You get cold really easily. Your family thinks that must mean you love the heat. No, not actually. I’m a Goldilocks person. My body doesn’t like the cold, and it doesn’t like the heat.

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Health with Hashimoto’s is your free weekly podcast that sorts this autoimmune condition into thyroid or immune. Each episode is for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss any questions or concerns with your trusted healthcare professional. Some links may be affiliate links, marked as such, at no extra cost to you.

Your triggers matter more than someone else’s product

I was on a call with someone who wanted me to pay to be on her podcast. But I could tell she had another angle. I was waiting for it.

You know that conversation. Someone is asking pointed questions, and she thinks she knows more than you about what you need to do.

Eventually, she brought up a product she was selling. She thought it could help just about everybody.

Then she asked about one of my root causes.

“Yes, I live in Minnesota. And one of my root causes is the cold.”

That took the wind out of her sails. Whatever she was selling would not do anything to address that specific stressor.

Every winter, I have a flare that I associate with the stress of the cold. You have to know your own triggers and how to address them. Someone else’s favorite product may not address what you need.

For the cold, I invested in a sauna.

Why I chose a far infrared sauna for Hashimoto’s

The first time I passed out in a sauna, I was in elementary school. Since then, I’ve known I’m sensitive to heat. Hot tubs and saunas have made me throw up and pass out. Not a fun experience.

So when I started looking at saunas, I wanted to get warm without the high temperatures I had struggled with before.

The lower-temperature option was what appealed to me about far infrared. I was looking for something I could tolerate, because getting too hot has never gone well for me.

Then someone sent me a sauna with a head-out option.

I had been looking at the big, box-shaped saunas you can put in your garage and walk into. I hadn’t been considering the cloth ones that zip up like a little pop-up tent. But this one caught my attention because my head would stay outside.

I thought, “Oh my goodness, this is what I need.”

Do I look funny with just my head sticking out of the sauna? Yes.

Do I care? No.

Environmental exposures were part of my decision

Getting warm was one reason I wanted a sauna. Environmental exposures were the other.

Your exposome is the cumulative exposure to chemicals, toxins, and other things your body encounters.

I had been thinking about water filtration as a way to lower what was coming in. With the sauna, I was interested in sweating as part of addressing what I had already been exposed to.

That was part of my reason for buying it. I bought mine at the very end of winter, so I wasn’t looking back on a full winter of using it yet.

What I wanted in a home sauna

I didn’t want something full of chemicals that smelled funny. That would defeat my purpose, right?

These were my priorities:

• A lower-temperature option because of my heat sensitivity.
• A design that let me keep my head outside.
• Materials without a strong chemical smell.
• Something that worked for my budget and the space in my home.

I chose the silver, sit-in model from Relax Saunas. I also looked at their bed option because both let you keep your head outside. But I didn’t want to lie in my own sweat.

I wasn’t planning to keep mine in my bedroom. That’s where it ended up, though, because I like getting in for a couple of minutes before bed.

How I started with short sauna sessions

I started with five-minute sessions. I was worried about throwing up and passing out again, and I wanted to start slow and low.

My approach was short sessions a couple of times a week, hydrating well, and increasing as tolerated. For me, personally, by the winter, I was able to tolerate 20 minute sessions without any problems.

Sometimes I use it for just two or three minutes before bed. Even in the summer, my feet can feel freezing cold down to the bones. A couple of minutes warms me up so I can fall asleep faster.

I don’t stay in long for that. I want to get warm, not go to bed hot.

Please discuss any changes with your trusted healthcare provider. My experience is my own, including my history of reacting badly to heat.

Why I decided it was worth the investment

A far infrared sauna is an investment. I’m not going to quibble about that. Of the tools in this Hashimoto’s Health Lab summer series, this was the most expensive.

I was able to buy mine because my grandpa died and left me a small inheritance. He was 97 and had Alzheimer’s. He was very ready to go.

My husband and I talked about using some of that money for a sauna. The cold was something I dealt with every single winter. We looked at the purchase as something I hoped would help over time.

Your budget, your household, and where a sauna would fit all matter. So do your time and your season of life.

If a sauna is a tool you want to consider, you can look at the options from Relax Saunas, where I bought mine. Choose what works for your life and the triggers you’re trying to address.