Saunas have been used for thousands of years for a variety of reasons. While infrared sauna therapy is a modern invention, the benefits of infrared sauna are based on a similar use of heat, but using infrared light instead of steam in the saunas.
Infrared therapy is is invigorating, offers quick treatments, and is a healthy light spectrum that will never damage your skin.
How does an infrared sauna work?
Infrared saunas and the heat they release offer many benefits for the human body.
Unlike ultraviolet light, which can damage cells, infrared light helps our cells regenerate. Its invigorating heat encourages oxygen-rich blood to pump through your body—relieving pain and promoting healing of deep tissues.
As opposed to a traditional sauna, an infrared sauna emits waves which heat the body directly while warming the surrounding air.
The exposure to high heat in an infrared sauna stresses the body, which elicits a healthy response. This phenomenon—in which the body triggers adaptation processes for future stress—is known as hormesis.
When you use an infrared sauna, the heat causes you to undergo a process that’s very similar to what happens when fasting or exercising.
What is an infrared sauna session like?
If you’ve used a regular sauna, one of the first things you’ll notice about infrared sauna is that the heat is dry and very pleasant.
While there is heat—just as with a regular sauna—it is infrared heat, which means there’s no humidity. And this infrared heat makes it much easier to breathe and be comfortable in the saunas.
As your sauna session progresses, you will notice your body starting to warm up. This leads to a progressive increase in heart rate, due to the increased blood circulation. And your increased heart rate leads your body to start sweating as you sit in the sauna.
What do infrared saunas do to your body?
Along with the increased cardiac output, additional changes take place in the body while you’re in the sauna. We’ll touch on a few of those changes in this post; stay tuned to our blog for more information on the positive changes that infrared saunas offer.
Infrared sauna provides cardiovascular health benefits such as improving blood pressure and reducing inflammation.
Infrared sauna also has direct effects on regulating and positively modulating hormones such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is related to a variety of benefits.
It has also been shown that infrared sauna promotes the release of growth hormone.
Use of an infrared sauna is the most effective and natural way to detox. Infrared sauna promotes the release of toxins like heavy metals, and detoxification can help with other health concerns such as weight loss, energy levels, focus, anxiety, back pain, joint pain, tense muscles, headaches, bloating, and irritability.
Infrared saunas offer a wide variety of other health benefits such as increased metabolism (calorie burn), stress relief, healing, anti-aging, lowered blood pressure, immune system boost, and more.
We will talk more about these benefits and how infrared sauna use can help you in future articles. For now, it’s important to know that even in brief sessions, infrared sauna is associated with many health benefits, including cardiovascular health and mental health, which in turn can help with weight loss and other health issues.
How often should I use infrared saunas?
Starting with 15-minute sessions, you can use an infrared sauna daily.
With regular sauna use, you’ll quickly become acclimated to the infrared sauna experience and will be able to enjoy it for 30-45 minutes per session.
What else should I know about infrared saunas?
It’s critical to stay hydrated when you use infrared saunas like those at our Indianapolis infrared sauna center in Indianapolis, so please make sure to drink plenty of water during and after your session, especially whenever you feel thirsty.
You’ll also want to rinse off after the sauna because of the perspiration that your body will release.
Learn more about infrared saunas and request a sauna appointment with Cryotherapy Indy here.
Individual sauna sessions are available starting at just $20, with a variety of sauna packages available that give you the benefit of using our saunas alongside other complementary services.
