What’s The Benefit Of Infrared Sauna?
You may have heard about infrared saunas before, but what are they exactly and what can they do for you?
Unlike traditional saunas which use wood stoves or heaters to heat the air to intolerable temperatures (about 85 degrees C), far infrared saunas or FIRS use the same type of heat as the sun without the ultraviolet rays we know to be harmful. Instead of heating the air, infrared saunas use radiant heat to penetrate the body directly. This radiant heat penetrates 1.5 inches deeper into the skin reaching joints, muscles and soft tissue. Deeper than traditional saunas, and at a far lower temperature, averaging 60 degrees C. Its lower temperatures allow for longer sessions that are more manageable. So what kind of benefits can you expect using infrared sauna? Check out our infographic, or keep reading to learn more.
Detoxification
You are exposed to toxins on a daily basis. Left in the body, those toxins can result in fatigue, aches, a number of skin conditions as well as decreased mood. Infrared Saunas stimulate sweat glands and can help increase blood circulation which both contribute to releasing toxins through your sweat.
Using an infrared sauna regularly can help eliminate toxins which include heavy metals like lead, mercury and nickel, as well as alcohol, nicotine and other harmful toxins. For weekend warriors, I.R. Sauna is the ultimate hangover relief, but also has load of benefits when used as a daily flush of environmental toxins.
Be sure to check your towel after an IR Sauna to see heavy metals flushed from the body! Black and brown spots confirm that your body is effectively removing toxins and heavy metals. 😊
Heart Health
More and more Doctors and Medical Professionals are encouraging saunas to help keep your heart in tip top shape. Studies have concluded that I.R. Sauna can contribute to improvements in heart functioning in patients with heart failure.
Studies from around the globe have shown positive correlations between IR Sauna use and maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. It can reduce cholesterol in patients with congestive heart disease. Studies have also shown IR Sauna can reduce heart arrhythmias and symptoms of chronic heart failure in patients with cardiovascular disease.
Muscle Recovery and Pain Relief
Both athletes and chronic pain sufferers can find relief from pain associated with strained, overworked muscles and joints by using an infrared sauna regularly. Because increased circulation assists in the removal of waste products such as lactic acid from the body, while oxygen rich blood is delivered to muscles, these processes result in faster muscle recovery.
Infrared saunas warm the body, which helps to relax muscles. When your muscles are warmed, it allows for deeper stretches, increasing your flexibility and range of motion. IR Sauna can also help to reduce spasms, soreness and inflammation in muscles and joints.
Daily use can bring much needed relief by reducing the symptoms of arthritis, bursitis, joint stiffness, sprains, strains and muscles spasms as well as musculoskeletal ailments.
Click Here to learn more on how Infrared Sauna helps with Athletic Recovery and Muscle Repair!
Improved Mood and Decreased Fatigue
Studies aside, most people who use infrared sauna will report a feel good sensation as the heated environment feels warm, comforting and cozy.
The space is calming and relaxing which helps to slow down the nervous system and shift it to a healing state. This healing state, also known as the parasympathetic state, or the rest and digest state, comes as a result of the infrared sauna effecting the autonomic nervous system, allowing the body to heal and restore itself.
Also, both sweating and increased cardiovascular contributes to the release of endorphins and feel good hormones that leave you feeling relaxed, replenished and rejuvenated.
Weight Loss & Improved Metabolism
Studies have shown that simply sitting in an IR Sauna gives you a similar cardiovascular boost as running. The term for this is a “passive aerobic workout,” because the body is receiving all the benefits of a workout, without being stressed in the same way as a normal workout. The body is relaxed and is in parasympathetic mode (as described above). Who says you neeed to exercise to get your blood pumping, your body sweating, and to burn calories?
As your body increases in temperature, it responds with sweat production in an effort to cool itself, which then increases heart rate and pumps more blood into the body, increasing circulation. This increase in metabolism results in burning more calories.
A study of people who used the sauna 3 times per week found an average reduction in fat of about 4% over 4 months. These results are not surprising since 1 infrared sauna session burns between 400-600 calories! Those participants did not change their diet or exercise routines during the study.
Improved Skin
When you sweat, you flush out impurities through your pores. Sweat also allows dead skin cells to sluff off, revealing fresh glowing skin. The increased blood flow helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines while boosting elasticity and evening out skin tones.
Infrared Sauna can also help with recovery time and decreased scarring in people suffering from skin conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, and other conditions by speeding up healing time.
Another benefit infrared saunas have on the skin is a noticeable decrease in cellulite, which affects the majority of adult woman. Infrared Sauna increases heart rate and localised blood circulation, which essentially reduces the accumulation of liquids in the fat cells resulting in a reduction in the appearance of cellulite.
Boosting Immune System
When you absorb infrared wavelengths, your bodies core temperature increases, which in turn boosts cardiovascular, lymphatic & immune systems. The heat and raised core temperature can induce an artificial fever. When the body registers a fever, the body will kick in to healing mode - by strengthening & accelerating the immune response.
An enhanced immune system coupled with the increase in expelling toxins from the body, will result in an improvement in the resistance of disease. And who doesn’t want an upper hand on immune strength and fighting disease?
Sources
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10067-008-0977-y
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4493260/pdf/40064_2015_Article_1093.pdf
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/clc.23077
https://www.schweigerderm.com/providers/jeremy-fenton-m-d/
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12265/6-benefits-of-infrared-sauna-therapy.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354808