Detox and De-stress: The Power of Infrared Saunas for Wellness
Picture yourself on a winter vacation in the Alps. You walk out of your cabin hotel and step into a warm, cozy sauna, where you spend the evening melting your stress away. Thankfully, you can get similar stress relief—minus the flight costs—without leaving your town.
The classic sauna operates with hot rocks or steam to reach high temperatures and make your body sweat. Innovative infrared saunas create the same outcome, but just with a slightly different process. Knowing about the technology behind infrared saunas and how they can help you relax and detox can completely change your life for the better.
Infrared Sauna Technology
While it's easy to picture a wooden steam house heated with stones or stoves, not every sauna is the same. Infrared saunas are popping up in popularity, and these don't involve a typical heat source. This makes them more widely accessible, safer, and easier to operate.
What are IR Saunas
Infrared, or IR, saunas use infrared light waves, instead of a direct heat source, to warm your body. The light waves can't be seen by the naked eye like other light can. That’s because it has a longer wavelength than visual light, meaning the rays can penetrate through the deepest layers of your skin, warming it up from the inside, rather than simply heating the air in your external environment.
Are IR Saunas Safe?
Yes, IR saunas are safe! Infrared saunas might sound scary at first, but they’re typically safer than traditional saunas. It’s a form of non-ionizing radiation, meaning it doesn’t carry enough energy to affect molecules in your body. This means no damage to your DNA, unlike what other wavelengths like ultraviolet or X-rays do. IR light is commonly used in other household applications like TV remotes and thermal imaging, too, showing how safe it really is!
Traditional Saunas vs Infrared Saunas
Steam and hot rock saunas tend to reach high temperatures that may be considered unsafe, especially if you use it frequently. To fully benefit from saunas, it’s recommended to use a sauna multiple times a week.
Picking a safer alternative like infrared saunas can help you stay safe with identical results. IR saunas provide a more comfortable experience by using lower temperatures to achieve the desired relaxing and detoxifying effect. By offering a gentle and penetrating heat, you can sweat out toxins at a safer and more bearable temperature.
The Importance of Detoxification and Stress Management
Stress is a top cause of health complications, especially your stress is chronic. And let’s face it – who doesn’t have chronic stress nowadays? When you're in a constant state of stress, a gland located in your brain starts to release hormones that tell your body to enter a state of hypervigilance. Basically, these hormones talk to your adrenal glands and tell them to release stress hormones called cortisol and adrenaline.
Consistent levels of cortisol and adrenaline in the blood can make your heart beat faster, raise your blood pressure, slow your immune response, and reduce reproductive processes. Your body turns off the “non-essential” functions and focuses more on a state of survival. This is called the “fight-or-flight” stage. The long-term activation of this stress signaling can lead to cardiovascular complications, anxiety and depression, sleep problems, weight gain, and toxin buildup in the body.
What are Toxins?
While there isn't a specific list of human toxins, they can be broadly defined as waste products made by your body's natural metabolism. In healthy states, your body naturally eliminates toxins through urine, sweat, feces, and respiration.
Unfortunately, toxins build up in chronic stress and make it harder for these processes to function fully, leaving toxins to build up in your body. Toxins themselves can cause symptoms like nausea, weight gain, and brain fog. One of the proven ways to both decrease your stress and detoxify your body is using a sauna.
Saunas for Detox and Stress Relief
Infrared saunas are great tools when it’s time for a body cleanse. As mentioned previously, one of the body’s main mechanisms to reduce toxins inside the body is through sweating. Putting yourself in a safe, high-heat sauna encourages your body to sweat. This reduces the harmful buildup of heavy metals, chemicals, and impurities from your body and blood, mimicing your body’s natural detoxification pathways.
In addition to detoxification, saunas are well known for their ability to melt your stress away. The warmth of the sauna helps muscles relax, reduces tension, and soothes aches and pains. This physical relaxation is complemented by the release of endorphins, the body's natural "feel-good" hormones, which elevate mood and promote a state of calm. In fact, saunas may reduce cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone, and therefore are a great way to reduce harmful outcomes of stress.
Many people also love spending time in a sauna since it gives them a mental break from daily stressors. Regular sauna sessions can improve sleep quality, reduce anxiety, and promote a more balanced, stress-free lifestyle.
Adding Infrared Saunas to Your Weekly Schedule
Starting to incorporate sauna time into your weekly schedule may seem intimidating at first. It doesn’t have to be difficult, though! Try adding 2-3 IR sauna sessions per week, gradually increasing as your body acclimates. Keep sessions to about 30 minutes initially, gradually extending the time as you become more comfortable.
Remember that preparation is key. To prevent dehydration, be sure to hydrate well before and after each session and wear lightweight, breathable clothing, or use a towel when you’re inside the sauna. After the sauna, cool down slowly and replenish electrolytes.
Live Stress-Free with Performance Hyperbaric
Incorporating infrared saunas into your daily routine is a powerful way to detoxify and de-stress. You don’t need to go on vacation or invest in an expensive home sauna to achieve the benefits of saunas, though. At Performance Hyperbaric, we provide state-of-the-art infrared saunas designed to help you feel rejuvenated and balanced.
Our technology is safe, effective, and affordable. Whether you’re looking to try infrared sauna treatments for the first time or are a sauna afficionado, we welcome you to visit us. Our friendly and knowledgeable providers will make sure you have a safe, enjoyable, and stress-free experience. Call 772-241-2763 or visit us today to schedule an appointment to kickstart your body cleanse!
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