Saunas have gained in popularity over the last several years, but are there any sauna health benefits you will receive that will make using one worthwhile?
Yes. In fact, the health benefits of a sauna are often described as remarkable.
Today, a modern infrared sauna makes taking advantage of those health improvements easier than ever.
The penetrating infrared light will promote natural healing, provide passive cardiovascular conditioning, retrain the body to relax and improve skin condition.
Perhaps the greatest infrared sauna benefit is that it can detox toxins that are released from fat cells by the penetrating light and heat. Highly Recommended for this is Heavenly Heat Saunas:
Infrared Sauna Benefit of Detoxification
One of the primary ir sauna benefits is its ability to detoxify the body. The main way this is accomplished this is through the production of sweat.
Holistic health approaches widely accept this. Holistic medicine focuses only only the medical aspect of a person, but considers the whole person.
Enhanced Sweating
Sweating helps the body rid itself of toxins. Part of the problem is that most people today live relatively sedentary lifestyles. This means they do not sweat often enough or long enough to get rid of toxins.
This problem becomes even worse in the cold temperatures of winter. The higher temperatures with heat therapy help to raise the body’s core temperature. As this temperature rises, the body produces sweat to help regulate heat. This sweat not only cools the body, but also purges it of heavy metals and chemicals.
Infrared saunas take this a step further as it amplifies and supports the body in detoxification of fatty tissues. It is this release of toxins from fatty tissues and fat cells that is perhaps the primary health benefit, especially using this modern sype.
Why detoxify? This process is a main way that an infrared sauna benefits your body’s organs such as the liver by reducing the amount of toxins the organs need to remove.
Does Infrared Sauna Detox Heavy Metals?
Yes. A quality product with effective infrared heaters will remove heavy metals such as lead and mercury by a process called resonance frequency. The closer the heaters are to 9.4 microns, the better this resonance frequency, or vibration of the cells. This is similar to how sound waves vibrate glass.
This vibration, similar to glass molecules vibrating form certain sound waves, shakes off the heavy metals and other toxins that are stuck to the cells, releasing them to be eliminated from the body.
This is one of the most critical health benefits of sauna usage and is the most critical aspect to consider when purchasing one for your family.
This deep detoxification of heavy metals and toxins from a fat cell is one of the benefits of a dry sauna which cannot be obtained as well in a traditional steam environment. As we are exposed to lead and mercury during so many activities and with so many products, this is particularly important.
The brand that produces the best resonance frequency is Clearlight. Other good brands which also deliver high levels of detoxification are Heavenly Heat and Sunlighten. This heavy metal detox is part of the reasoning behind these three brands being so highly recommended and satisfying such a high percentage of their customers.
Improved Lymphatic System
An improved lymphatic system also helps remove other toxic substance, by products of metabolic functions. This can also be part of the reason for the impact on skin health which will be discussed further.
Relaxation and Stress Relief with Heat Therapy
Relaxation of Muscles
The first thing that happens when the heat comes into the body and this vasodilation begins is the muscles start to relax. You go from a sympathetic state to a parasympathetic state.
The sympathetic is the fight-or-flight, the running from the tiger, the stressed-out response. Parasympathetic, on the other hand, is rest and digest and I feel good.
Many of us live in this stressed out state so regularly that we are not even aware of it. As a result, the body never fully applies itself to healing. The body won’t put energy into healing when it thinks it is in danger. That is great wisdom of the body. But we need to tell it that it is okay to relax. This is how the infrared sauna benefits brilliantly.
As you relax, your body produces larger amounts of pleasure inducing chemicals called endorphins. This higher endorphin level helps you feel better and more alert and this feeling continues for some time after your session is over. With regular use these results multiply.
Reduction of Cortisol Levels
The reduction of cortisol will then provide sauna adrenal fatigue recovery. The body is relaxed by being put into a parasympathetic state by the process of relaxation. Over time, the body is trained to remain in the parasympathetic state, taking even longer to go back into a fight or flight sympathetic state.
Exercise not only lowers the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, that are released during the stress reaction but also causes the body to create endorphins and serotonin, which both serve to lower stress and improve mood. This is known as physiological stress reduction.
Mood Enhancement and Mental Health Benefits
Another one of the benefits of a sauna is in the increased mental strength due to the reduction of stress. We live in a stress filled world and many of us have little or no opportunities to relax. Studies have shown benefit and improvement in depression and anxiety using IR light and heat as reported here by the National Library of Medicine.
In the traditional or modern wood cabin, you are in a warm, beautiful place that is closed off from the rest of the world. You close your eyes, lean back and feel the heat entering your body. Who wouldn’t like a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as an enhancement of mental clarity?
Benefit of Improved Skin Health
Many people have contacted us over the past several years regarding improvements in their skin. They may have begun using heat therapy for arthritis or other problems. But the first thing they notice is an improvement in the softness of their skin.
One possible reason for this is that the detoxification happens very close to the skin level. As well, the skin itself is being cleansed by the sweating process. Yes, an ir sauna benefits skin tone and softness. Dry brushing before sauna and other infrared sauna how to use tips can increase this effect and helps detox as well.
The addition of near infrared will provide even more beneficial improvement to skin condition. Near IR promotes additional collagen production in the skin. This is a recommended addition if skin improvement is one of your primary goals.
Purification of Skin
Near infrared is even superior to far IR in the health of the skin. Adding red light therapy even when used alone on its own focuses on removing toxins from the skin.
Improvement in Skin Elasticity and Tone
Near infrared and red light therapy improve the skin even more than the far wavelengths of the light. Skin will become more elastic and produce much more collagen for a younger looking skin with more elasticity.
Reduction in Acne and Eczema
More benefits to Infrared saunas are being recognized all the time for their ability to improve skin health, particularly in treating conditions like acne and eczema, also known as dermatological health . The dry heat helps open pores and remove impurities, including bacteria and dead skin cells that can cause acne. For those suffering from eczema, the warm air can help alleviate the dryness and other irritations that make this condition worse.
Pain Relief by Thermotherapy
Chronic Pain Conditions
Due to the vasodilation and other effects, inflammation in the blood and body is reduced. The pain nerves as well also get fewer signals to activate. Pain chemicals such as substance p are reduced.
This is mainly accomplished through thermotherapy, which is simply applying heat to an injury.
Muscle Pain and Pain Management
As well, lesser pains such as soreness in muscles after working out or straining are reduced.
An infrared sauna benefits those experiencing pain by radiating energy in the far IR range of the electromagnetic spectrum. These far infrared sauna wavelengths are able to penetrate the human body to the depth of up to two inches.
This penetration allows the healing heat to positively affect deep muscle tissue and joints. The heat allows for increased blood flow to these tissues which, in turn, promotes the body’s natural healing processes.
Joint Pain and Stiffness
One of the benefits of infrared saunas is their ability to help injured joints and muscles to heal. This does not always even require long sauna bathing.
A 10 minute session prior to taking a set of stairs or short walk can completely eliminate pain which would normally result from these minor activities. This has actually been one of the most prominently reported beneficial effects. This is likely due to already injured people being very aware of their pain and the reduction that results.
What Are the Benefits of a Sauna After Workout?
Even traditional types provide benefit after a workout by warming the muscles and increasing muscle recovery after a strenuous workout. An infrared sauna benefits by its penetrating wavelengths that will promote healing and helps remove contaminants including lactic acid which develops during a workout.
Another benefit is a noticeable reduction in after workout soreness. This can also be used before working out. This is especially helpful for those with tight muscles or recovering from existing pain symptoms.
An electrolyte such as potassium can be lost during a lot of sweating and dehydration and it is important, though obvious, to drink a lot of water to hydrate and replace electrolytes. Electrolytes and minerals are lost as you heat from the inside and begin sweating. This is even more important during a traditional or steam session.
Do Infrared Saunas Benefit Weight Loss?
One of the goals and positives in this is to provide an individual with a real control over their own health, which can be very satisfying. This can result in what is known as chronic health improvement
Caloric Burn
When you heat up your core body temperature, you are increasing the body’s metabolism. Not only is this great for pain reduction but it is good for weight loss as well. You can easily burn 300 calories and even up to 600 calories in a single session.
Increased Metabolism
Contrast this to walking which burns only 200 calories per mile. Walking is still a great form of exercise and it is also recommended. However users will experience benefits from infrared saunas as more calories will burn away passively and produce an increased metabolism to passively burn even more calories.
A very important point for weight loss is the issue of toxins being stored in fat cells. Perhaps you know someone that eats celery and carrots and exercises and they still can’t lose weight. Part of the problem is the toxin overload they may have. As these toxins are stored in fat cells, the fat cells cannot be lost until the toxins are first removed.
Weight Management Support
As lightwaves penetrate into the tissues, the heat and resonance frequency of the wavelengths shakes the toxins loose. They can then be sweated and eliminated out of the body. Once this process is started, weight loss can then begin. Allowing the body to begin its weight loss is a one of the vital health benefits of sauna use when engaged in regularly.
Along with diet, this would be a healthy addition to your personal wellness program.
Cardiovascular Health Conditioning Benefit
Heart Rate Increase Simulating Exercise
As the body is heated up, blood is moved to the lungs and pushed towards the surface of the skin in the body’s attempt to cool itself. Breathing is increased and more oxygen goes into the blood as the heart rate increases. This is what also happens during exercise. The light and heat therapy creates a mild cardiovascular conditioning, similar to light exercise.
This can be extremely beneficial to those suffering from any condition that will not permit vigorous exercise as it provides a boost to circulation and the improved circulation often results in lower blood pressure. One study on regular sessions has been shown to lower heart failure risk.
Improved Circulation
Use has been proven to result in heart health improvement. The heat from an infrared sauna benefits blood flow as it encourages the dilation of blood vessels, resulting in improved circulation throughout the entire body.
The enhanced blood flow helps not only in delivering more nutrients and oxygen to your tissues but also removes metabolic waste. Regular infrared sauna sessions can lead to better muscle recovery, reduced stiffness, and even increased energy.
Lower Blood Pressure
An infrared sauna benefits thorough vasodilation, which is the process of relaxing blood vessels. This can also provide pain relief and the reduction of tension and sore muscles. The heat provides passive cardiovascular conditioning as your body pushes blood towards the skin to cool itself. This also cleanses the skin through sweating. But the real benefit can be lower blood pressure.
One medical study in a controlled environment showed IR Heat lowers blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic. Read the study here.
Immune System Boost
There has been a lot of focus the past couple decades on immune system modulation as people have been consuming Omega-3 fatty acids, astragalus root, echinacea flower and other natural substances to strengthen the immune system. Heat is another great immune system modulator.
Is Sauna Good for Lyme disease?
So, does a sauna benefit lyme disease? Yes, a person suffering with Lyme disease is helped by infrared therapy. This is true especially during Herxheimer, the time during which the pathogens are dying. By eliminating some toxins out through the skin, the patient’s kidneys and liver are given a little relief from their task of reliving the dead pathogens.
Heat Helps With Autoimmune
During the past couple decades, reactions and sensitivities to chemicals and electromagnetic fields has skyrocketed. With over 80,000 chemicals in our environment it is no longer a matter of trying to avoid toxins. We all are burdened with them already in our bodies. It is now a matter of removing them and quickly removing the ones that are entering our bodies on a daily basis.
When our bodies reach their saturation point we reach toxic overload. This is when the body can begin to attack itself, known as auto immune.
These levels are different for each person. But when the toxins begin mimicking hormones and confusing the body, serious issues can result.
Increased White Blood Cell Production
Infrared Sauna sessions increase white blood cell counts in addition to reducing cortisol. Specifically, the white cells that fight infections were increased.
Improved Overall Immunity and Faster Recovery from Illness
Another infrared sauna benefit is it can strengthen the body’s immune response. The elevated body temperature mimics a normal fever, a natural defense mechanism that helps kill pathogens. This artificial fever stimulates the immune system, increasing production of white blood cells and antibodies. This often leads to a faster recovery from common illnesses like colds and flu.
Sleep Enhancement
Promotion of Deeper Sleep
This is one of the better relaxation techniques for better sleep. While you may see a result after just one or two infrared sauna sessions, later you will likely experience the impact of regular use on sleep patterns, falling asleep sooner and a deeper sleep.
Regular use of far infrared sauna benefits your sleep quality and is one of various sleep regulation techniques that is very effective. How does it do this? The heat relaxes the body and mind, easing the transition into deeper sleep. This relaxation effect is beneficial for those who struggle with sleep disorders such as insomnia. By incorporating IR sauna sessions into evening routines, individuals then experience a drop in body temperature after the session. This signals the body that it’s time to sleep and promotes deeper sleep.
Saunas Benefit Longevity
Anti-aging Effects
The overall lower toxic load and the passive cardiovascular exercise greatly improve heart health. There is a recent study from 2016 that reviewed the history of 2500 men aged 50 and over related to regular use. It was a 20 year study with groups using IR heat and a control group which did not.
Long-term Health Benefits
Those sitting in an IR sauna just one time per week had a drop in overall deaths. Three times per week resulted in a further reduction. Those using infrared 4-7 times per week dropped death rates from 58% down to 33%. This is substantial.
Metabolic Health Enhancement, which really just means reducing risks, lowers risk from diseases such as heart disease. This is accomplished through many things such as keeping glucose levels under control.
Studies and Research on Longevity
Now more than ever we need to remove these toxins on a daily or weekly basis. Regular sauna sessions will stimulate the body at a cellular level. Raising core body temperature and providing all of the health benefits from infrared saunas have been shown to provide. These include pain relief, relief of chronic pain and joint pain, improved sleep and reduction of chronic fatigue. The heat therapy also helps with stress management, pain management, the sympathetic nervous system, improves the circulatory system, helps control the fight-or-flight response by regulating the human body temperature.
All of this will give the body a chance to begin healing itself.
We are pleased to see that more doctors are using light and heat therapy in addition to medicine for treating chronic conditions. There is increased evidence in numerous medical studies that have shown light therapy to be an effective and alternative treatment.
During 2018, more clinical studies provided evidence proving the effectiveness of these treatments including a paper issued by the Mayo Clinic in August, 2018.
It is important to note that healing is vastly different than curing. Usage will not cure anything. Instead what it does is give the body a fighting chance to begin healing itself. And it does this very well. Please choose a product with safe low emf heaters. Our Comparison page with the Best Brands rated will help you navigate the decision process.
However, if you want to experience these benefits of sauna sessions, you need to be certain you have the proper unit. It needs to be providing true, deep penetrating heat and light. It also needs to provide this in a clean environment, free of EMFs and contaminants. Please see our recommended brands and comparisons.