Health Benefits of Using Infrared Saunas

When you hear the word “sauna,” you may visualize a ritzy day spa where the wealthy spend their luxurious days being pampered. When I say “sauna” though, I’m talking about an infrared sauna that has loads of health benefits, one of which is relaxation.

Health Benefits of Using Infared Saunas | Real Food RN

I recently purchased a portable far infared sauna to use at home. I am in LOVE with it! The greatest part about it is that I no longer need to haul all of the kids to the gym just to enjoy sitting in a sauna. There are also arm holes, so while I’m sweating away, I can also be working on my computer or reading a book. Mommy multi-tasking at its finest! There is so much more to a sauna than just a little relaxation. That’s why I wanted to talk about the health benefits of using infared saunas.

When you hear the word “sauna,” you may visualize a ritzy day spa where the wealthy spend their luxurious days being pampered. When I say “sauna” though, I’m talking about an infrared sauna that has loads of health benefits, one of which is relaxation. The wealthy aren’t the only ones who deserve pampering and better health from enjoying infrared sauna treatments! Now, we all can…and we should!

What Are the Benefits of Infrared Sauna Treatments?

Relaxation
Since I already mentioned this, let’s talk about it first. Infrared saunas encourage relaxation as they help balance the body’s main stress hormone, cortisol. The lovely heat also loosens up constricted muscles and relieves tightness, allowing you to de-compress and relax.

Improved Circulation
The heat of an infrared sauna relaxes stiff muscles by improving circulation. When your core temperature is raised by the infrared waves, blood circulates more freely through muscles, ensuring all of your organs and cells get the blood they need to perform at their peak. This means relaxed muscles and overall better health for you.

Pain Relief
Increasing your core temperature makes you sweat, which relieves pain, stiffness and inflammation from chronic illnesses such as arthritis. It’s also a great way to lessen muscle recovery time after intense workouts or injuries. ne study found that saunas actually help relieve pain.

Weight Loss
While some of the weight that is dropped right after finishing a sit in an infrared sauna is “water weight” from sweating, when your core temperature raises, so does your heart rate, just as it does during exercise. Weight loss occurs as your body works harder to lower your temperature so your body burns more calories. Studies have proven that sitting in an infrared sauna for 30 minutes burns approximately 600 calories!

Skin Purification
The increase in blood flow and circulation also purifies your skin, which improves skin tone and lessens the signs of aging. It also increases collagen output and eliminates toxins from the pores so that skin looks younger and feels softer and smoother.

Detoxification
As you sweat while in a sauna, toxins that have built up in your body are released. Using an infrared sauna increases the amount of sweating that occurs, without as high of a heat, which means your body excretes more toxins than in a traditional sauna.

Increases Immunity
If you are coming down with a cold or the flu, sitting in an infrared sauna will flush it out of your system quickly. When circulation increases, your white blood cells also increase, helping your body more easily kill off the germs making you ill.

Decreased Mortality

“Increased frequency of sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of SCD, CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality.” (source)

My favorite infrared sauna is the Portable Far Infrared, FIR Sauna. I love it because I don’t have to leave the house to use it, but I get the same great results as the ones I would get at a health spa or fancy yoga studio. Since my hands and head are extended outside of the flexible sauna, I can use it anytime I’m reading or watching T.V. Plus, it costs practically nothing to run so I don’t have the high cost of spa memberships; my one-time purchase price is the only real investment I had. I get the best of all worlds in the privacy of my home while improving my health and wellbeing! Plus, my kids like that I look like a spaceman in my suit and they love to sit and laugh at me 🙂

One word of caution for pregnant women: One potential area of concern is sauna use in early pregnancy because of evidence suggesting that hyperthermia might be teratogenic. (source)

Watch this brief video where Dr. Rhonda Patrick goes over more health benefits of using saunas! Very informative! 

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Health Benefits of Using Infared Saunas | Real Food RN

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None of these health benefits have been evaluated or approved by the FDA. They should not be used in place of personal judgment or medical treatment when needed, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. (Only your doctor can diagnose and treat disease.) Read my full disclaimer.

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One Reply to “Health Benefits of Using Infrared Saunas”

  1. Just curious: since your arms and head are outside of the sauna, how do they benefit, or are they left ‘out’ of the actual benefits? Wouldn’t you look funny if your skin is great and youthful while your arms and face look old?
    if the infrared sauna works by infusing your body exposed to it to penetration of 2-3 inches, body parts left outside it should gain NO benefits as they don’t receive this penetration, leaving them untreated. I know what you are going to say, but my explanation seems quite logical: parts NOT exposed to the saunas infrared heat should NOT gain the benefits from it.
    Answer? I have put this product on my wishlist at Amazon, but really need to KNOW that having face and arms outside will benefit as well, but it isn’t logical that they will.

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