Infrared saunas are becoming a coveted luxury home item due to their purported health benefits. Sometimes they are referred to as FIR saunas, with FIR standing for far infrared. They do not work the way traditional dry or steam saunas work. While dry and steam saunas work through heat, infrared saunas work by emitting infrared light, which warms the skin directly.
For humans, the visible light spectrum ranges from violet at the shortest wavelengths to red at the longest wavelengths. Infrared light is slightly longer in wavelength than red light. Humans can’t see infrared light without sensors that detect infrared heat, but we can feel infrared heat. In fact, infrared heaters are commonly used in hospital nurseries to keep babies warm.
Infrared sauna enthusiasts say that infrared or FIR saunas remove toxins from the body through sweat. Reduced toxin levels are believed to improved blood purity and increased levels of blood oxygen. Infrared sauna therapy is believed to deeply clean your skin because sweat causes dirt from deep in the pores to come to the surface, where it can be easily washed away. Clean pores make for healthier skin, particularly in people who have acne. People who have joint pain often find that a session in an infrared sauna warms and soothes arthritic joints and results in better blood circulation.
Though far infrared light is invisible to the human eye, the human body can definitely sense it because it penetrates the skin to depths exceeding one inch, warming the muscles underneath. Far infrared light is completely different from the ultraviolet rays that are generated by tanning beds. UV rays are very short, while infrared rays are long. Therefore, you cannot become sunburned from an infrared sauna.
Steam room saunas rely on heat carried on air currents, and the direct contact of the hot air is what makes regular saunas feel so hot. But with infrared saunas, as much as 80% of the infrared energy is absorbed by the body, which is much more efficient. It also means that infared saunas don’t have to be as hot as steam saunas.
Though it may be tempting to take another infrared light source, such as infrared lamps used to cure paint jobs on cars, the infrared light in IR saunas are designed at specific infrared wavelengths and at power levels that are not harmful to human tissue. The sensation of using an infrared sauna is different from using a steam or dry sauna. Conventional saunas and infrared saunas both cause profuse sweating. People can sweat off a pound of water during a sauna session, but infared saunas do not feel as hot.
Weight lost during a sauna session is due to loss of water. The number of calories the human body burns for the cooling process during infrared sauna therapy has not been determined, however. One group of people who may prefer traditional steam saunas over infrared saunas is asthmatics. Breathing in the warm, moist air helps soothe the inflamed windpipe and bronchial tubes that asthmatics often put up with.
The temperature in an infrared sauna is about 140 degrees F. Body temperature rises in response to the heat, and the body copes with this extra heat load by sweating, because sweat evaporation is one way heat can be managed by the body. When the sweat evaporates from the skin, the heat of evaporation comes from the body, cooling it as the evaporation takes place. In an infrared or steam sauna, the body sweats profusely in an attempt to cool the body. It is important for those undergoing infrared sauna therapy to stay well hydrated.
Rerouting more blood circulation to the skin is another way the body attempts to keep cool, as is an increase in the heart rate. Together, these result in improved blood flow and the elimination of some bodily toxins through sweat, which can be beneficial in the short term. Your exact results will depend on the wavelength of the infrared light and how much heat is given off. Some heaters are comfortable and radiate at a beneficial wavelength, but they don’t give off enough energy to maximize the infrared sauna therapy experience. Likewise, there are infrared saunas that give off enough infrared energy, but it is in a wavelength range that the body does not respond to as readily.
There are many infrared sauna health benefits, and they are one of the least expensive and safest ways to encourage your body to rid itself of toxins like toxic metals and chronic infections. Infrared sauna benefits are especially noticeable for the skin. Most people’s skin is relatively inactive due to chlorinated water, exposure to sun, and the wearing of clothing made of synthetics. Emotional reactions such as anger, guilt, and fear will cause blood to withdraw from the skin (which is the reason that people are said to go pale when very fearful).
Believe it or not, sweating induced by infrared saunas is one of the most important infrared sauna benefits. Sweating gently eliminates toxins and heavy metals, relieving the liver and kidneys of some of the burden of filtering these harmful substances from the body. After regular sauna use, sweating increases significantly, helping the body more effectively purge toxins through the skin. The sweating that results from use of an infrared sauna is different from the sweat that results from exercise because exercise causes the sympathetic nervous system to become active, while sweating from sauna use causes the parasympathetic nervous system to become active.
Infrared sauna benefits are similar to the benefits of regular exercise. These infrared sauna benefits include better circulation, lower blood pressure, and better artery elasticity. Other benefits include soothing of arthritis and allergies, plus skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. By causing more blood to be directed toward the skin to dissipate heat, infrared saunas help clear internal organs of toxins too.
There are some alternative health practitioners who recommend hyperthermia, or ”fever therapy” for infections. Raising the body temperature, like with infrared sauna therapy, helps the body kill bacteria, fungus, and parasites. People with a chronically low body temperature tend to have a hard time ridding the body of chronic infections, particularly in the sinuses, ears, throat, and intestines.
Hyperthermia is also believed by some to kill abnormal cells because tumors do not tolerate heat well. It is not a conventional medical procedure, but there are actual clinical trials concerning hyperthermia for killing cancer cells. Hyperthermia from infrared saunas may also be able to kill cells that have been damaged or mutated by toxins or by radiation.
Heat such as that from an infrared sauna is known to inhibit activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which allows the body to relax and heal itself. The benefits from near infrared and far infrared rays are somewhat different. Near infrared rays are shorter than far infrared rays. Far infrared, or FIR saunas emit radiation in the far infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. There are usually several small emitting elements spread throughout the space in the sauna. The incandescent infrared heating lamps also emit soothing light in the orange, red, and yellow visible parts of the light spectrum, which are believed to assist in proper digestion.
Unlike traditional saunas, which stimulate sweating with high temperatures, the radiation from infrared saunas penetrates the skin and heats inside and out, so it can remain cooler while allowing for plenty of sweating. People who are used to using steam saunas to relieve asthma symptoms may not find infrared saunas to be as soothing, but most other people prefer the cooler setting of an infrared sauna. Not only does infrared radiation improve metabolic processes, it also helps in cell regeneration and wound healing.
Safety is definitely a consideration with infrared saunas, just like it is with conventional saunas. People who use infrared sauna therapy excessively can aggravate health problems. There have been stories in the media about jockeys overusing saunas in an attempt to get their weight into the “acceptable” limits, which are very low – around 108 lbs. This can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Fashion models have also been rumored to use infrared saunas to the point of dehydration. Anyone using an infrared sauna should use the “buddy system” if possible, particularly if they have an underlying health problem or an eating disorder.
Another safety tip is to avoid high doses of niacin and avoid exercise before using the sauna. Niacin can be toxic in high doses, and some forms of niacin by themselves cause blood to rush to the skin. You should drink one to two cups of water before a sauna session to prevent dehydration from sweating. Kelp can be taken to replace the minerals lost from the sweating in an infrared sauna. It is best to begin with a 20 minute infrared sauna session. When you are used to that, you can extend the sessions by a few minutes.
People who are debilitated or heat sensitive should begin with 10 to 15 minutes in an infrared sauna. And anyone who begins to feel faint or ill, or who stops sweating should leave the sauna at once. People with chronic illnesses like diabetes should consult with their doctor before using an infrared sauna. Children under age 5 and pregnant women should avoid saunas, and any children who use an infrared sauna must have an adult present at all times.
After finishing up a sauna session, relax for a few minutes and then shower off to allow the body to readjust to normal temperatures. The best times to use an infrared sauna are first thing in the morning and last thing at night. During the first weeks of infrared sauna therapy, people may experience unusual tastes and rashes that occur from the elimination of toxins from the body. It is normal to feel tired after a sauna session, particularly if you’ve only just started infrared sauna therapy.
Mail this post