So you’re choosing which Sauna to choose and you’re considering whether an infrared sauna could be an option because you’ve heard that they help with weight loss, is that true, do infrared saunas burn fat?
Do they Burn Fat?
Infrared saunas penetrate the skin and heat up your body, so of course your body has to work harder, through sweating to cool itself down. The increased metabolic state during a sauna helps the body to burn off 200 to 600 calories during a half hour sauna session. However, it should be noted that that the weight lost is water, so this is only a temporary weight loss, as your body will then retain further water that you consume, so it does not become dehydrated.
How Often Should You Use an Infrared Sauna?
Learning that infrared heat penetrates your skin to heat your inner core may make you have concerns about the safety of an infrared sauna but in fact they are very safe, they use the same chemical reaction as the Sun, and can be used daily safely. In fact they have several health benefits, as do standard saunas.
Health Benefits of Infrared Saunas
There are several proven benefits of having regular sauna sessions which include:
Alleviation of stress: heat applied in a relaxing setting such as a sauna reduces stress hormones and increases serotonin levels in the brain which are the relaxation hormone. Just consider how relaxed you feel after a sauna.
Pain Management: The deep heat of an infrared sauna dilates blood vessels throughout the body bringing relief to muscles and soft tissues. This is particularly useful for muscle and soft tissue strain and damage through sport, weight training and physical activity.
Detoxification: Infrared heat increases blood circulation throughout the body and stimulates the sweat glands thereby removing toxins from the body through the sweating and increased blood circulation process.
Skin Purification: Again as the result of sweating the skin is purified by removing dirt, dead skin cells, and impurities caught in your skin’s pores. The result is cleansed and glowing skin.
Immune System Improvement: Infrared saunas raise your core body temperature which induces an artificial fever in the body, triggering the immune response to strengthen itself.
Improved Cardio Health: The increased heat in a Sauna increases blood circulation, and the increased humidity increases lung strength resulting in improved cardio function. For regular uses of saunas it is proven that cardio health improves with an increase in healthy blood pressure.
Why Infrared Saunas Are Different?
Infrared rays travel in straight lines and therefore can reach the inner core of the body, whereas other heat waves are dispersed on contact with physical matter and therefore usually heat from the surface through to the core. Think of a grill, these heats the outside first, whereas a microwave heats throughout. The other factor with ana infrared sauna is that the infrared rays are dispersed evenly throughout the sauna so you don’t have to be sat closer to the heater to receive the most heat as you do in a regular sauna.
