As part of the transformation journey I embarked on a few years ago, I started to leverage the sauna at my local gym in Connecticut. Initially it was to sweat out some extra calories after my workouts, but over time noticed a difference in my overall well-being. My body seemed to be more relaxed and less anxious. Playing hockey in my 40’s, I feel more flexible with less aches and pains the day after games. After doing this a few times over a month’s time I decided to make it part of my daily routine.
I would usually go in after my daily plank and push-up regime after dinner. When we moved to Florida last year I found a local spa that had an infrared sauna. Although I enjoyed the traditional steam sauna I was used to, I researched the added benefits of infrared saunas.
One benefit that stood out and I believe contributed to my renewed and improved health was detoxification. Sweating is a terrific strategy to release toxins and different impurities out of your body. In fact, it’s a standard “benefit” pitched at hot yoga studios. One idea is that fever is the body’s way of ridding itself of toxins, and a sauna creates a self-induced fever if you will.
The most important organs of detox within the body are your liver and kidneys. The reason you sweat is to chill your body’s inside temperature. When analyzed, sweat consists primarily of water and a little bit of salt.
There isn’t an exception relating to sweat caused by a standard sauna — research shows sweat caused by a standard sauna is 95-97% water and the remainder is salt, with a small little bit of protein and urea. Basically, it’s not made up of “toxins” per se.
The main reason you tend to feel better after sweating — whether through training/exercise or a sauna — is that your body releases endorphins. This doesn’t mean you are necessarily releasing toxins. However, there could be an exception in terms of infrared saunas.
As humans, we’re all bio-accumulators. Based on the Environmental Safety Company (EPA), all of us hold harmful toxins saved in our bodies, together with pesticides and mycotoxins. We retain these toxins in our bodies’ fatty tissues, together with the liver and blood plasma. More importantly, those environmental toxins are recognized to contribute to an entire host of diseases, together with cancer, arthritis, autoimmune disease, autism, fibromyalgia, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s and more.
While most sweat consists of water and a small amount of salt, research shows 15-20% of infrared sauna-induced sweat consists of cholesterol, fat-soluble toxins, heavy metals, sulfuric acid, and ammonia (sodium and uric acid as well). Basically, an infrared sauna may allow your body to get rid of environmental toxins by sweat.
Shortly after COVID-19 began to become prevalent in our area, the local spa I was going to had to close their doors, and a few months later they actually went out of business.
This led to my wife and I purchasing an infrared sauna for our home. My wife has been battling an auto-immune issue over the last few years and the infrared sauna has benefited her tremendously.
Here are 10 benefits of infrared saunas:
10 Benefits of Infrared Saunas
1. Detoxification
Again, one of the main reasons my wife and I use an infrared sauna is to detox heavy metals and industrial chemicals. There are more than 80,000 registered chemicals in the world. Heavy metals and chemicals accumulate in our bodies causing disease and different health conditions. The skin is our major detox organ, and through sweating, you will release deeply held fat-soluble toxins and heavy metals. Sauna use also improves lymph circulation, which aids in removing accumulated toxins. When detoxification, heat, and infrared light are combined, a synergistic and powerful therapy is created that leads to amazing health benefits.
2. Enhanced Immunity
After an infrared sauna session, the number of white blood cells is increased, showing that sauna use enhances the immune system and eliminates foreign pathogens and cellular waste products. Heating the body through sauna therapy is the body’s natural mechanism to fight infections. Raising body temperature by about 2 degrees and inducing a “fake fever” (hyperthermia) in a sauna assists the body to kill bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. Therefore, regular sauna use significantly reduces the incidences of colds, flu, upper respiratory infections, and other infections.
3. Sleep Improvement
One of the amazing infrared sauna health benefits is feeling relaxed, rejuvenated, and renewed—leading to a deeper, more restful sleep. The rise of body temperature promotes muscle relaxation and a sleep-inducing response. The lowering of cortisol levels helps the body to de-stress and relax. Furthermore, infrared heat causes endorphins to be released, which in turn induces calmness by relaxing the body. Using an infrared sauna in the evening, prior to bedtime, helps to lull your body into some of the best sleep. Take a lukewarm or cool shower after the sauna to bring your body temperature down. The combination of heat exposure with cold thermogenesis in the evening helps you to sleep like a baby.
4. Enhanced Energy
Near-infrared rays activate the mitochondria (the power plants of the cells that produce our energy), which in turn help to produce more ATP (the energy currency of the cells). The heat from infrared lamps stimulates the body to make bigger and stronger mitochondria, which results in a greater capacity to produce energy. Moreover, sauna therapy assists in recycling and repairing damaged mitochondria (a process called autophagy and mitophagy), which is like housekeeping and taking the garbage out. This is key to thriving and having more steady energy throughout the day.
5. Increased Weight Loss
Infrared saunas aid in weight loss by heating the body’s core temperature to induce sweating. The result is increased blood flow, oxygen consumption, and heart rate, which much like moderate exercise, has shown to help with burning fat and body shaping. Near-infrared rays also help to rebuild connective tissue, and in turn, reduce the appearance of cellulite. In addition, sauna use can modulate appetite and increase metabolic rate, which may help with weight maintenance or fat loss.
6. Skin Rejuvenation
Regular sauna use has a beneficial effect on skin health and rejuvenation. Infrared rays shuttle blood to the skin’s surface and help with collagen production and cellulite reduction. Sweating aids in removing bacteria out of the epidermal layer of the skin and the sweat ducts, resulting in clearer, softer-looking, and younger skin. Sauna use may benefit people with psoriasis, eczema, acne, and other skin conditions. In short, infrared saunas help restore skin to a youthful appearance and improve overall skin tone, including elasticity, clarity, and firmness.
7. Pain Relief
Sauna use has proven to be exceptionally beneficial to reduce pain in joints and muscles and increase mobility and flexibility. The pain relief induced by a sauna is attributed to an increase in circulation and oxygen flow to areas of discomfort and the release of anti-inflammatory compounds. Infrared sauna heat penetrates joints, muscles, and tissues and reduces soreness on nerve endings and muscle spasms. Many athletes use infrared therapy for faster post-workout recovery, getting relief from sport injuries and improving their performance. Regular sauna use has also been found to reduce pain in those suffering from fibromyalgia, arthritis, and other painful conditions.
8. Stress Reduction
Infrared sauna therapy promotes relaxation and reduces stress by balancing your body’s primary stress hormone, cortisol. The heat generated by the sauna will also help to relieve tension and aid in mental and emotional clarity. Sauna use has been shown to cause a massive release of endorphins (happy hormones), leading to a better mood and less stress and anxiety. Exposure to sauna heat can also induce a hormetic response (a protective stress response), which is crucial to stress resiliency. An infrared sauna assists the body into a parasympathetic state (the restorative and digestive systems), allowing the body to detox, heal, and rejuvenate optimally.
9. Cardiovascular Health
Infrared saunas have been scientifically proven to reduce the symptoms that are linked to heart disease. Regular infrared sauna therapy helps prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure, increasing circulation and blood vessel diameter, reducing inflammation, and reducing belly fat. In addition, near-infrared light promotes nitric oxide production in our cells, thus improving heart health.
10: Increased Longevity
Regularly spending time in a sauna may extend your life. One of the multiple mechanisms for enabling longevity is the activation of heat shock proteins (HSPs). HSPs can repair and recycle damaged cells and also prevent future damage by scavenging free radicals and increasing antioxidants capacity. Higher levels of HSPs have been linked to longevity.
Additional benefits include:
Supports kidney function; Increases circulation; Improves heart rate variability; Reduces blood pressure: Lowers your risk of dementia; Promotes a sense of well-being; Improves your immunity.
How To Use An Infrared Sauna
Step 1: Heat the Sauna Up
Infrared saunas are kept at a lower temperature than other saunas by nature, however, you can still personalize the temperature of your sauna. When you’re new to using the sauna, you’ll want to stay well below 100 degrees in the beginning.
As your body adjusts to the heat, you can increase the temperature as you feel it’s appropriate. It typically takes the sauna a little over 10 minutes to heat up, so once you’ve waited that time period, feel free to step in and enjoy your session!
Step 2: Pay Attention to the Time
Since you’re just starting to use an infrared sauna, you’ll want to pace yourself. As you keep the temperature lower, you’ll also want to use it for shorter periods of time.
Start by only using the sauna for a few minutes. Try starting with 5-10 minutes just to get used to the heat. As you start to handle the heat better, keep increasing the time. Eventually, you’ll be up to 30 minutes. This is the most common time to be in the infrared sauna once you’re well-adjusted.
Step 3: Remember to Drink Water
Before you even enter the sauna, drink a full glass of water. This will help you stay hydrated as you sweat. If you’re sitting in the sauna for 30 minutes, it’s important that you properly hydrate yourself before sweating for that long.
In addition to drinking a full glass of water before getting into the sauna, bring a glass in with you if you’re going to be in for a while. If you don’t want to drink that much water, a sports drink with electrolytes to help you rehydrate yourself would be great as well.
When you get out, another great way to restore the minerals and nutrients lost through your sweat would be to drink a glass of water with pink Himalayan salt in it. This helps you recover as a sports drink would, yet, it doesn’t have all the dyes and sugar that a sports drink may have.
Step 4: Bring a Towel
When you start sweating, you’re going to want to have a towel with you. Don’t forget to bring a towel in the sauna to keep yourself wiped off as your body rids itself of toxins. Not only will you want a towel to wipe off with, but one to sit on as well.
Since your body is going to be ridding itself of heavy metals, you don’t want the floor of your sauna or the bench to absorb these toxins. It’s best to soak up the sweat with a towel so you can wash it afterward.
Step 5: Relax
Once you’ve properly prepared yourself, don’t worry! The whole point of the infrared sauna is to take care of yourself, so take care of yourself mentally while you’re in there. Bring a book or put some music on and just relax. Sometimes I bring a sketch pad to write down or map out ideas that come to me while I’m in a relaxed state.
You can even try meditating or closing your eyes and clearing your mind if you want to get away from all the noise.
In summary, frequent infrared sauna use, a healthy diet, and other lifestyle habits are key factors that play a role in boosting your immune systems and increased lifespan.
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