Every year we will fall sick sometimes and have a common cold or cough. This is especially prevalent during the rainy seasons where everyone would spend more time indoors. Therefore, there would be more time spent with other humans where the common cold and cough have higher opportunities to spread.
We do all we can to try and prevent ourselves from getting sick. Definitely, self-hygiene is of utmost importance as it can be spread via droplets from sneezing or coughing, even from touching surfaces with the droplets on them. So, wash your hands cleanly and if you are experiencing any symptoms please wear a face mask! Another preventive measure that is used a lot is drinking Vitamin C drinks. Now, is there any other ways to relieve or prevent cold and cough? You’ve come to the right place to Ask Questions by DoctoronCall where we will try our best to give you some insight on this issue.
Saunas are small rooms where the temperature is high enough where people can feel the heat either during wet sessions from water steam, or dry sessions. These saunas are meant for people to sweat it out while relaxing in them. So there is a saying going around stating on how saunas can help with cold and cough, by letting you “sweat the cold out”. There have been multiple studies conducted and ultimately until today, there is no concrete evidence that states that saunas help for cold and cough.
There have been multiple theories on how sauna helps. Firstly, the heat has been theorized to improve circulation in the body, in which increased drainage of the virus causing the cold can be achieved. However, the virus is not exactly a thing where you can just sweat out from your sweat pores. There was also speculation that the high temperature in the sauna would be able to weaken the cold and flu viruses. This is generally based on how your body reacts to an infection no matter by a virus or bacteria. The hypothalamus would increase your body temperature to try and weaken and kill off the bacteria by making the surrounding environment hostile towards the pathogen. However, for the external temperature to make a difference to viruses in the body, this has not been well researched enough to conclude that it does make a difference.
What we can say for sure is that the sauna does help to relieve some of the symptoms for cold and cough. This is due to the humid air that is in the sauna. Once inhaled, the humid air can help to soothe the throat which can be sore from the cold or constant coughing. One of the main reasons why we cough is due to irritation by cold and dry weather. This causes water vapour to be lost around your throat, triggering a spasm response thus causing a cough. However, there are certain patients who have reported as humidity being a trigger for cough and cold. This is due to the patient already having difficulty breathing, and they have trouble inhaling through the thick and humid air.
Generally, it is not recommended to be in a sauna just to relieve your cold and cough. Yes, it may help with relieving your symptoms but think about the general public sharing the sauna with you. It is a closed space where it is very easy for the common cold and cough to be transmitted to others. Until any further research is done, the current stance stays at saunas being asymptomatic relief instead of a cure. Also, saunas aren’t recommended for patients with heart problems or high blood pressure, so keep that in mind!