3 Dangers of Wearing Sauna Suits

By Emily Aldridge | 2021 Update

Sauna, the word that’s usually associated with a relaxing day at the spa, is actually a way to remove harmful toxins from the body. To make it even simpler, we now have sauna suits to help you achieve dramatic improvement in athletic performance and health – and all with one technique: extra sweating!

But are they as effective as they boldly claim?

Indeed! There are many studies that have emerged to prove that a sauna suit is really an effective fitness and health tool. It is a durable piece of clothing – mostly neoprene – that can increase the temperature of your body to help achieve benefits like muscle building, increase fatigue time, promote cardiovascular health, boost fat loss, and promote overall cardiovascular health.   

So does that mean there are only benefits of a sauna suit?

Here’s the truth:

With pros come the cons! While the consistent usage of sauna suits can help you with all the amazing benefits mentioned above, there are risks associated with almost every rapid weight loss technique – and sauna suits are not an exception.

The key is to use this effective weight-loss tool with caution to prevent the risks and dangers of wearing a sauna suit. This article has all the information you’re looking for, so keep reading!  


Sauna Suit Body Hacking – About Sauna Suit

To start off, let’s first have a clear understanding of what exactly a sauna suit is. It is a type of tracksuit designed using thick, waterproof fabric to replicate the body temperature with that of a traditional sauna. The suits may consist of pants, shirts, jackets, and vests with belts. The whole idea behind a sauna suit is to make the wearer sweat profusely.

These suits replicate the temperature of a real sauna, helping the wearer lose weight. The excessive sweating it causes during a workout routine can help the person lose weight faster. It also claims to help remove harmful toxins from the body, leaving the body much cleaner than before.

While there are some studies to support this claim, the whole idea behind the sauna suit body-hacking also dealt with some bad publicity. Since the benefits are associated with the natural heat therapy attributed to the sauna suit, it has come under fire with allegations such as short-term benefits and potential dangers.

Indeed, abusing the use of sauna suits can be the ultimate reason behind these accusations. Let’s dig deeper to figure out why sauna suits have such a mixed reputation.


Potential Dangers of Sauna Suits If Used Incorrectly

Featuring a better design and a much safer material, sauna suits have evolved greatly from their original concept. However, misusing the suit can lead to side effects. Just like any other thing, too much can cause trouble. Therefore, it is important that you follow the instructions and respond to your body accordingly and in time.

‘Incorrectly’ being the keyword here, there are certain risk factors associated with the use of sauna suits. If you opt for the wrong brand or do not follow the safety measures of wearing sauna suits for best benefits, you may end up at the risk of the following potential dangers associated with it:

Overheating of the Body

One of the most common side effects that you can experience with any sauna suit is overheating of the body. It is a result of wearing the suit for longer periods. The suit has such a snug fit to the body that it leaves very space for any escape. There are no mesh panels or any space for breathability to play off your sweat or normalize your body temperature.

For this reason alone, it is very important to stay very cautious with how your body is responding to the suit. Overheating can lead to fatigue, weakness, unconsciousness, and even fainting. If you’re new to the sauna suit experience, make sure you limit your wearing time to a maximum of 15-20 minutes. Do not use it every day or for longer periods until you have adjusted to the experience.

Extreme Dehydration

Sauna suit causes excessive sweating to help with rapid weight loss. In short, sweating is a part and parcel of the sauna suit experience. However, if not used with caution, it can also lead to severe dehydration. Now that’s a concern that shouldn’t be ignored. Dehydration can cause weakness, muscle contractions, fainting, headaches, and disorientation.

As mentioned earlier, it is important to observe your body. If you experience any of the above symptoms or any kind of lightheadedness or extreme thirst, stop right away and remove the suit. Also, make sure you’re keeping yourself adequately hydrated and taking your daily intake of water.

Kidney Damage

Both overheating and dehydration should be taken seriously when wearing a sauna suit. Ignoring these problems can cause your body to lose a lot of water. Sweating excessively without staying hydrated can also lead to a loss of electrolytes. These are positively and negatively charged ions responsible for crucial muscle and nerve functions. When your body loses both electrolytes and water as you sweat, you can experience a number of side effects. In rare cases, it can even lead to kidney problems in the long run.

If you wear your sauna suit for longer periods or indulge in a vigorous workout routine where you sweat a lot, it is important to also keep up with your supply of electrolytes in the form of any sugar-free sports drink along with water.

On The Flip Side – Benefits Sauna Suits Can Offer

While there’s a risk for the above-mentioned dangers to occur with sauna suits, wearing it responsibly and listening to your body can avoid these problems. Also, when you compare the pros and cons, you will always find the benefits outweigh the risks. Here are some of the best benefits you can experience by responsibly using the sauna suit.

Improved Performance

Heat is a great source to boost the blood flow to the muscles. Thus, wearing a sauna suit is an excellent way to train your body for increased efficiency for nutrient utilization. This further ensures that your body is perfectly fueled with the required levels of fatty acids, oxygen, and glucose. As a result, you can experience better adaptation and overall improved performance.  

Boosts Cognitive Ability

Heat therapy has a lot more to offer you than just preparing you for a hardcore workout. It can also have a great impact on your brain. The high temperature that you experience wearing a sauna suit can also release two crucial compounds in the brain called norepinephrine and prolactin. These are directly associated with improving your cognitive ability.

Better Immunity

Heat therapy has also shown great results in improving immunity. The heat stress proteins play a significant role in the repair, protection, and maintenance of cells. By strengthening the immune system, they also tend to enhance infected or weak cells. In simpler words, the more heat stress proteins in the system will guarantee healthier cells.

Since the sauna suit causes thermal stress, it triggers the maintenance and protection of cell-repairing proteins for healthier immunity.

More Effective Weight Loss

Of course, this is the most important benefit of them all – at least for most people!

Effective and faster weight loss is what really inclines people towards sauna suits. Excessive sweating is what helps with quicker and more significant weight loss results and that’s what makes sauna suits so popular.


Final Word

When it comes to the use of sauna suits, keep the phenomenon of ‘more is better’ out of your approach. Focus more on having a great experience with this effective weight loss tool instead of abusing it and falling victim to the potential dangers and risks.

While it is recommended to make it a part of your fitness routine and get your hands on the best sauna suits available, it is equally important to take all the necessary precautions to prevent problems. And don’t forget to always listen to your body and focus on the tell-tale signs that your body can’t take it anymore. When utilized with proper responsibility, your sauna suit can offer you tons of amazing benefits that could help you boost your athletic performance and improve your overall wellbeing.

Which sauna suit is your favorite? Do share with us your experience in the comments.