Key Takeaways
- Visiting a sauna while you’re sick can be dangerous, as the conditions can exacerbate symptoms like a fever and cough.
- You can also make others sick if you go to a sauna while you’re experiencing symptoms.
- There’s no evidence to suggest that sauna bathing can treat cold symptoms.
When you start to develop the sniffles, it can be tempting to try anything to feel better fast. But turning to a sauna to treat your common cold symptoms isn’t advisable for a few reasons, experts said.
There hasn’t been adequate research to suggest saunas even help with common cold symptoms, John Mafi, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Verywell. “It doesn’t have a lot of strong evidence,” he explained.
Visiting a sauna can also be dangerous if you’re experiencing specific cold symptoms—such as a fever or a cough—and especially if you have certain health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, which makes sauna bathing risky, experts said.
Additionally, visiting a sauna with a cold might endanger others. “If you have a cold and you’re going to a public sauna, you’re going to potentially get others sick,”Mafi said.
If your illness is contagious, it’s important to stay home as long as possible when you’re sick, Neha Vyas, MD, a family medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic, told Verywell. “For people who are really sick, it’s best not to go to a sauna,” she explained.
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Is a Sauna Good For a Cold?
There isn’t much literature that doctors can point to definitively say how any type of sauna (e.g., infrared, dry, or steam) affects the common cold, Mafi said.
If you decide to visit a sauna—whether or not you have a cold—you should speak to your healthcare provider first if you live with any chronic conditions. Heart conditions, asthma, low blood pressure, and other health issues can make saunas dangerous for some people, Mafi said.
You shouldn’t visit a sauna—or any other public place—if you’re sick with an illness that can be spread, experts said. However, some people with a common cold may benefit from certain sauna-like conditions at their home.
“You could create a home sauna by boiling some water and then putting a towel around your head and inhaling the steam from the water, being careful [not to expose yourself] to the hot water,” Vyas said. “That’s a way to create the same scenario, and the heat and steam may help open up your nasal passages and sinuses.” This may temporarily lessen congestion.
It’s feasible to create a similar situation by way of a hot shower, but if you do this, you’ll want to dry off quickly after the fact. “The thing about a hot shower is that while it might be soothing [for people with cold symptoms], once you get out of the shower, you get wet and cold,” Mafi explained. “I don’t have any evidence for this, but, anecdotally, that sudden shock of cold air may set you back” if you’re trying to recover from a common cold, he explained.
If you’re experiencing certain cold symptoms—specifically a fever or a bad cough—you should avoid all hot, steamy environments, as these conditions may exacerbate your illness. If you’re dehydrated, entering a sauna—or creating a similar environment in your home—could also make things worse.
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Other Ways to Relieve Cold Symptoms
There’s no cure for the common cold, and taking antibiotics for one can make things worse, experts said. It’s also a bad idea to try to “sweat out” a cold—through a sauna or other means—as doing so won’t heal you and can make you dangerously dehydrated.
“The things that are effective are rest, fluids, and plenty of sleep,” Mafi said. “The biggest mistake I see patients make is they rest a little bit then try to get back to their normal routine, not giving their body adequate rest.” They usually get worse when they do this, he explained.
The following practices may make you more comfortable or reduce the severity of some of your cold symptoms:
- Drinking extra fluids
- Using a cool mist vaporizer or saline nasal spray for congestion
- Using lozenges for sore throat
- Using honey to relieve cough
If your symptoms don’t improve after a few days—or if you start to notice new symptoms—it’s essential to see a healthcare provider to ensure you’re not suffering from something other than the common cold, Mafi said.
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What This Means For You
There’s no strong evidence that visiting a sauna can treat common cold symptoms. Going to a sauna when you're sick can be dangerous, as the conditions can exacerbate cold symptoms like a fever and a cough. Furthermore, visiting a public sauna when you’re sick can also affect those around you since you may spread your virus by sharing space with others.
