Wearing a hat during a sauna session seems like an absurd idea until you understand the ‘why’ behind its usage. Sometimes called Finnish sauna hats, or banya bonnets, these devices are a piece of headwear worn on the head during a traditional sauna session.
Banya is a Russian word that refers to a Russian Steam bath, but more broadly speaking any type of sauna or heat therapy. A banya bonnet or sauna hat are referring to the same clothing piece.
At first glance the sauna hat looks as if it is being worn inorder to help to heat the body up faster, or to stay heated up. In actuality, the sauna hat is designed to be worn during very hot sauna sessions when it becomes necessary to protect the brain from the high heat.
Sauna hats are typically made of wool and allow the individual to stay in a high temperature sauna for longer before any damage is done to the brain. High heat is referring to traditional saunas (not infrared saunas) that reach temperatures of 190 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wear a Sauna Hat During High Heat Saunas For Brain Safety
There is not enough clinical data collected to say for sure if the sauna hat adequately protects the brain from the high temperatures of certain traditional saunas, however tradition and anecdotal evidence would dictate that they are effective in doing just that.
There are recent studies that suggest that using a high heat sauna (over 170 degrees) is not particularly safe regardless of wearing a hat or not. If you are planning on using a sauna at very high temperatures, it is probably worthwhile to protect the brain from overheating even while the body continues to enjoy the hot temperatures. The hat will serve as an insulating layer against the hot air, and hopefully protect the brain.
The purpose in taking a sauna is to increase one’s internal body temperature to about 101.5 degrees. This will create an artificial fever, and thus will follow a cascade of positive biochemical changes.This means that using an infrared sauna at 120 degrees may be all you need to benefit from the heat exposure, and it is unlikely that a protective hat is necessary.
Positive heat stress is effective when the temperature is controlled as well as the time. This means that the hotter the sauna gets does not necessarily mean that there will be an increase in positive physiological changes. In fact, if an individual is exposed to high heat for too long they can become very ill and even die in the case of hypothermia. In order for the hormetic effect to occur temperatures need to be kept within a certain range of safety.
If you would like to further investigate an appropriate range of sauna temperature then please skip ahead to the article ‘How Hot is Too Hot?’ to find out what the data tells us about the sweet spot of temperature for a sauna.
Always Err on the Side of Safety and Wear a Sauna Hat in High Heat Conditions, or Skip the High Heat Altogether
Ideally, during your sauna sessions you will want to strike a balance between getting your sauna warm enough to induce positive biological changes in response to the heat, without going too high in temperature.
Most commercial saunas will not go higher than 190 degrees Fahrenheit for a traditional sauna, or 150 degrees Fahrenheit in an infrared sauna, but some do go up to 230 degrees Fahrenheit in traditional saunas. The data suggests to stay clear of the extreme high heat, not only for the safety of your brain but your entire body.
If you do decide you want to go in a sauna that reaches extreme temperatures, it is best to take the precaution and wear your banya bonnet. Even if you are taking a lower temperature infrared sauna you may want to wear a sauna hat anyway, just in case.
Sauna hats are made of wool and can irritate some skin types, or just be generally annoying to wear while you are sweating copious amounts. If you do wear a sauna hat, be sure to take it off right away after your sauna and clean the areas of your skin that were in contact with the hat so as to avoid bacterial infections on the skin.
If you are worried about your brain becoming too hot during a sauna, and the wool texture does not irritate your skin, then by all means wear one. Most importantly do not feel pressure to put yourself in danger by going into a sauna with extremely high heat to prove yourself to anyone else, or because a social media influencer says that it is okay.
Always put your own safety first, stay well hydrated at all times and consult your health care professional should you have any concerns.
