While combining the relaxation of a sauna with the enjoyment of a good book seems appealing, reading in a sauna is full of potential risks to both your body and your reading material. Traditional saunas operate with dry heat, typically between 160°F and 195°F, or with high humidity when water is added to the stones. This environment creates a logistical challenge for the reader and a severe physical challenge for the reading medium, whether paper or digital. Successfully blending reading with heat therapy requires a mindful approach to safety and understanding material limitations.
Health and Safety Considerations
The potential for heat-related illness is a major concern when engaging in focused activity like reading in a sauna. The intense heat causes your body’s core temperature to rise, triggering increased blood flow to the skin and a higher heart rate to cool down. Staying engrossed in a book can cause a person to ignore early warning signs of overheating, such as dizziness or intense thirst. These symptoms are signals to exit the sauna immediately.
Prolonged exposure to the heat rapidly leads to dehydration as the body sweats to regulate its temperature. This fluid loss, if not replenished, can quickly progress to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. High heat also affects the eyes, pulling moisture away and causing dryness and irritation that makes focusing on small text difficult. The heat can also affect concentration, making deep focus on complex material challenging in the moment.
The Material Effects on Reading Mediums
Physical Books
The extreme environment of a sauna, characterized by high heat and fluctuating humidity, poses a threat to both physical books and electronic devices. Traditional paperbacks and hardcovers are susceptible to moisture damage. The humidity can cause the paper pages to swell, warp, and stick together permanently.
The adhesive used in the book’s spine is often glue-based, and high temperatures can soften this binding, causing the book to fall apart after repeated exposure. Ink on the pages can also bleed or smear, especially if the pages become damp from sweat or high humidity, rendering the text illegible.
Digital Devices
Digital devices, such as e-readers and smartphones, face serious threats from the sauna environment. Most consumer electronics operate safely only up to about 95°F (35°C), far below typical sauna temperatures of 150°F to 195°F. Exposure to this extreme heat can cause the device to overheat, triggering an automatic shutdown or leading to permanent hardware failure.
The lithium-ion batteries commonly found in these devices are sensitive to heat, which can cause them to degrade rapidly, lose capacity, or even swell or leak. High humidity also presents a risk, as moisture can seep into the casing, leading to corrosion of circuit boards or short-circuiting. Screen visibility is compromised by steam and the potential for heat to cause display distortion or unresponsive touch functions.
Practical Steps for a Successful Sauna Read
To safely combine sauna use with reading, a few preventative measures can significantly mitigate the risks.
- Select appropriate reading material, such as books specifically designed to be waterproof or heat-resistant, often made from synthetic or laminated materials.
- If using an electronic device, limit its exposure to a short duration, perhaps no more than 10 to 15 minutes, to prevent overheating.
- Position yourself on a lower bench in the sauna, as the temperature is significantly cooler closer to the floor, which helps protect both you and your reading material.
- Use a towel to shield electronic devices from direct radiant heat and moisture from sweat.
- Always handle paper pages or devices with dry hands to avoid water damage and potential short-circuiting.
- Set a strict time limit for your session and remain mindful of your body’s response, leaving the sauna immediately if you feel unwell.
- Prioritize hydration by drinking water before and after your sauna session to counteract fluid loss from sweating.