In the sauna
- No alcohol before or during. In a review of deaths in Finnish saunas between 1990 and 2002, 50% of the people were under the influence of alcohol; about half of the deaths were natural deaths, mostly from existing heart disease, and a quarter were caused by the heat itself. The rate was below 2 per 100,000 inhabitants a year (Kenttämies & Karkola 2008).
- Never leave someone who has been drinking alone in the sauna, as the same authors recommend.
- Short rounds: 5–20 minutes, then cool down. Leave at once if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell.
- Drink water before and after.
- Children only with an adult, shorter, on the lower bench where it is cooler.
- Check with your doctor first if you have heart disease, low or high blood pressure, are pregnant, or take medication that affects heart rate, blood pressure or sweating.
In the cold plunge
- Enter slowly and breathe calmly through the first minute (the cold-shock response).
- Start short (30–60 seconds) and moderate; never plunge alone or after alcohol.
- Get out when you start to shiver hard or lose feeling in your hands.
Electrics around water
- Plunge chillers and hot tub equipment need an RCD/GFCI-protected circuit, installed as the maker specifies.
- Never get into a converted chest freezer while it is plugged in.
- Sauna heaters are installed by a licensed electrician following the manual; keep the safety distances to benches and walls.
Sources
- Kenttämies A, Karkola K. Death in sauna. J Forensic Sci. 2008;53(3):724–729. PubMed 18471223
- Tipton MJ et al. Cold water immersion: kill or cure? Exp Physiol. 2017;102(11):1335–1355. doi:10.1113/EP086283