Image via @SaunaTek
If you want to enhance your workouts, you may have considered purchasing a sweat vest or sauna suit. These garments are designed to make wearers sweat more by trapping body heat and raising their core temperature. They’re often made of neoprene and resemble rain gear. But do these contraptions actually have real health benefits? Let’s discuss.
Increased Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Have you heard of VO2 max? It measures how much oxygen your body uses during exercise. The higher your VO2, the more in shape you are. Some studies say that wearing a sweat vest or sauna suit can improve your VO2 max, making you burn more calories in a shorter period.
Increased Sweating
If you’re just starting on a weight-loss journey, a sweat vest or sauna suit may hold some appeal. It can help reduce water weight by increasing your internal sweat rate. Once the water weight is gone, you will lose a few pounds. From there, you can work on weight loss, gaining muscle, or toning out.
Aid in Warmup Efficiency
Sauna suits and sweat vests elevate body temperature relatively quickly, getting the heart pumping and blood flowing faster. Adding a sweat vest or sauna suit to a warmup will increase its efficiency and improve your mobility for exercise.
Drawbacks of Sweat Vests
Unfortunately, sweat vests and sauna suits can cause adverse side effects if you don’t use them properly.
Dehydration
If excess sweat is pouring out, and you’re not drinking enough water to replace those fluids, you can quickly become dehydrated. You’ll know you’re dehydrated if you experience fatigue or dizziness.
Heat-Related Illnesses
Any activity that raises your body temperature can induce excessive sweating and lead to heat-related illness. Symptoms include:
- Dizziness
- Feeling faint
- Extreme fatigue
- Headache
- Low blood pressure
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea
- Weak pulse
- Rapid pulse
If any of these symptoms occur, immediately remove the sauna suit or sweat vest and stop exercising. Relocate to a cool place and let your body rest and cool down. Drink water or a liquid with plenty of electrolytes.
Hypothermia
Wearing a sauna suit or sweat vest increases your body’s heat production. So if you get too hot, you can potentially trigger hyperthermia, which may come in different stages depending on the severity of the situation.
Keep an eye out for:
- Heat stress: Unable to sweat to cool down
- Heat fatigue: Prolonged high body heat
- Heat syncope: Drop in blood pressure, which can lead to fainting
- Heat cramp: Uncontrollable contraction of muscles
- Heat edema: Swelling in extremities
- Heat rash: Rash development in areas where sweat-soaked clothing lie
- Heat exhaustion: Very serious; seek medical assistance immediately