WHAT ARE INFRARED SAUNAS?
Differing from traditional saunas, infrared saunas warm your body directly rather than through the use of hot air, leaving you to enjoy the sauna experience without humidity and steam. ‘Infrared heat’ has nothing to do with ultraviolet light that causes sun burn or skin damage. It is simply a form of energy transmitted at a specific wavelength. This gentle type of heat penetrates the body, causing sweating to occur, which is where the magic starts to happen.
BENEFITS OF INFRARED SAUNAS
Infrared saunas have numerous health benefits. The following is not an exhaustive list of benefits, but it provides you with an overview of the goodness of using an infrared sauna.
As we perspire, our skin pores open and waste products and old cells are shed, leaving the skin glowing with an improved vigour, tone and elasticity. Infrared saunas can help to break down scars from incisions, eczema, psoriasis, acne, even keloids can be softened over time.
Saunas are helpful for many musculoskeletal ailments including sprains, strains, arthritis, muscle spasm and for helping relieve stiffness and soreness. The deep infrared heat dilates blood vessels, bringing nutrients to muscle and soft tissue injuries, and removing metabolic wastes. Regular Sauna use is also effective in relieving Arthritic complaints.
Infrared saunas are a great way to detoxify. The deep penetrating heat causes toxins to be released from cells into our lymph, releasing them via our sweat. This reduces the detoxifying load off your liver and kidneys. Perhaps the most immediate effect you will notice is pure relaxation, as stress and tension simply melts away, helping you feel rejuvenated, renewed and restored.
Your body’s core temperature rises when you absorb infrared wavelengths, which improves your cardiovascular, lymphatic, and immune systems. An artificial fever can be induced by the heat and elevated core temperature. When the body detects a fever, it goes into healing mode, strengthening and speeding up the immune response. An improved immune system, combined with a rise in the body’s ability to eliminate toxins, will result in increased disease resistance. Who would say no to that?!
Infrared Saunas are the ultimate in fat burning. For an average conditioned person, a 30 minute session can burn up to 1000 calories, the equivalent of going for a 10 – 15km run! As the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) states: As sweat production is increased, your heart works harder to pump blood, boosting your circulation, mimicking the benefits of continuous exercise. Saunas are a great way in helping to maintain cardiovascular conditioning, when skipping regular exercise due to illness or allowing injuries to heal. Research shows that stretching after a 30 minute session produces a permanent increase in your flexibility. Saunas are a great way to warm up for exercise to help prevent injury. Your muscles will relax allowing for greater flexibility and range of motion. After exercise, infrared saunas aid with oxygen debt recovery and faster healing of muscle pains through increased circulation, delivering oxygen rich blood to body tissues.
“Regular use of a sauna may be as effective as a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning of calories as regular exercise.”- JAMA.
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IMPROVE MOOD & DECREASE FATIGUE
All in all, sweating makes you feel good! Sweating causes the brain to release endorphins, a feel-good chemical that gives us a boost throughout the day. Our infrared sauna rooms are soothing and relaxing, assisting the nervous system in slowing down and shifting into a healing mode. The infrared sauna affects the autonomic nerve system, allowing the body to recover and replenish itself. This healing condition is also known as the parasympathetic state, or rest and digest state, and can help people to feel more energised.
