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Thermal suites: Infrared saunas
Imagine yourself sunbathing. The sun warms your body as you relax. Now, imagine a cloud covers the sun for a moment. Whilst the air temperature around you will not have changed, you start to feel chilly without the warm rays from the sun. That's because the infrared light from the sun is warming your body, but not having the same effect on the air around you.
Infrared saunas work on the basis that the light warms your body without heating up the atmosphere to the same degree. The result is a less intense experience than a normal sauna. Infrared radiation is a natural by-product of energy production, and is perfectly safe when exposed to the skin for sensible periods.
The claims about infrared saunasThe real benefits of infrared saunas
The claims about infrared saunas
Manufacturers and advocates of infrared saunas have made some hefty claims when it comes to the potential health and weight-loss benefits of infrared. However, whilst this therapy isn't without its advantages, it's best to take the more miraculous-sounding assertions with a pinch of salt.
Fat Loss
One major claim being bandied around is that sweating helps you burn calories. Furthermore, some people claim that the heat of an infrared sauna results in fat becoming water soluble, allowing your body to sweat out fat.
Now, we don't like to bog you down with scientific jargon, but let us take a moment to make one thing clear: fats are hydrophobic and are not soluble in water. Water molecules like sticking to water molecules and fat molecules like sticking to fat molecules. Fats can't dissolve in water and be sweated out. If you don't believe us, take some bacon fat and put it in a cup of boiling water (far hotter than your body could cope with!) Whilst it may liquefy, it most certainly won't become soluble. So, if anyone is telling you that you can "melt" your fat and sweat it out, they most certainly have not done their chemistry homework.
Sweating: weight loss and flushing out toxins
Whilst many people believe that profuse sweating can help "flush out toxins" or help you lose weight with no effort, the effects are not as miraculous as you may hope.
Sweating a lot will obviously result in some water loss, which may give the illusion of weight loss on the scales, but this water-loss will quickly be replenished when you re-hydrate.
The term "toxin" is misleading. Let's put it this way: your body is not full of scary toxic waste. Cellular waste, substances that your body does not need and substances that may be poisonous to your body are expelled naturally, mainly via your bloodstream, and your digestive system. If your body is healthy, this will happen naturally. If you've had one too many Sauvignons the night before, you won't sweat out the hangover. You will sweat out even more fluid and important electrolytes such as sodium and potassium that your body needs to feel better.
Calories
Your body burns calories for three functions: for movement, for eating and digesting food, and for basic bodily functions that keep you alive, like keeping your heart beating when you're asleep. You burn calories all the time. Sitting at your desk, eating lunch, even sneezing; every movement you make requires energy.
There are many claims about burning calories in infrared saunas, with some claiming anything up to 1,000 calories burned in just 30 minutes. Your heart rate does increase in a hotter environment, but this doesn't mean saunas are a substitute for exercise. You will lose some calories when in a sauna, as you use energy when sweating, but the amount of calories burnt will be incomparable to the amount burnt during high-intensity exercise. You also won't burn fat, or build up muscle, as during exercise.
The best way to lose weight, stay healthy and be happy is to eat well, rest when you can and exercise regularly. Try to de-stress and relax when the chance takes you, too. Now, that's something a sauna can help with!
The real benefits of infrared saunas
So, you may get the impression that this infrared sauna-ing is a waste of time. Not so. Whilst sitting in a hot room is most certainly not going to magically make you thin, there are some real (and scientifically supported) health benefits to using an infrared sauna.
Skin cleansing
When your body starts to sweat, your pores open. If you sit in a sauna and follow the session with a shower under cool, clean water, your pores will be cleansed, washing away impurities that can cause spots. Saunas can leave your skin looking much clearer and feeling softer than your regular wash in the shower.
Circulation and healing
Infrared saunas can help increase blood circulation which will improve your body's circulation of nutrients and expulsion of waste products. This, in turn, will help boost your immune system, nourish damaged tissue, and help you breathe more easily. Saunas are often used by sports professionals to speed up recovery after an injury.
Pain relief
Heat, warmth and light are gentle healers. Studies have suggested that people suffering from arthritis or other rheumatic problems can achieve short-term relief from pain, stiffness and fatigue through the use of an infrared sauna, with no adverse effects reported. There are even suggestions of more long-term health benefits, too.
Relaxation
Obviously, aches and pains from every-day life can be eased too, and the chance to relax and unwind can be a very powerful tool all on its own! A session in a sauna can aid both mental and physical relaxation. If you suffer from stress and anxiety, melting away tensions in a sauna could have a positive effect.
Accessibility
If you suffer from heart problems, your doctor may have recommended you stay well away from a regular sauna. However, because infrared heat doesn't increase the air temperature to the same degree as a normal sauna, restricted use can be perfectly safe, even if you have heart problems.
Always consult your doctor if you have any existing medical conditions before you receive any therapies, treatments or partake in any activities.
See also:
* Saunas
* I have high blood pressure, is it safe for me to have heat treatments?
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