Infrared Sauna (10 Times)

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 What is an Infrared Sauna?

This is a type of sauna that uses harmless light to produce heat. Unlike a traditional sauna that heats the air around you to warm the body, an infrared sauna uses infrared light to heat the body directly. This direct heating via infrared light allows an intense sweat without reaching the high temperatures that traditional saunas often reach (150-200 degrees Fahrenheit). While these are not as hot as traditional saunas, they still provide many health benefits to each user and allow people sensitive to heat to use a sauna. 

How Does an Infrared Sauna Work?

Infrared saunas use non-invasive “infrared light” to produce heat. Infrared light has applications in clinical and health settings through different devices or therapies. When exposed to the body, infrared light safely penetrates the skin and tissues, providing a stream of positive benefits. 

What Are The Top 10 Benefits of an Infrared Sauna? 

1. Detoxification: When you sweat in a sauna, the body often releases toxins, resulting in a pleasant and needed detox from unwanted toxins that linger in our bodies. Environmental or air pollutants and skin-care products are common toxins excreted from the body in a sauna. 

2. Immune System Boost: While more research is needed in this area, anecdotal evidence (patients' self-reports) in this study indicates that using a sauna regularly may decrease the frequency of catching a common cold. 

3. Inflammation Reduction: While acute inflammation is necessary for many biological factors, chronic inflammation can harm long-term health, advancing aging. Heat from the infrared light penetrates deep into the body, causing blood vessels to dilate and improving blood flow. Enhanced blood flow helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to inflamed areas and promotes healing, lowering inflammation.

4. Pain Management: Pain can be reduced by improving blood flow, relieving inflammation, relaxing the muscles and joints, and increasing endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Similarly, recovery time for people with muscle soreness or fatigue reduces. 

5. Improved Sleep & Recovery: Many sauna users sleep better after evening sauna use. This may be explained by how the body naturally attempts to cool down after sauna use. Sleep science today shows that core body temperature must cool by 1 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit to fall and stay asleep throughout the night (Walker, 2022). While using a sauna at night may sound counterproductive, the body naturally cools down after, promoting healthy sleep.

6. Stress Relief: Exercise makes us feel good–it relieves our stress and promotes dopamine (the pleasure and reward chemical in our brains). Sauna use is an exercise in its own right; although it is more passive, it reduces stress. However, health professionals advise that sauna use should not entirely replace other active exercise forms. 

7. Skin Health: Applying the near-infrared light (NIR) wavelength on the skin in a sauna has been shown to improve skin tone and texture by increasing collagen and elastin production, a result red light therapy produces. Collagen helps keep fine lines, wrinkles, and loose skin at bay. Similarly, NIR can enhance wound healing, increase skin hydration, decrease pore appearance, and clean the skin by removing dead skin cells. 

8. Improved Heart Health and Decreased Blood Pressure: When studied in the laboratory, this therapy shows decreased blood pressure, as reported by the Cleveland Clinic (2022). As discussed, a sauna session is similar to light/moderate exercise, which means the heart has to increase blood flow. In turn, blood pressure is reduced, and circulation is improved, all of which are great for heart health.

9. Calorie Burn: Combined with diet, exercise, or other avenues, this is a great supplemental tool for your weight loss journey.

10. Improved Energy Levels: By nature, improving blood flow and decreasing stress and inflammation plays a significant role in energy, whether you use a sauna or not. But since this therapy can accomplish these feats, daily energy levels may rise. However, if one is detoxing, many people report feeling tired after their first or second session, but this subsides as toxins are released through sweat from the body. 

*Bonus Benefit: Improved Athletic Performance: This therapy helps train your sweat response and your body’s ability to sweat when it needs to cool down. While sweating more may turn some people off, this natural and positive body adaptation develops over time. The more you sweat, the cooler your body is and the better your cognitive and physical performance.