How-To Sauna GuideUpdated 5 hours ago

Table of Contents

• Step 1: One week prior to sauna
• Step 2: Day of Sauna
• Step 3: Thirty to Sixty Minutes Before Sauna
• Step 4: Just Before Sauna
• Step 5: While in Sauna
• Step 6: Contrast Hot to Cold
• Step 7: After Sauna
• Types of Saunas to Use
• Supplements for Sauna Use†

Step 1: One week prior to sauna

1. Obtain approval from your healthcare provider to sauna, and always consult your healthcare team before adding any dietary supplements to your regimen.
   
   
2. Ensure proper hydration for the week prior to your sauna. This requires reducing caffeine, ideally, and restoring electrolytes.
   
   
3. Drink filtered water when you wake up and throughout the day. If you wait until you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. A couple liters a day of water is a good estimate. This amount varies tremendously depending where you live and your lifestyle.

   
   
4. Ensure proper sleep for at least a few nights prior to your first sauna. If you’re exhausted, you will only get worse from the sauna.

   
   
5. Get some healthy oils in you—cold-water fish oil, primrose oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and ghee are all great. These oils protect and build your cell membranes and protect your brain.

   
   
6. Eat well. If you’re eating terribly and you know it, change it – at least for a few days prior to sauna. If you don’t, you’ll suffer.
   
   
7. Consider taking one serving of Optimal Electrolyte per day to support healthy hydration.^†

   
   
8. Consider taking Glutathione Plus Lozenge daily to support your detoxification system.^†

   
   
9. Consider taking one serving of Liposomal Vitamin C per day to support your immune system.

   
   
10. If you are fatigued, consider taking the following supplements as suggested:

1. Adrenal Cortex – one serving with breakfast for a few days – cease use if experiencing increased irritability
2. Energy Nutrients – if you cannot get up out of bed in the morning, consider 1⁄2 to 1 serving taken while still in bed (best taken immediately upon waking while still laying down). If taken, do not take with food and do not eat for two hours after using.

Step 2: Day of Sauna

1. Have a glass of filtered water with one serving of Optimal Electrolyte upon waking.

   
   
2. Take one serving of Liposomal Vitamin C.^†

   
   
3. Have a healthy breakfast with protein, fat, and some carbs. A protein smoothie with some veggies and/or fruits, seeds, and healthy oils is great!

   
   
4. Try skipping caffeine. If you’re tired, consider using Energy Nutrients or Adrenal Cortex. Both of these will truly help you in the morning.^†

   
   
5. Make sure you get some good-quality oils in your body, such as from a smoothie, as explained above, or olive oil on your salad. Healthy fats are needed to protect your cell membranes and brain during a sauna.

   
   
6. It’s best to sauna anytime before a few hours of bedtime. If you sauna too late, it may keep you up at night.
   
   
7. However, it helps some sleep. Take a mental note of how you sleep after a sauna and make adjustments if needed.

Step 3: Thirty to Sixty Minutes Before Sauna

• Eat a solid snack with a blend of protein, fats, and carbs, but not a full meal. Eat until about 75% full.
• If you own the sauna, turn it on. Start out with a low, dry temperature of around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Steamy, wet, and humid saunas are more difficult to tolerate for some.

Step 4: Just Before Sauna

1. Prepare a liter or more of filtered water in a glass jar with a lid, preferably. Have a few gulps.
   
   
2. Take a Glutathione Plus Lozenge immediately before the sauna.^†
   
   
3. Wear a cotton T-shirt and shorts. This helps absorb some of the sweat, which prevents you from reabsorbing chemicals back through your skin. You can also wear a long-sleeved T-shirt and light sweatpants.
   
   
4. Consider wearing a sauna hat to keep the heat off your head.
   
   
5. Record your weight. After finishing your sauna, you must weigh the exact amount. If you don’t weigh the same, you are dehydrated. You must drink enough water with electrolytes to return to your pre-sauna weight.
   
   
6. If you don’t sweat easily or just don’t sweat, period, then you need to start sweating. Get on an exercise bike or treadmill, go for a jog, or do some form of exercise to work up a sweat. Wearing some warm clothes while exercising will help trigger the sweating. If you still don’t sweat, then your autonomic nervous system is not working right due to toxicity and/or chemical burden. In time, as you sauna, you will start sweating.
   
   
7. If you still don’t sweat, then your autonomic nervous system is not working right – due to toxicity and/or chemical burden. In time, as you sauna, you will start sweating.

Step 5: While in Sauna

1. Drink before getting thirsty.

   
   
2. Either lie down or sit. Try to keep your feet off the floor, especially if it is cold—the contrast while in the sauna is not good.

   
   
3. Keep the light on. Do not sauna in the dark, as it will trigger the parasympathetic nervous system and make you more likely to feel faint, especially upon standing.

   
   
4. Focus on breathing deep, full, belly breaths.

   
   
5. Watch for any sign of feeling ‘off,’ and GET OUT when this feeling comes on.

   
   
6. When standing up, be aware that you may be light-headed and dizzy. Stand up slowly and near a wall or railing.

   
   
7. Only sauna for a maximum of 20 minutes the first couple of times.Step 6: Contrast Hot to Cold
   1. Contrast is simply shocking your body from the heat of the sauna to cold. This is a very powerful technique and quite effective.

      
      
   2. I do not recommend contrast for those just starting out.

      
      
   3. Contrast is also not recommended for those with asthma, as the fast contrast can trigger an event.

      
      
   4. I recommend starting to use contrast after two or three sauna sessions over a period of a few weeks.

      
      
   5. Full-body plunges into a very cold bath are most effective. Spas typically have these.

      
      
   6. The next most effective option is close access to a shower—set it to very cold. Close your eyes, put in your full body, and imagine the tropics while doing it!

      
      
   7. Using a bucket of cold water can be effective.

      
      
   8. If you cannot do strong contrast, do local contrast on your head by putting it under cold water.

      
      
   9. Try doing contrast up to three times during a sauna session.

      
      
   10. Only do contrast sessions if you feel strong. Skip them if you're tired or weak. Do as many as you feel comfortable.

       
       
   11. with—it's not about who can do more or stay in the sauna longer. Remember, it's about being smart, not macho.

8. 
   

   Step 7: After Sauna

   1. Shower with soap and water.

      
      
   2. Wash your hair.

      
      
   3. Brush your teeth and tongue.

      
      
   4. Weigh yourself. If lost weight, drink up the difference with water and electrolytes.

      
      
   5. Dress warmly and comfortably.

      
      
   6. Wear socks and a warm hat.

      
      
   7. Eat a light snack—no dried or cold foods—soups, broths, and/or steamed veggies are great. Don’t burden your liver with a high-protein, high-fat meal after a sauna.

      
      
   8. Take the rest of the day easy. Avoid physical activity. Read, relax, listen to music, or sleep.

      
      
   9. You will likely continue sweating. If you do, change your clothes before you sleep and rinse in the shower before bed.

9. 
   

   Types of Sauna to Use

   The most critical points to consider: 


   • No solvents or toxic glues used for construction
   • Low volatile oil woods ideally
   • Ventilation – vent or fan in ceiling and gaps in door to allow air in and out
   • Low EMF for those sensitive
   • Light inside
   • No insulation unless natural

10. 
    

    Dr. Ben’s Choice: Infrared Saunas by High Tech Health

    Receive $500 off any sauna by High Tech Health when you use code drbenlynch or mention Dr. Ben Lynch if you call to make a purchase to receive your discount. Choose between the one, two, and three-person saunas: https://www.hightechhealth.com/infrared-saunas/

Click here to watch Dr. Lynch's Sauna Contrast Hydrotherapy video: https://www.seekinghealth.com/pages/sauna-guide

Click here to view all supplements for Sauna use: https://www.seekinghealth.com/collections/all-products