Sauna and Stress Reduction: Why Sauna Therapy Is the Key to Relaxation

Portable sauna benefits stress

Stress and anxiety affect nearly everyone at some point, and with depression being one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in the U.S., finding effective ways to manage these challenges is crucial. One increasingly popular method is the use of saunas for stress. They offer a range of mental and physical benefits that may help alleviate stress and improve overall well-being

Some people are also at risk of cognitive impairment conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s later in life. Considering the monetary and emotional costs of these health conditions on the victims as well as their families and friends, it’d no wonder that most people fear this more than other chronic conditions.

Sauna and Stress

Scientific findings show that infrared sauna therapy is effective in helping users stay mentally strong and cognitively sound.

Sauna and stress

Heat treatment through infrared sauna therapy could help alleviate symptoms associated with anxiety, stress, and depression.  

Infrared sauna use has been linked with longevity and postponing or avoiding cognitive decline.

Natural Stress Relievers – Infrared Sauna

One of the unexpected benefits of sauna use is stress relief. Despite being a very important health benefit, this is a very undervalued and understated benefit to infrared saunas. Most people report that after a 30 to 45-minute session in the sauna, they come out feeling refreshed and relaxed. Stress is causing a wide range of health problems for many people and some treatment regimes have started adding stress management to their programs.

How does stress impact our lives?

Sauna and stress

Stress is so ingrained in our daily lives today. In fact, it is almost everywhere you turn; deadlines, traffic, cell phones, overbearing bosses, and more.

Numerous studies have linked stress to a wide range of health conditions including heart disease, lowered immune function, high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, sleep disorders, Alzheimer’s, obesity, and premature death. When you’re stressed, the mind and body take a defensive “fight or flight” position.

This natural Autonomic Nervous System response is designed to take you away from potentially dangerous situations. However, the body is not designed to remain in the “flight or fight” position for extended periods. Unfortunately, most people live in this position daily and this creates a path to the “danger zone”

When you are stressed for extended periods of time, your body gradually wears down and your adrenal glands (which help regulate the “fight or flight” response) start malfunctioning. During a stress response, the body directs all of its energy into your muscles in a bid to “protect” itself. As a result, the brain, organs, and nervous system are depleted of this vital life force which helps them heal and sustain optimal health.

Many chronically and highly stressed people suffer from gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases, which often result in stroke or heart attack. Continuous production of stress hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol has very damaging effects on our bodies over time. These dangerous hormones disrupt metabolism and normal function and have been closely linked to the physiology cascade that leads to the health conditions discussed above.

Natural Remedies for Nervousness

This can be resolved by getting into the parasympathetic nervous system (the “relaxation” or “rest and digest” state). While in the sauna, your body is surrounded by heaters that produce infrared heat. The heat penetrates up to 2 inches into your body causing pain relief, muscle relaxation, vasodilation, and an overall feeling of well-being. This stimulates the release of endorphins which help relax the entire body.

Using an infrared sauna regularly and repeatedly over several weeks significantly reduces stress even when you’re out of the sauna. Most infrared sauna users report greater peace and improved sleep.

Sauna and stress

When you’re stressed, various chemical changes occur, resulting in unbalanced hormones. Studies show that far infrared sauna therapy helps normalize hormone levels thereby restoring a healthy state by rebalancing both the body and mind. Since stress is the leading cause of disease, adding an infrared sauna to your stress management or stress management program has been shown to be highly beneficial.

Infrared sauna therapy is a great way to relax in soothing warmth while allowing the much-needed healing energy to re-enter all depleted and sore areas of your body.  

It is clear that infrared sauna use makes you feel good, reduces anxiety, and lowers stress. In addition to the “feel-good factor,” saunas have other health benefits which make them a worthy investment in your mental and physical well-being.

Natural Remedy to Calm Nerves

A trip to the infrared sauna is leisure time. It’s an enjoyable and pleasant healing activity. Infrared saunas are designed for relaxation and rest. They are great places to feel calm, chill, and escape from the worries of the world for a short time.

This getaway to relax and rest is very beneficial for the body as well as the brain. Infrared sauna use could have a significant impact on your mental well-being. Spending time in the tranquility of an infrared sauna helps cleanse your mind and body. Most people describe the feeling they get after leaving the infrared sauna as “pleasant” and “calm”. Although this feeling lasts for a relatively short time, studies show that it provides long-term benefits.

Add good company to infrared sauna use and you have a have yourself a high-quality leisure activity. The moderate use of infrared saunas is entirely a healthy and pleasant activity.

An infrared sauna is a form of thermotherapy

Infrared saunas sessions feel good because the body responds to the heat. The skin senses the rise in temperature and sends signals to the hypothalamus hence triggering the release of “feel good” hormones. Moreover, as your breathing rate increases, your blood circulation also increases and this creates a pleasant sensation.

Sauna and stress

Whilst in an infrared sauna, the body keeps working, just like when you’re exercising (physical stress).

Sauna and Stress

As a result, the heart keeps pumping significantly higher amounts of blood in order to supply all cells and keep up with the demand created by increased heat. This requires the lungs to be more active, boosting oxygen intake to keep the blood oxygenated. Higher oxygen intake is closely associated with relaxation and positive emotions.

The bottom line

All in all, the stress-relieving benefits of infrared saunas are quite clear. The heat provided in infrared saunas helps relieve stress, improve mental health, and can have a calming effect on individuals with anxiety. It makes it easier to relax, improves sleeping disorders, and improves your appetite, which are all signs and symptoms of stress.

sauna and stress

Top 10 Benefits of Using an Infrared Sauna Blanket

infrared sauna blanket detox

An infrared sauna blanket makes use of far-infrared heat, a technology that concentrates heat within the body in order to avoid warming the surrounding environment. Therefore, you don’t have to be bothered by the high temperatures or vapor in the room.

Although the temperatures within the infrared sauna blanket will be high, the surrounding environment will maintain its normal temperature. The temperature range is usually between 60 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit and it does not feel hot as an ordinary sauna. This allows you to stay in an infrared sauna blanket for relatively long periods of time.

What are the Benefits of Infrared Sauna Blankets?

When used regularly (up to 5 times per week), infrared sauna blankets boost heart function and metabolism. The heat generated by an infrared sauna blanket helps in reducing blood pressure, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

What are the Benefits of Infrared Sauna Blanket?

Studies have shown that it helps with post-workout recovery as well as easing chronic pain and pain for rheumatoid arthritis benefits. Key benefits of an infrared sauna blanket include:

Benefits of infrared sauna blanket

1. Detoxification

Sweating helps our bodies reduce their toxin load while boosting metabolism and general body energy levels. A sauna blanket heats up the body to its optimum sweating temperature making it easier for the body to get rid of potentially harmful toxins through the skin.

2. Boosts immune system

Once the body starts releasing toxins, you feel more radiant and healthier. An infrared sauna blanket boosts our immune system by facilitating cell regeneration and repair to ensure old cells are replaced with new, stronger ones. Regular sauna blanket sessions can help strengthen your immune system and other body systems.

3. Weight loss

Higher body temperatures as well as the increased heart rate brought about by an infrared sauna blanket can help strengthen the cardiovascular system. This aids the body to burn excess calories. When carefully combined with a balanced, healthy diet, regular use of an infrared sauna can improve your physique, your general appearance, and promote weight loss.

4. Better mood

An infrared sauna blanket helps reduce cortisol while stimulating the release of feel good hormones. Heat therapy in an infrared sauna blanket increases endorphins in the brain which can improve your mood and reduce anxiety and depression.

5. Better sleep

The happy feeling from regular use of infrared sauna blankets keeps users rejuvenated throughout the day, resulting in better sleep at night. If you are having trouble with your sleep cycle, an infrared sauna blanket can help you get high-quality, refreshing sleep.

6. Soothes sore muscles and joints

Infrared sauna blankets can help soothe painful joints and muscles. Infrared sauna blankets are calming and relaxing in the sense that they improve mood and reduce chronic pain.

7. Improves blood circulation

As the heart rate rises, blood vessels dilate and the body sweats more, which helps improve blood circulation and heart rate. Improved heart rate leads to better cardiac health and helps lower blood pressure.

8. Reduces inflammation

Infrared sauna blankets alleviate inflammation and pain, making it possible for people suffering from muscle tension to work out. However, infrared sauna blankets should not be used as a replacement for prescription medication.

9. Easy to clean

Simply open the blanket flat, wipe down the surface with a cloth and spray some antibacterial after each use. Once dry, fold it up and store it in a cool dry place.

10. Improved metabolism

Better metabolism helps clear skin blemishes, boosts collagen, and produces a healthy glow.

For most people, spending a few hours at the spa for sheer relaxation sounds perfect. But, between family engagements and work, along with finding time for meditation, yoga, or the gym, relaxing becomes a luxury many people can’t afford. SurmountWay Far Infrared Sauna Blanket with Remote control gives you benefits similar to those of a spa without having to visit the local spa.

Key Features and Benefits of the SurmountWay Far Infrared Sauna Blanket

Boost circulation infrared sauna blanket
  • High quality construction

SurmountWay Far Infrared Sauna Blanket features high-quality construction that employs a high-quality PU exterior and PVC interior for optimal comfort and durability.

  • Ideal for detoxification

The far infrared rays emitted by the blanket penetrate the skin causing a thermal effect of the deep subcutaneous tissue. This causes capillaries and tissue to expand, thereby boosting metabolism and blood circulation.

  • Safe design

Once the blanket detects temperatures higher than 85 degrees, it will stop heating immediately and sound an alarm for approximately one minute. This mechanism helps create a safe environment fir achieving your health goals.

  • Zipper design allows you to free your hands

The zipper design is a useful feature that allows you to enjoy other activities such as playing on your phone, reading magazines, and even making calls while still in the sauna blanket.

  • Convenient home spa

The SurmountWay Far Infrared Sauna Blanket allows you to enjoy the benefits of relaxed full body sauna sessions at the comfort of your home.

The radiant energy produced by an infrared sauna blanket is sure to aid you work-up for good sweating without effort. The heat produced by an infrared sauna blanket also aids to relax and relieve muscles and tension all through the body.

Research has also shown great benefit in using infrared sauna blankets for the treatment of chronic health problems like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, congestive heart failure, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Does an Infrared Sauna Help Nerve Pain?

neuropathy treatment home remedies

Numerous scientific and medical studies attest to the pain relief and other health benefits provided by regular infrared sauna therapy. The direct effect of far infrared light energy on peripheral nerves soothes irritated parts that send pain signals to your brain.

Various inflammatory conditions such as joint pain, rheumatism pain, and arthritis are benefited by lower levels of prostaglandins, which help regulate the relaxation and contraction of smooth muscle tissues.

Infrared sauna therapy also stimulates the production of white blood cells (leukocytes) which improves the body’s capability of healing itself and prevent recurring pain symptoms. Moreover, delivering a higher amount of oxygen to cells helps heal the affected area and stimulates the reduction of the causative sources of many conditions that make the body ache, cramp, and sore.

The pain relief mechanisms of infrared sauna therapy also include relieving ischemia and reducing muscle spasms due to improved circulation throughout the body.

Elimination of toxins and acids, removal of pathogenic microorganisms and improved oxygenation of cells and tissues all aid in bringing powerful pain relief to every part of our bodies through the use of an infrared sauna therapy program.

Help for Arthritic conditions, muscle spasms, and chronic pain.

neuropathy treatment home remedies

Infrared sauna therapy has been proven to be a highly effective treatment plan for relieving nerve pain and arthritic pain. For instance, in Japan, infrared sauna therapy is used extensively in providing relief to people suffering from nerve pain and muscular-skeletal ailments such as back and hip pain, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, sprains, and fibromyalgia. In Europe, infrared sauna therapy has been used successfully to treat people afflicted with lower back pain and various forms of arthritis.

When muscles are heated by infrared sauna light, blood flow is significantly increased, just like what we experience when we exercise. An infrared sauna elevates the body’s core temperature, thus producing dilation of the venules, arterioles, and capillaries.

This deep heating process dilates the capillaries thus bringing healing and relief to joints, muscles, and soft tissue. Improving blood circulation helps in the detoxification and transportation of oxygen-rich blood to joints and muscles that are oxygen-depleted so that they may heal faster.

Infrared sauna heat decreases joint stiffness and pain

In one study, joints heated in an infrared sauna at 112 degrees Fahrenheit has a 20% decrease in joint stiffness Therefore, it is speculated that thickened connective tissue and stiffened joints may respond in a similar way.

Infrared sauna heat helps reduce muscle spasms

Studies show that infrared heat is highly effective when it comes to reducing muscle spasms including those caused by underlying neuropathological, joint, or skeletal conditions. This pain-relieving effect is caused by the combined effect of infrared heat on nerves (both primary and secondary) that carry impulses from the body to the spinal cord or brain and blood vessels that supply blood to organs from the spindle cells. The effect is further enhanced by the impact of infrared heat on Golgi tendon organs which detect force or tension in the muscles.

Reduce muscle spasms infrared sauna treatment

Sometimes nerve pain is linked to the lack of blood supply (ischemia) due to spasms or tension that can be significantly improved by a high level of blood and oxygen in that particular area, which infrared sauna therapy can generate.

This is achieved by the widening of the blood vessels, particularly the arteries, thus leading to reduced blood pressure or increased blood flow. Infrared heat also reduces pain by direct action on peripheral nerves as well as free nerve endings in tissues.

In one study regular infrared heat application resulted in the elimination of the nerve response that causes pain arising from the dental pulp.

Infrared heat is quickly becoming a leading treatment for injuries in soft tissues. It has been successfully used to promote relief in Intractable (permanent) or chronic cases as well as speeding up healing in new injuries.

The bottom line

Nerve pain can be caused by different factors including chronic conditions, injury, over-exercise, arthritis, as well as hormonal imbalances. Many studies have shown that infrared sauna therapy can be used to provide relief for many different types of pain. In fact, it has been used across cultures throughout history for more than 2,500 years. Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used volcanic hot air caverns and thermal baths to treat body pains and muscle spasms. Infrared saunas are modern day solutions for natural pain relief.

While it’s always important to consult your physician first to decide how your specific pain should be treated, it’s worth considering how infrared sauna therapy can help relieve your specific pain naturally.

Help for neuropathy

Benefits of Infrared Sauna Therapy for the Skin

get Healthy skin

Your skin is the largest and one of the most important organs of your body. Therefore, keeping your skin healthy should be one of the priorities in anyone’s healthcare routine. Moreover, the skin is constantly exposed to a wide range of external forces such as injury, weather elements, and the beauty products we use.

These factors play a huge role in how quickly the skin shows signs of aging. However, there are numerous natural anti-aging practices we can incorporate into our skincare routines to maintain beautiful skin reduce the signs of aging and wear.

Using an infrared sauna is just like taking your skin body-wide into a moisturizer. In addition to protecting and treating the skin, infrared sauna therapy also helps prevent and reverse signs of aging. In just a few weeks of undergoing IST (infrared sauna therapy), you can come out with more radiant and beautiful skin than when you started.

Anti-aging infrared sauna benefits for amazing skin.

  • Better sleep

One of the best ways to keep your skin looking radiant and young is by putting on highly effective skincare products and getting a full night’s rest. Infrared sauna therapy helps with sleep issues such as insomnia, allowing the body to rest and giving your body ample time to absorb the skincare products you use.

  • Reduced irritation

If you have combination skin, you’ve probably noticed that what you use to moisturize one area of your skin can easily irritate other areas. Dry, fussy skin can also cause irritation. Infrared sauna therapy cleanses the skin and reduces irritation without removing naturally occurring oils.

  • Stronger pores

The heat from infrared sauna therapy opens pores and the cooling process afterwards helps close them again. This process of exfoliating adds strength to your skin pores, helping them breathe easily and cleanly without oils and creams filling them with moisture.

Inflammation is one of the main causes of most chronic conditions. Inflammation in the skin oftentimes presents in the form of redness, heat, and swelling. An infrared sauna session helps reduce inflammation in the skin, giving it the chance to function without inflammatory influence.

  • Gets rid of dead skin cells

Cells are constantly replenishing and skin looks vibrant and younger without dead cells de-coloring it, clouding it up, and covering new skin cells. Once old skin cells are washed away, new skin cells get a chance to get to the surface. Infrared sauna therapy helps wash away dead skin cells, giving you a brighter complexion.

get Healthy skin sauna
  • Natural moisturizer

Infrared saunas help moisturize your skin from the inside out. It’s a chemical-free, all natural way of treating your skin to the maximum in moisture. What normally appears as dry skin is infused with warmth and moisture thus reducing aging signs.

  • Stimulates collagen production

Collagen gives the skin some bounce and plumpness. However, as we age, the production of collagen declines at a very fast rate. Using a sauna helps stimulate collagen production hence reducing the signs of aging.

  • A rejuvenator

Infrared sauna therapy has been praised as a natural rejuvenator. As infrared heat penetrates the skin it stimulates cellular rejuvenation and activity. This helps the body get rid of old, dead cells and new skin cells are produced. This skin rejuvenation process means newer, healthier skin.

  • Keeps your skin young

Just like any other organ in the body, the skin has a unique system on which it functions. An infrared sauna enhances efficiency throughout your body, allowing various organs to work more effectively. Therefore, regular use of an infrared sauna creates efficient skin that functions and breathes, keeping you looking younger. In order to maintain a younger appearance, it’s essential to ensure that your skin functions like it did when it was young. 

  • Reverses UV damage
Treatment for sun damage

Infrared saunas can help reverse UV damage eliminating the fading, burns and aging signs common among people who spend extended periods of time in the sun.

  • A healthy body is younger, healthier skin

Infrared saunas engage several internal processes that help detoxify your body while strengthening and purifying internal systems and organs. Using a sauna at least 4 times a week helps you develop a healthier body which reflects in the complexion and shine of your skin. This means more protection against weather elements and younger appearances.

The bottom-line

One of the main benefits of infrared saunas for the skin is their detoxifying effect. They help clear away toxins that are buried beneath the skin. When you use an infrared sauna, you sweat out toxins that the body would otherwise be unable to expunge.

The process also helps improve circulation, which means more natural elements can be brought to the skin thus supporting a bright and vibrant look and feel.

Learn more about how Infrared Sauna can help with disease prevention HERE!

get healthy skin infrared sauna

An Overview of Infrared Saunas and Their Perks

Far infrared sauna benefits

Nowadays, more people are sweating it out; but not in spin or hot yoga classes, rather in infrared saunas. Unlike a traditional sauna which uses heaters or wood stoves to heat up the air, infrared saunas (IFS) use infrared light to warm up the user directly. IFS are designed to provide heat at a lower and more comfortable temperature. These waves penetrate the skin to up to 1.5 inches warming up your body and opening your blood vessels (vasodilation).

Infrared waves have been studied for several decades and are commonly used to keep newborns safe in hospitals. Moreover, medical practitioners around the world use infrared rays to increase flexibility, ameliorate pain, and heal skin conditions. Some of the conditions infrared sauna therapy can help with include:

  • Arthritis, joint relief, and muscle aches
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Detoxification
  • Fatigue and stress
  • Headaches
  • Immune system support
  • Heart health
  • Appearance of cellulite
  • Skin conditions
  • Calorie burning and weight loss
  • Some cancers

Benefits of Infrared Sauna Therapy

Benefits of Infrared Sauna Therapy

Infrared sauna therapy helps increase blood circulation and stimulates sweat glands to release built-up toxins. They can help detoxify your body by releasing toxins such as heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel), sulfuric acid, nicotine, and alcohol, as well as other inorganic and organic compounds. For decades it’s been known that sweating is a vital detoxification process that helps eliminate stored chemicals. Some of the chronic conditions infrared sauna therapy can help with include:

High Blood Pressure

Studies show that far infrared saunas can help improve circulation and blood flow. In fact, many sauna users feel flushed after use. Several studies acknowledge that the use of saunas is linked to a significant decrease in blood pressure. The studies also show that the use of far infrared saunas is linked with beneficial effects on several chronic conditions including stoic hypertension.

Congestive Heart Failure

According to a study published by the University of Columbia, Department of Family Practice, the use of infrared saunas can help reduce chronic pain, keep blood pressure within target levels, lower chronic pain and be of value to people suffering from CHD (chronic congestive heart disease).

The Journal of the Japanese Circulation Society published a study that shows that the use of infrared saunas helps reduce heart arrhythmias as well as the symptoms of heart failure particularly in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Since infrared sauna therapy is commonly associated with stress relief, reduced weight, and a decrease in blood pressure, it is also considered a heart health booster. Researchers in Finland investigating the benefits of infrared saunas for heart health found that frequent use of saunas helped decrease the risk of death from stroke and cardiovascular disease. Men averaging 7 visits per week for 14 minutes per visit had lower mortality rates.

Another study investigating the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and the use of infrared saunas found that IST (infrared sauna therapy) helped provide improvement for people with risk factors for heart conditions such as atherosclerosis.

Headache and Fatigue

A few minutes in an infrared sauna helps users feel renewed, relaxed, and rejuvenated. Many users actually comment on the relaxed feeling the gentle warmth provides and they actually look forward to their next infrared sauna session. Infrared saunas provide an excellent time for users to relax without interference. It’s just like going to a spa. Infrared saunas affect users’ autonomic nervous system by putting them in a rest and digest (parasympathetic) state, which allows the body to restore and heal itself.

People who have used infrared saunas often attest to the fact that they spend in a quiet and comfortable space, away from cell phones and computers encouraging healthy mindfulness practices such as deep breathing and meditation, which are essential for restorative body processes.

Type 2 Diabetes

Research shows that infrared sauna sessions aid ad and support people with diabetes, largely because it decreases a multitude of side effects. These benefits include:

Moreover, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, regular use of infrared saunas has a similar impact on the user’s cardiovascular system as physical activities such as running and swimming. The gentle heat of infrared saunas has been shown to offer benefits such as the body producing sweat, burning calories, and pumping blood.

This is also known as a “passive aerobic workout” because the body is not stressed in the same manner as a normal workout but it still receives all these benefits. Your body is in parasympathetic mode and is more relaxed during the entire infrared sauna session.

As your body increases sweat production in a bid to cool itself, the heart pumps harder while boosting circulation even to the extremities. An increase in metabolism helps burn more calories hence encouraging weight loss. Studies show that a 25 to 30-minute session burns 300 to 800 calories.

Obesity is one of the risk factors for diabetes. Weight loss is one of the main benefits cited by many infrared sauna users. Moderately conditioned sauna users can sweat off up to 500 grams, consuming about 300 kcal. This is equivalent to running approximately 3 miles. Moreover, supporting data heat-conditioned users can sweat off up to 800 kcal without any adverse effect. However, according to some published reviews, thermoregulatory homeostasis imparts a cardiovascular demand that is similar to walking at a fast pace. Therefore, infrared saunas might be of benefit to people who have a sedentary lifestyle due to medical conditions such as osteoarthritis or respiratory or cardiovascular problems.

Joint Pain and Rheumatoid Arthritis

natural treatment for Arthritis

Too much exercise can take a toll on anyone. The benefits of IST (infrared sauna therapy) include relieving soreness, stiffness, and inflammation by improving blood circulation. The deep penetrating heat also relaxes muscles and allows blood to deliver oxygen-rich blood while carrying off metabolic waste products for faster recovery.

The infrared waves also help warm muscles for a greater range of motion and flexibility, while helping relieve pain and muscle tension. Moreover, studies show that time spent in infrared saunas brings relief to rheumatoid arthritis.

Moreover, heat is effective in the treatment of muscle spasms, sprains, bursitis, joint stiffness, bursitis, and other musculoskeletal ailments. Studies show that regular use of infrared saunas can lessen much of the aches, pain, and stiffness that come with arthritis and aging.

Immune System Support

Infrared saunas produce penetrating wavelengths that raise the core body temperature thus creating an artificial fever. The fever helps the body accelerate and strengthen the immune system, as seen in cases of infection. This reaction helps strengthen the immune system, and when combined with other benefits such as improved elimination of wastes and toxins via intense sweating, it helps increase resistance to disease and overall health.

The bottom line

It is particularly important to understand that there are different types of infrared saunas. Different infrared saunas have different outputs of infrared waves. Therefore, it’s vital to read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.

In the studies published on the use of infrared saunas, none have reported any adverse effects. However, it’s recommended that kids and pregnant women avoid using infrared saunas for now. Lactating mothers should also proceed with caution as harmful agents have the potential to contaminate breast milk. Moreover, elderly people who have underlying medical conditions may want to avoid sauna therapy due to a higher risk of dehydration. People who have skin conditions such as rosacea that might be exacerbated by infrared sauna sessions (either traditional or infrared), may want to avoid the practice altogether.

Studies suggest that infrared sauna therapy may have a wide range of health benefits; from post-exercise recovery to pain relief to improved heart health. However, in order to confirm results and fully understand the benefits and risks of infrared sauna therapy larger clinical studies need to be conducted.

Read how infrared saunas can help with COVID-19 HERE!

Infrared sauna benefits