What is an Infrared Sauna?
An infrared sauna is a wooden box equipped with infrared heaters that use light to create heat. Unlike traditional saunas that use steam, infrared saunas use infrared heat lamps to raise body temperature directly.
Infrared heat penetrates human tissue versus simply heating the surface of the skin. A traditional sauna uses heat to warm the air, which in turn warms your body. An infrared sauna heats your body directly without warming the air around you.
How to Prepare for an Infrared Sauna
Drink plenty of water during and after the session. If you can get a good night of sleep the day. This ensures you're less likely to feel faint or get dehydrated during the experience.
You might also want to bring some form of entertainment along, just in case you get bored. Otherwise you can use the time to meditate or practice mindfulness.
Why is Regular Sauna Bathing So Good For You?
The appeal of saunas in general is that they cause reactions similar to when engaging in moderate exercise, such as vigorous sweating and increased heart rate.
An infrared sauna produces these results at lower temperatures than does a regular sauna, which makes it accessible to people who can't tolerate the heat of a conventional sauna.
The heat causes your blood vessels to dilate which increases blood flow. It also causes the sweat glands to engage. As you sweat your body eliminates toxic chemicals built up in your system through your sweat [1].
Vasodilation of the blood vessels and increased heart rate gives your cardiovascular system a workout, without exercising.
If sauna bathing at least twice a week your risk of dementia and cardiovascular disease decreases [2,3,4,5]. It is thought that sauna use decreases dementia risk presumably by reducing its risk factors, such as hypertension, vascular problems, and inflammation.
Studies have also found that the immune system gets a boost from regular sauna bathing [6] and human growth hormone (HGH) is increased [7]. HGH helps to maintain, build, and repair healthy tissue in the brain and other organs.
If you are looking to commit to a regular practice of sauna bathing we offer 6x 30 min and 10x 30 min sauna performance packs.
Please call us on 6104 6520 or message us for pricing and to book.
References
*Disclaimer: The written article is based on a summary of existing literature on the topic of infrared saunas. The article is for educational purposes and the information provided below cannot be taken as a promise to help with acute health problems or diseases.