Infrared Sauna Therapy: How It Benefits the Body
Saunas and sweating have been used for healing for decades. People used to go to an enclosed area, by a fire, with stones that heat the air for a long time. But, modern technology has lead to the most effective kind of sauna which is called the infrared sauna.
Infrared saunas use infrared heaters that warm the body in the same way as natural sunlight. Sunlight is a combination of visible light and invisible light. The rainbow’s seven colors are visible lights and infrared rays and ultraviolet rays are invisible. Infrared is part of the spectrum that has healing properties.
Benefits of Light
Infrared heat offers a lot of benefits of natural sunlight without exposing people to solar radiation. Infrared waves can penetrate nearly two inches into the body, increasing the body temperature from deep inside.
Traditional saunas heat the air with steam which can make them too hot and lead to sweat only at the surface of your tissue. Also, steam makes the air hard to breathe. However, the best infrared sauna uses soothing, dry heat that is well-ventilated as well as quite comfortable and relaxing.
Reasons to Try an Infrared Sauna
An infrared sauna offers the following benefits:
- Detox. Infrared heat stimulates the detox process by raising your core temperature and heating your tissues many inches deep. This can improve your natural metabolic processes.
- Increased blood flow levels. Infrared heat helps in resolving inflammatory infiltrates, exudates, and edema. Increased peripheral circulation offers the transport needed to help in evacuating the edema that can help stop inflammation, reduce pain, and accelerate healing.
- Weight loss. Spending time in an infrared sauna for 30 minutes can burn 200 to 600 calories. While the body works to cool itself using an infrared sauna, your heart rate, metabolic rate, and cardiac output will increase. As the body temperature rises due to infrared heat therapy, you experience passive cardiovascular conditioning.
- Pain relief. According to some researchers, infrared sauna heat therapy can relieve back, neck, and arthritis pain. Infrared heat penetrates tissue, muscles, and joints to relieve all pain from minor aches to chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia.
- Skin purification. Infrared heat therapy can help with eczema, acne, and psoriasis. Also, it reduces wrinkles, improves skin tone and elasticity, as well as makes skin look radiant. The therapy is also used for reducing cellulite trapped beneath the skin and minimizing the appearance of scars.