Almost 30 million Germans regularly go to the sauna. In a survey conducted by the German Sauna Association, 74 percent of respondents said they wanted to toughen up physically by doing so. In fact, the health-promoting effect of sauna sessions can be proven: Studies have shown that the immune system is strengthened by regular sauna sessions. But should you go to the sauna even if you have a cold, or will saunas do you harm if you have a cold?
Sauna with a cold?
Headache, sore throat and aching limbs are the first signs of a cold. At this stage, you should be careful with sauna visits. If the cold is far advanced, it is better not to go to the sauna, especially if the body temperature is elevated or you have a fever. After all, sweating is considered healthy when you have a cold. But the stress of the sauna in this situation can be too high for the cardiovascular system.
In this case, you should fight the symptoms of the common cold through the usual methods: wrap up warm, drink plenty of fluids, fresh air and vitamins are especially important in a cold. If the cold is accompanied by fever, antipyretics will help the organism to recover quickly.
You should only visit the sauna again when the cold has subsided.
Strengthen defenses: 10 tips
Prevent colds in the sauna
On the other hand, you should not underestimate the preventive effect of sweating cures when it comes to preventing a cold from developing in the first place. Studies have shown that the immune system is strengthened by regular sauna sessions and viruses are more easily warded off.
Sweating cures train the body’s thermoregulatory system. The interplay of heat and cold stimulates the blood vessels in the skin and in the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, and the body learns to adapt better to different temperatures. Heat loss in cold environments is prevented and cold viruses can be better warded off. The high temperatures also cause increased blood flow to the nasopharynx. Thus more defense cells can collect there, which intercept pathogens.
Regular saunas also increase the level of interferon in the blood. This protein has an immunostimulating and antiviral effect.
Strengthen immune system in time
Especially in the cold season, pathogens lurk where many people meet: In the office, on the bus or in the supermarket. Here they have an easy game: Overheated, poorly ventilated rooms in combination with cold, wet weather are an additional burden for the organism.
This makes it all the more important to get your immune system up to speed in good time. In addition to regular sauna sessions, exercise, a balanced diet rich in vitamins and plenty of fluids have a preventive and strengthening effect.
5 tips for taking a sauna
There are certain rules that sauna-goers should be sure to follow:
- A sauna session should not last longer than 12 to 15 minutes.
- Two to three repetitions in a period of about two hours are enough.
- The sauna visit should be about once or twice a week.
- The heat should be followed by a short cold stimulus. So that the body by the cold stimulus not aus-, but only cools down, are short refreshment phases, for example, by a surge shower better than a longer stay in the water.
- Sauna with a full stomach can overload the circulation.
Above all, it is important not to consider sauna as a compulsory program, but to feel comfortable, take enough time and enjoy it. However, if despite prevention, the cold viruses strike once, a sauna session is taboo.
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