Infrared sauna health benefits include weight loss, detoxification, improved circulation, lower blood pressure, pain relief and better sleep. If you are looking for a way to get rid of your body’s toxins and burn calories at the same time, you won’t find a better and safer solution than luxuriating in sweat in an infrared sauna. 

The use of heat to perspire and detoxify the body has been practiced by humans throughout history. In fact, you’ll find mentions of thermal therapy across the globe, from Native Americans (who use sweat lodges), to the Mayans to the Ancient Greeks.

Whether you would like to lose weight, purify your skin, sleep better, detox, or you simply want to relax after a long day, an infrared sauna benefits your health in many ways, which we will discuss below.

Infrared Saunas vs. Traditional Dry Saunas

You might be asking yourself, “What’s so special about infrared saunas?” A lot of people are already familiar with the traditional dry sauna. It relies on warming surfaces inside the sauna to indirectly heat your body. Infrared saunas take this process to a whole new level as they heat your body without heating the room surfaces. Here are some basics:

• Infrared saunas radiate heat that your skin easily and directly absorbs

• These heat waves penetrate your tissues and muscles

• Your core body temperature rises, but at a lower ambient temperature

Basically, infrared saunas make you sweat at a much lower temperature than traditional dry saunas. The cooler temperature enables your body to sweat out toxins while not getting overheated. This is one very distinct health benefit of infrared saunas. They might actually be safer than a traditional sauna, particularly for people who are overly sensitive to heat. 

Weight Loss: Do Infrared Saunas Help You Lose Weight?

Yes, infrared saunas help you lose weight. When you think of losing weight, you probably think of someone huffing and puffing while sweating their way through a workout session. Saunas make you sweat too, and infrared saunas help you lose weight. According to the Mayo Clinic, saunas cause reactions similar to moderate exercise, such as vigorous sweating: "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."

When it comes to weight loss, the real question is, “Do you burn calories in a sauna?” According to a Harvard University article, you can burn between 100-200 calories in a 17 minute walk. "The physiological responses produced by an ordinary sauna bath correspond to those produced by moderate or high intensity physical activity such as walking," according to a Mayo Clinic Proceedings article.

Not only do you burn calories in an infrared sauna, but it boosts your metabolism as well. The body cools itself down after the infrared heat makes your core temperature rise. This increases blood flow to the skin surface, so you continue shedding those pounds without much exertion on your part.

Detoxification and Anti-Aging Properties

In addition to infrared sauna weight loss, infrared heat gives you a less expensive and healthy alternative to all of those costly skin creams. Infrared heat promotes collagen growth and healing in the dermis and epidermis layers of your skin. Therefore, you get fewer wrinkles, smaller pores, and better skin tone.

On top of this, when using an infrared home sauna your skin releases unwanted chemicals in the body through sweating. This is known as detoxification, and it can have a deep impact on your immune system. Infrared saunas not only make you look better, but they also make you feel better inside.

Improved Circulation and Lower Blood Pressure

Now, not only do infrared saunas burn fat, but they improve overall circulation as well. Your peripheral blood vessels dilate as heat goes through your body, similar to what happens during exercise. Circulation to your extremities can be stimulated to twice as fast when you are at rest, which means you get increased circulation and an increased heartbeat simply by sitting inside your infrared sauna.

As infrared saunas improve circulation, they lower your blood pressure at the same time. The heat a sauna emits induces sweating that increases both blood flow and heart rate. Cardiac activity is increased, thereby lowering your blood pressure. A study conducted in Finland over a period of 20 years found that increased sauna use resulted in decreased heart disease in men. 

If you have a heart condition, you should ask your doctor if an infrared sauna would provide health benefits for you, or if you should avoid saunas altogether. Do your own research as well for more information on safe sauna use and sauna health benefits.

Pain, Wound, and Arthritis Relief

Another health benefit of infrared saunas is that it can help treat body aches as well as more severe afflictions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other inflammatory conditions. This is due to the ability of infrared waves to penetrate as deep as two inches into joints, tissues, and muscles.

Aside from pain relief, infrared heat also helps accelerate the healing of burns and wounds by boosting cell regeneration and a stronger immune system.

If you’re curious about what health benefits an infrared sauna can provide for you, then these are likely the questions you have in mind:

• Does an infrared sauna burn fat and calories?

• Can an infrared sauna help heal pain and wounds?

• Which bodily processes can be improved through infrared sauna use?

• Can an infrared sauna help detoxify the cells?

The short answer is yes to all of the above. However, we understand that you may have a lot more questions to ask, and we’re happy to answer all of them. Contact us through our website, e-mail, or by calling 800-528-3110 so we can talk about how we can assist you as you begin your joyful, natural, and healthy lifestyle journey!

Like to read more about the health benefits an infrared sauna can provide? Click here to read our ebook on infrared sauna health studies!

Disclaimer: We are not doctors. If you have any doubts, consult your physician to determine whether an infrared sauna is right for you. The information we provided above about infrared sauna benefits has been found through our own online research and thousands of years of anecdotal evidence of people throughout the world using saunas for improving their health.