Can Saunas help with Hangovers?
Camping with friends or family is a great opportunity to roast some hot dogs, chat, and crack open a few cold ones—perhaps one too many. Waking up the next morning after a night of partying feeling less than stellar isn’t exactly on most camp-goers itinerary. Whenever you’re camping and go a little too hard the night before and don’t want to have your trip ruined by a hard liquor headache, many have heard of or used steam saunas to treat symptoms of hangovers, but are saunas a quick fix for over-drinking the night before?
Is it true saunas can help with hangovers?
While there’s no cure-all solve-all solution to hangovers, many have used heat, warm water, and steam to help alleviate the symptoms of them. Naturally, the use of a sauna would cover the heat and steam portions of that recipe for relief. And while the research on the validity of this steamy strategy is still out for lunch, the use of steam has been shown to improve blood flow and bring relief to soreness—two key symptoms of the dreaded morning-after migraine.
What are the benefits of using saunas for hangovers?
Relaxes Muscles and Joints
As we’ve mentioned above, heat can help improve circulation and bring relief to sore parts of the body. Heat opens blood vessels—moving blood to afflicted areas and hastening the healing process of inflamed or stiff joints. Under the same property, heat will relax muscles that may be sore—including those around the neck, head, and lower back.
Detoxifies the Body
Sometimes you just gotta sweat it out, at least when it comes to flushing out impurities anyway. The heat and steam of a sauna is a natural way to open those pores and pour out toxins sitting around in the body. Sweating may not do-away with the sour stomach, pains, or headache but it will purify the body of other toxins that may cause discomfort.
Calms the Nerves
Most sauna seekers hope to loosen up in the heat, so naturally one effect of entering a sauna is relaxing the body. A lot of what makes a hangover an uncomfortable sensation is the stress of the pain that comes from headaches or nausea that may come with it. Saunas are a luxury designed to make the body feel less stressed, loosened up, and fresher. Removing that tension from your body, taking in deeper breathes, and taking a moment in the sauna to slow down and relax can help the mental angle of hangovers.
Are there any risk factors of using saunas for hangovers?
Like most things in life, there is no perfect solution to anything, and while saunas can provide a beneficial outcome to alleviating hangovers, there are also some words of caution when using a sauna while impaired or while suffering from acute symptoms of a hangover that you should know about before attempting to use one.
Dehydration
One of the biggest risk factors when using a sauna to treat hangover symptoms is becoming dehydrated while in the sauna. The consumption of alcohol already causes the body to dehydrate, and without proper water-drinking during the period you were consuming alcohol or after the fact, you can be susceptible dehydration in the sauna. The increase in sweat production hastens the water loss of the body, so as with all visits to the sauna, make sure you are properly hydrated and only stay in as long as your body can take.
Falls and Fainting
Going along with side effects of dehydration, fainting and falling are high risk factors when using a sauna while either impaired or with a hangover. The heat may feel overwhelming, cause arrhythmic heart beating, cause dehydration, or otherwise would be disorientating compared to the regular air temperature outside. All of these conditions can lead to fainting, which in itself is a dangerous outcome, but likewise can result in falls and concussive hits to the head. Make sure if you are feeling faint while in the sauna, whether you are hungover or not, to leave the sauna and seek other appropriate aid if necessary.
Heart Issues
For some people, especially anyone who has an ongoing heart condition or history of heart issues, or who has hypertension or other issues managing blood pressure, the use of a sauna can always pose a risk to your health but especially after consuming alcohol or while impaired. Alcohol raises blood pressure, and heat from saunas causes the blood vessels to open and may cause irregular heart beats. Always use saunas with caution if you have a heart condition or irregular blood pressure, and especially use with caution after instances of drinking or while hungover.
So what’s the conclusive answer?
At the end of the day, there are always going to be a myriad of ways to manage hangovers, and saunas are one of many strategies people tend to use when it’s available to them. Having a sauna along with you on your camp outings with friends can be a great way to help alleviate any unfortunate symptoms the morning after a night of fun and drinking. However, like all risks that come with both drinking, make sure to always use a sauna properly per the instructions given, never stay in longer than your body can handle, take all medical history and conditions into account before using a sauna, and always be hydrated prior to using your sauna. Hopefully your steamy experience is one filled with relaxation with these key factors in mind.