To be able to enjoy tranquil and restorative time at home while detoxifying your body is now an easily accessible luxury.

Saunas provide you with health benefits in just a few minutes a day, leaving you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated to deal with busy life.

You may have heard about ‘infrared’ and ‘regular saunas,’ and the differences between the two. We get questions everyday here at Vitality about this and also why the Zen Far infrared sauna is different to others.

In this article we will dive into answering these questions and let you know about

• evidence-based truths of how infrared saunas can really benefit your health
• help clear up some myths around infrared saunas
• explain the benefits and points of difference of a zen far infrared sauna

Regular saunas vs infrared saunas

Traditional saunas heat the air around you, whereas as infrared saunas use infrared lamps to warm you more directly.

Traditional saunas normally operate at around 150 F (65 degrees C) to 180 F (82 degrees C) and some people find this too hot to handle for more than a couple of minutes, if at all. 

Although these saunas certainly help you to sweat and can provide warmth to your body and a ‘feel good’ feeling, we need to remember that sweating does not necessarily give you actual health benefits (keep reading to discover the facts) like fat loss or better skin, for example.

Infrared saunas function at a much lower temperature of 100 F (37 degrees C) to 130 F (54 degrees C) which makes it more tolerable in increasing your duration of use, plus actually enjoying the experience (you want it to help reduce stress, not create stress, right!)

What is EMF?

We wanted to cover this briefly because you may hear about ‘EMF’ causing health ailments and conditions. Here are the facts:

EMF stands for electromagnetic field and it’s basically waves of energy moving through space. Low level radiation is harmless according to scientists and found in appliances like microwaves, mobile phones, wi-fi routers and MRIs. Pretty much everything you come into contact with every single day exposes you to some form of radiation and emits EMF in small doses. The good news is that this exposure does not have any adverse effects on health.

High level radiation (ionizing) comes from ultraviolet rays from the sun and x rays from medical imaging.

The guidelines for safe EMF exposure from years of research according to the International Commission On Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection are:

• natural electromagnetic fields (like those created by the sun): 200 V/m
• power mains (not close to power lines): 100 V/m
• power mains (close to power lines): 10,000 V/m
• electric trains and trams: 300 V/m
• TV and computer screens: 10 V/m
• TV and radio transmitters: 6 V/m
• mobile phone base stations: 6 V/m
• radars: 9 V/m
• microwave ovens: 14 V/m

Proven health benefits of infrared sauna

Reduces Joint Pain

This has been backed by various studies, one including 17 people studied over four weeks using Infrared sauna treatments. It was found that this group showed no adverse effects, with clinical improvements of pain and stiffness. This group also reported a decrease in fatigue levels. 

When joint pain and stiffness is reduced, your body is able to function and move day to day with greater range of movement. This helps with your quality of life and ability to enjoy activities rather than pain stopping you and burdening your body.

Aids in Muscle Recovery & Performance

After a workout your muscles become tighter and generally, stretching is an excellent way to maintain healthy levels of flexibility to help prevent injury. Muscle recovery is vital to maintaining top performance in any exercise or sporting endeavour, and so the ability for your muscles to fully recover and optimise in their performance is crucial.

In one study it was found that relative to the control group, the sauna group increased run time to exhaustion by 32 %. The change in performance had high correlations with change in blood volume as they noted a change in plasma and red cell volumes after using the sauna.

Aids In Improving Blood Pressure & Cardio Health

Keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level is vital for your wellbeing and heart health. Lowering stress, regular exercise and a diet with limited saturated fats is a great way to avoid increased blood pressure.

One study showed a group with congestive heart failure improved their ‘pvcs’ (premature ventricular contractions) significantly, compared to the control group.

In addition to this, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were found to have improved their cardiac function and exercise tolerance after using an infrared sauna for four weeks, twice daily.

Reduces Stress

When it comes to reducing stress it is good to look at this holistically within each area of your life considering things like work, family, health, social interactions and your day to day commitments. 

Taking time out for yourself each day even for a few minutes can benefit your stress levels and help you feel calm, more able to tackle your day. 

Harvard Medical School experts say that when we are stressed, our body goes into the ‘stress response’ causing your blood pressure and cortisol adrenaline hormones to increase. In order to reduce this and get your body into the relaxation response for homeostasis and healthier bodily function, you can do deep breathing, yoga, mindfulness techniques and exercises to rewire your connections to stress like CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy.)

Infrared saunas provide the perfect escape to reset, do some deep breathing, take time out and enjoy warming your body, all of which can help reduce your stress levels.

In addition, this study found that infrared sauna therapy helped increase the levels of energy for chronic fatigue sufferers plus helped with negative moods, feelings of depression and anxiety after the therapy.

Infrared sauna myths

Fat Loss

Saunas can increase your circulation and help you sweat, but sweating does not translate to fat loss. In order for fat loss to occur, you need to change the ratio of muscle to fat within your body composition which is best done through healthy eating and boosting nutritional intake (see our affordable, premium juicers here) as well as regular strength-based and cardiovascular exercise. 

Check out our high-quality, easy to use Pilates Equipment and Home Treadmills here to start getting fitter and stronger. 

This is the perfect compliment to your infrared sauna treatment. Many of our customers enjoy their workout on the vibration platform, Pilates home reformer or Walkslim treadmill followed by a 10 minute meditation in their Zen Far Infrared Sauna.

Fixes Wrinkles In Your Skin

Although saunas will help you to sweat, the rise in temperature does not change pigmentation or wrinkles in your skin.

In various studies conducted though, your blood flow may be increased by using infrared saunas including skin blood flow, which can in turn assist with healthy skin.

The benefits of FAR infrared technology

Super Low EMF 

The technology used in a Far Infrared Sauna provides a much more relaxing and effective cleanse than traditional saunas.

It comes down to the type of heat produced and the way it penetrates deeply into your skin, allowing more of the toxins and heavy metals to be excreted. Now with a low EMF of 2 - 4mGs.

Far Infrared saunas are usually set between 120 and 140ºF. The goal is not to achieve a high temperature but to ensure the bather spends longer periods of time in the sauna in a calm state to induce more relaxation.

Far Infrared saunas use much less energy and directly heat your body using naturally occurring far infrared waves of energy. These waves of energy penetrate deeper into the human body, helping to activate major bodily functions.

Latest Technology

One of the most important benefits of the FIR (Far Infrared) sauna is its effectiveness in removing toxins from the body. 

This is done by a process called “resonant absorption” where the frequency of the Far Infrared Sauna matches that of the water in our cells causing toxins to be released into the bloodstream and eliminated through sweat.

Easy To Set Up

With an easy to follow video and instruction manual, the Far Infrared Saunas are simple to piece together, just get a friend to help you to get the job done. Most of our clients have found it takes them 20 to 30 minutes.

Investing in an infrared sauna will conclusively affect your health and wellbeing in a positive way for years to come. Check out our premium options here!

We are here to help you ! Contact Vitality 4 Life now if you have any questions and we are happy to assist you with any questions.

Vitality 4 Life is an Australian owned and operated company, with the global headquarters located in beautiful Byron Bay in Northern NSW. We are a team of dedicated individuals who are passionate about both health and the Vitality 4 Life Approved Product Range. 

Owner and Company Director, Roger Akins, first discovered cold press juicers in the late 1980's and his passion for wanting to help people become healthier by accessing affordable and high quality products was the beginning of Vitality 4 Life. 

All our products come with 24/7 customer support, long warranties and 30 day returns to ensure the best experience for our valued customers globally.

Call 1800 802 924 or jump online NOW to live chat with our friendly team!