An unusual sauna with infrared radiation gained popularity in the late 70s of the last century when Tadashi Ishikawa, a therapist from Japan, brought to life the idea of heating the body with the help of infrared waves.
What is an infrared sauna?
Externally, the infrared sauna is a cabin resembling a wooden cabinet, equipped with a glass door. The cabin is finished with wood both outside and inside, in its lower part and on the sides there are infrared emitters with a ceramic coating.
Cabin dimensions depend on the number of people who can fit in it at the same time, standard infrared saunas are designed for one to five seats. The device of the infrared cabin is not complicated, its emitters accumulate heat, which affects the human body inside the cabin.
As the impact increases, heat flows penetrate the body to a depth of up to 4 cm, are distributed evenly, and increase its temperature to 38-38.5 degrees.
How do infrared saunas work?
Before you go to such a sauna, you need to understand exactly how it works. The healing effect of the procedure is achieved by expanding blood vessels, improving blood circulation, and activating biochemical reactions.
As in a regular bath, there is no moisture inside this type of sauna, in combination with a high temperature reaching 43-50 degrees, and infrared radiation, the procedure stimulates active sweating and helps to quickly get rid of toxins.
The infrared sauna works on the principle of solar radiation, therefore, being inside the cabin, we feel a relaxing warmth, similar to the effect of the sun.
The effect of an infrared sauna is that during the operation the waves practically do not heat the air, acting directly on the body. You can stay in the sauna with closed or open doors, if the procedure is not well tolerated, this will not affect its effect.
Benefit for health
The benefits of infrared saunas are undeniable and have been repeatedly proven in a number of medical and scientific tests. The healing effect of infrared waves helps to stimulate the vessels of the heart and make them more elastic.
Due to the fact that inside the infrared cabin sweating increases twice as much, the body gets rid of a large number of toxic substances and heavy metals. The beneficial effect of such a sauna does not end there, because it helps:
- eliminate severe joint pain
- eliminate migraines
- significantly increase immunity, so the procedure should be carried out more often in the autumn and winter
- accelerate the healing of wounds and bruises on the body, traumatic tissue damage, and fractures
- suppress the growth of cancer cells
- completely relax, restore the nervous system, forget about insomnia and stress
- cure chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract due to exposure to heat
- stimulate the kidneys and enhance the blood circulation process
Cosmetic effect
Staying inside the infrared cabin gives not only a healing effect and a positive effect on the state of the body, but also allows you to significantly improve the appearance and condition of the skin.
The question of how often you can visit an infrared sauna will depend on the characteristics of a particular organism. Due to the activation of blood supply and abundant sweating, the skin becomes smoother, more even, and elastic.
For this reason, many beauty salons are additionally equipped with infrared saunas, since such a steam room helps:
- Get rid of extra pounds. During intense sweating, a person loses a large number of calories, and according to scientists, a single session in an infrared sauna is equal in intensity to a run over a distance of 10 km. Thus, an infrared sauna is useful for weight loss.
- Clear skin. As the pores open under the action of heat, impurities and dead cells, and sweat are washed away from the surface of the skin. The condition of the skin becomes better due to the intensive blood flow, for this reason, the infrared sauna is an excellent anti-aging remedy.
- Eliminate dandruff. To eliminate the problem, just a few sessions in the sauna will be enough.
- Cure many dermatological diseases. With the help of an infrared sauna, you can get rid of acne, eczema of various dermatitis, as well as make scars and scars less noticeable.
- Accelerate the elimination of cellulite. Due to the high temperature, fat accumulations under the skin are gradually split, and toxins and excess fluid are also additionally removed.
The benefits of infrared sauna after fitness
Many fitness fans are interested in the benefits of an infrared sauna after a workout. In fact, you can visit such a steam room not only after but also before going to the gym, since the benefits of infrared rays will be quite high in both cases.
After penetration into the body, the rays significantly increase blood circulation, as a result, blood quickly rushes to the muscles, which makes it possible to do without a warm-up before training.
After being in the cabin, you can get rid of the accumulated lactic acid in the muscles and, accordingly, forget about the unpleasant effect of krepatura. Thanks to the improvement of metabolic processes, minor injuries and sprains received during training will heal faster.
In addition, an infrared bath helps to eliminate chronic fatigue syndrome.
You can visit the cabin after training, observing the following rules:
- the load in training should not be increased;
- its total duration does not exceed 45 minutes;
- during training and after the sauna you need to drink water;
- you can stay in the cabin for no more than 20 minutes;
- after the end of the procedure, you must take a cool shower or climb into the pool.
Are infrared saunas safe?
The benefits and harms of infrared saunas are discussed by many people who want to avoid possible negative consequences for the body.
According to experts, staying in a sauna is not harmful, but it has its own contraindications. It is impossible to visit the sauna during pregnancy and after surgical interventions; you should always consult with your doctor first.
The disadvantages of an infrared sauna appear if a person does not follow the precautionary measures and exceeds the allowable time spent in the cabin.
Doctors recommend not to go to the sauna for women during the menstrual cycle, in the presence of fever, acute respiratory infections, influenza, special forms of tuberculosis and diabetes, as well as purulent processes in the body and other contraindications.
While taking certain medications, experts recommend temporarily postponing trips to the infrared sauna.
If you suffer from a chronic disease, it is worth consulting in advance about the benefits and harms of an infrared sauna with a doctor who will determine exactly whether this procedure is indicated for you.
Follow the rules
In order for the effect of infrared waves to have only a beneficial effect on health, you need to know how to properly bathe in an infrared sauna. The booth must be prepared in advance for the procedure and follow the advice of experts.
For maximum effect, you need to be inside 10-12 times for 30 minutes daily or every other day. The initial stay inside the cabin should not exceed 25 minutes, in addition:
- The sauna room must be ventilated and heated for at least 10-15 minutes, its optimum temperature should be 40-60 degrees.
- Do not eat for 1.5 hours before visiting the sauna.
- The rules for visiting the infrared sauna provide for a plentiful drink to replenish the lost fluid. Immediately before entering the cabin, you can drink mineral water without gas, herbal decoction, or tea.
- Before the sauna, it is advisable to take a shower with hot water, which helps to open the pores, increase the release of sweat and accelerate the cleansing of the body from toxins and toxins.
- It is necessary to sit in the cabin evenly with your legs down so that the body receives the maximum amount of warm rays; in the prone position, their effect is halved.
- While in the bath, you can massage your muscles to relieve tension, move your arms and legs, and massage your neck and feet.
- You should take a towel with you in advance to wipe off the protruding sweat, which blocks the deep penetration of the rays into the body.
- When it comes to how to use the infrared sauna, you need to remember that while in the cabin you can not apply cosmetics to the skin. They can cause burns under the influence of rays.
- After the end of the session, you need to sit a little for about 5-10 minutes, then take a warm shower and wash off the sweat.
Comparison of traditional bath and infrared sauna
Many people are interested not only in the question of what an infrared sauna is for, it is often compared with a standard bath, trying to understand which option is better.
The infrared steam room heats up much faster, compared to a traditional bath, it will take only 10 minutes, which can significantly save time. In addition, the temperature in the infrared sauna cabin will be significantly lower.
To achieve a therapeutic effect, you will need to heat it up to 50 degrees.
Due to the low temperature, small children, the elderly, and people suffering from cardiovascular pathologies can stay in the infrared steam room. You need to know how to visit the infrared sauna correctly.
In order for the body to fully warm up, it is necessary to stay in the cabin for no more than 30 minutes, while in an ordinary steam room they sit for at least 2 hours.
The action of the infrared bath is aimed at giving the body a charge of vivacity, an ordinary steam bath can only completely relax, after which it usually makes you sleepy and there is a feeling of fatigue.
The benefits of infrared cabins significantly outweigh their harms, since visiting them does not take much time and allows you to combine a useful procedure with work. This is an excellent option for those who prefer to lead a healthy lifestyle.
***
Book a session of infrared sauna in Perth today.