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Our ancestors used saunas to benefit their health, and today, hundreds of years later, they are still trendy. Traditionally, wood or electricity has been used as a heat source, but since the late 1970s, infrared saunas have been gaining popularity.
As infrared saunas became popular, many manufacturers built a range of infrared models that would suit any space and any pocket. They can be bought online through companies like Sun Valley Saunas. Here, you can read more on the many models and types that can be purchased and delivered to your door.
Table of Contents
What is an Infrared Sauna?
An infrared sauna is a sauna where warm air is generated using light instead of wood or electricity. Sometimes, people refer to infrared saunas as far-infrared saunas. The word ‘far’ describes where the infrared rays fall in the light spectrum.
The traditional wood or electricity-fired sauna heats the air to high temperatures, from around 150°F to 195°F. In an infrared sauna, the temperatures are much lower, around 110°F to 120°F. The lower temperature means you can spend more time in an infrared sauna.
Health Benefits of Infrared Saunas
There are several benefits to using an infrared sauna, with its gentler heat setting.
Heart Health
The warm air in the sauna will heat your body. As you get hotter, your body will try to cool itself by sweating. Your blood must flow towards the skin so it can be cooled by evaporation, and to do this, your heart starts to beat faster. Your blood vessels will open to transport more blood, and this lowers your blood pressure. This increase in blood flow around the body will also help to manage inflammation. Managing the health of your heart is vital for your overall health.
Detoxification
Sweating doesn’t only help with cooling the body. It can also get rid of unwanted toxins. Heavy elements like mercury and lead are an underlying cause of many chronic diseases, and sweating is one way the body can get rid of these unwanted toxins.
Improved Blood Circulation
Your heart manages the circulation of blood around your body. If the heart pumps harder, the blood vessels will expand to accommodate the increased blood sent from your heart. As you sit in the sauna and get hotter, your heart rate will rise. This means more blood is being pumped around your body, and your blood vessels will stretch to allow the extra blood to pass. When this happens, your blood pressure is lowered. Lowering your blood pressure is essential when treating hypertension.
Relief from Respiratory Conditions
Infrared saunas are not only beneficial for heart conditions but may also assist in soothing many lung problems. The soothing warmth of an infrared sauna has the potential to widen the airways and loosen phlegm, which can lead to short-term relief from conditions such as asthma and pneumonia.
Pain Relief
Apart from relaxation, relief from pain is one of the biggest reasons for people to use a sauna. The heat a sauna creates can soothe the pain from many chronic diseases such as arthritis. A well-known therapy, Waon Therapy, relies on the warmth of the sauna to initiate the relief of pain. The sauna’s heat sinks into the body, and when the patient comes out of the sauna, they’re wrapped in a blanket to maintain the heat for a while. This routine continues for several weeks, and most patients report a significant reduction in pain.
Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
Woan therapy is also used to treat chronic fatigue syndrome. This is a debilitating disease where patients experience excessive tiredness. This extreme tiredness is often accompanied by depression and a poor outlook on life. Using gentle heat in an infrared sauna has been found to alleviate many of the symptoms of CFS.
Is an Infrared Sauna the right thing for you?
There can be little doubt that the dry heat in an infrared sauna has many health benefits. We all experience stress from daily living, so even if we’re not suffering ailments such as heart failure or arthritis, using gentle warming in an infrared sauna will relax you and put you back on a firm footing, ready to face the world again.
