The benefits of an infrared sauna are a hot topic of discussion. Unlike traditional saunas that heat the air around you, the infrared ones heat your body.
The idea of using a sauna as a health booster has been around for many years. Sauna therapy was used to help people remove the toxins from their bodies and to improve the healing abilities of the body.
Infrared Sauna Benefits Examined
Health Conditions an Infrared Sauna may Help Treat
There is a multitude of diseases and adverse health conditions that are currently being addressed with infrared sauna therapy.
Type II Diabetes
The infrared sauna can be used twice a week for about 20 minutes at a time to help improve cardiovascular function in people with Type II Diabetes.
Many people who use the sauna to help with chronic conditions like this see a weight reduction and a smaller waist circumference. The reduction in weight can help improve the diabetes condition and remove some of the stress on the cardiovascular system of the body.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Anyone that suffers from rheumatoid arthritis knows that the pain can be excruciating and debilitating. The swollen joints become tender and the pain stops you from resting.
The 20-minute sauna sessions twice a week can help reduce the pain, swelling, and tenderness. Giving many patients comfort that they have only dreamt of before this.
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After receiving the sauna treatment patients said their physical comfort was greater and they had elevated mood levels. The results seem positive for 59% of the people who tried this form of pain relief therapy.
Congestive Heart Failure
Research shows that infrared sauna treatments are beneficial to people suffering from CHF. There have even been results showing that the people who get the weekly sauna treatments go to the hospital due to side effects of the heart condition less often than people who do not get the sauna treatments.
Patients tell their doctors that after the sauna treatment they have a general feeling of improvement and they are more positive about their circumstances.
High Blood Pressure
Patients who use infrared saunas as part of their fight against high blood pressure have improved circulation and positive side effects.
The sauna gets the blood flowing better and that lowers the blood pressure.
Patients say they feel better, have less stress, and are encouraged by the results of the weekly sauna treatments.
Chronic Headache
Chronic headaches can really interfere with the joy in your life. Research shows that using an infrared sauna can help to alleviate a headache, and wait for it, they can help reduce the number of headaches that you suffer from each week.
What about the Infrared Makes it Better than the Traditional Sauna?
When you enter a traditional sauna, you are usually surrounded by cedar or a wood that can resist the damages of the heat and humidity inside the sauna. The heat in the traditional sauna is produced by some type of heating element and the temperature inside the wooden room is raised to somewhere between 175 degrees and 195 degrees F.
Once the temperature reaches its targeted number then water is poured over hot rocks to create steam in the room. The high temperature and the steam cause you to sweat.
In an infrared sauna, technological advancements are being used to heat the individual body instead of the entire room.
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The infrared heat is a naturally occurring wavelength of energy produced when the body reaches certain temperatures. The sauna incorporates ceramic or carbon panels inside the area and infrared radiation is generated. That infrared radiation heats the area to about 155 degrees F.
Your body receives the sauna benefits without being exposed to the more intense heat and humidity that is present in a traditional sauna.
Home Saunas
The infrared saunas are less expensive to construct and operate. They can be much smaller than the traditional saunas and a lot of people have discovered that they are affordable enough to have your own personal sauna in your home.
There are for more advantages to using these devices than there are disadvantages, but there are some warnings or disadvantages you should be aware of.
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Not Recommended for Use by Pregnant Women
In utero, the fetus cannot regulate its own body temperature and it has been suggested that pregnant women using a sauna could cause the baby stress from the exposure to the high heat levels.
Researchers have proven that babies exposed to extremely high temperatures like the ones found in steam rooms, saunas, and hot tubs can cause spinal cord and brain problems.
Always consult your OBGYN before you use anything that would expose your body to extreme high temperatures.
No Alcohol Before Using the Sauna
Alcohol can cause your ability to sweat to be impaired. If you use a sauna your inability to sweat properly could result in you becoming overheated and succumbing to a heat stroke.
Alcohol also increases the chances that you might dehydrate from the heat of the sauna.
You should also talk to your doctor if you take any medication and make sure that the dry heat of an infrared sauna will not be dangerous to your health.
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Overuse
One of the biggest problems found with an in-home infrared sauna is when people overuse the unit. You should not exceed the recommended length of time you are inside the sauna. You should also not exceed the recommended number of times you use the device in a day or week.
Cleaning is Necessary
The in-home sauna will take a lot of care and maintenance to keep the interior of the unit clean and sanitary. The extreme heat and sweat are breeding grounds for bacteria and disease.
You have to thoroughly wipe down and disinfect the unit after each use if you want to keep it sanitary and ready to use.
Space Considerations
You will need to give up some of your bathroom space for the sauna. The units come in different dimensions so you can find one that fits well into almost every bathroom space.
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