body down requires an activation of the aerobic system in a dramatic way, such that it is comparable to mild exercise such as jogging, swimming, or cycling.
Improved circulation will inevitably lead to a release in swelling or fluid retention. If you are unable to exercise due to a limitation of the physical body, or perhaps to inclement weather (for example, months of cold and icy streets), consider using a sauna as an aerobic exercise alternative, and therefore help to release excessive fluid retention in the body.
Relaxation of the Digestive Tract: Relax the Nervous System with Sauna Use
- A relaxed digestive tract will release the bloating of the abdomen quickly and easily. So, relax your whole body in a sauna to reduce swelling of the abdomen caused by tension in the digestive system.
If your bloating is primarily in the abdomen it may be due to a tensing of the digestive tract. Bloating is the most commonly reported digestive issue, and can often be easily rectified. (8) Strangely, saunas can actually aid in digestion and eliminate excessive gas throughout the digestive system. Many individuals associate saunas with deep relaxation, and they are absolutely correct to do so.
The body’s reaction to a sauna works directly with the autonomic nervous system. The heat from a sauna after a certain period of time will soften the nervous system and gently guide it out of states of stress response and back into states of relaxation and recovery.
It may be surprising that by relaxing the entire body in a sauna that the digestive tract will also relax. As this occurs there will be a noticeable reduction in the previously experienced bloating in the abdomen.
Actively finding ways to relax the body will dramatically improve the swelling of the digestive tract due to unreleased gas. (8)
Preparing for an Event: Water Lost From Sweat Will Only Temporarily Reduce the Sensation of Bloating
Regular sauna use addresses many of the root causes of bloating, swelling, or fluid retention which is done by improving the health of essential physiological systems, organs, and tissues. If you are looking for a temporary fix to your bloating you can still use a sauna, but it is a temporary solution, and to truly reap the benefits of a sauna, sessions need to be frequent and consistent.
If you wake up the day of an important event and find that you are retaining fluid either throughout the body, or simply feel bloated through the abdomen, you can take a sauna to reduce water retention. This will not last more than a few hours but will help with temporary relief of bloating.
Saunas are a great way to prepare for an important event not only to reduce bloating, but also because you will be left with glowing skin after your sauna session. The reality is that saunas are a great tool for enhancing beauty on the day of a special event. Whether it is an important talk, a wedding, presentation, or even just a date, consider using a sauna to reduce bloating and increase your overall glow.
For anyone using a sauna regularly, hydration is very important. This means maintaining excellent hydration before, during and after each sauna session. Fluid intake should include electrolytes and essential minerals.
Contraindications:
Bloating, swelling, edema, or fluid retention may be a sign of a very serious medical condition. Please seek emergency medical assistance if your fluid retention is accompanied by pain or stiffness in the chest, or if the swelling is extreme and excessive.
Saunas should only be used to reduce fluid retention in cases where other more serious health conditions have been ruled out.
Sources Cited:
- https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/fluid-retention
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/edema/symptoms-causes/syc-20366493#:~:text=This%20swelling%2C%20called%20edema%2C%20is,especially%20in%20legs%20or%20arms.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279409/#:~:text=Edema%2C%20or%20swelling%2C%20can%20have%20many%20causes:,cause%20of%20edema%20and%20treat%20it%20properly.
- https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/how-to-control-your-cortisol-overcome-burnout
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29209938/
- https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/improve-lymphatic-system-health-appearance
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2755111/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7122060/