For most obese people, life means a constant battle with the bulge or body fat. This makes overweight people easy preys to fad diets, gimmicks and gadgets to lose weight as quickly as possible. Most obese people either for several health reasons or family issues would prefer to keep in shape and with the best intentions may become victims of miracle cures, quick loss diets, and what is popularly called the “health culture” business which survives on calisthenics, exercises and massage therapies.
The steam and sauna baths are a much preferred option for weight reducers because the remedies promise to melt body fat which caters to the wishful thinking of overweight people.
Is it True that Steam and Sauna Baths Can Melt Away Body Fat?
The answer is an emphatic “NO”. Experts claim that neither a steam bath nor a sauna bath helps one to lose weight or body fat. Instead, what people usually perceive as loss of fat is actually loss of water from their bodies which results in weight loss.
Steam bath is an arrangement where you enter a room full of steam, which is nothing but moist heat. A sauna bath on the other hand, is where you sit on a wooden panel with a moist towel wrapped around your head and naked body. Yes, you may discover that you are several kilos lighter on coming out but the weight loss is not a result of loss of fat but that of water.
Steam and sauna baths thereby do not help you melt body fat. Instead, the hot and moist environment room makes you perspire till you’ve lost a great deal of moisture and water from your body.
Another significant piece of information for those who think steam and sauna baths are effective weight loss cures — weight loss lasts only till you drink a few glasses of water to quench you thirst.
Do People Get Addicted to Steam and Sauna Baths?
The answer is “YES”. It so happens that the alternating hot and cold jets prove to be very relaxing for the mind and body. A biological explanation to steam and sauna addiction is that when the body is exposed to constant hot water, the blood vessels at the surface dilate while the blood flow to the brain decreases.
The lack of blood in the brain reduces the thinking process or capacity of a person. As a result a tranquilizing effect is created and the person feels released from all tensions and worries, which is why steam and sauna baths are said to relax the brain and senses.
Health Risks of Steam and Sauna Baths
Prolonged exposure to steam or moist heat can lead to serious health risks or conditions like the following:
- Dehydration
- Blood volume decreases which results in low blood pressure
- With the impairment of blood circulation, oxygen supply to vital organs like the brain is also checked (common symptoms of such a condition are — nausea, vomiting and weakness)
- Extreme heat can also adversely affect the sperm production in an obese male which can lead to infertility in some cases
Fungal infections and prickly heat or “milaria” are other uncomfortable outcomes of steam and sauna baths.
Obese people are often under the misconception that steam and sauna baths can also clear the system of wastes and/or toxins. However, there has been no evidence so far which suggests that sweat contains toxins.
Experts opine that even though the metabolic rate increases when one perspires so much, it is not enough for an obese person to melt away the body fat that easily by taking a steam or sauna bath.
