For quite some time now, infrared saunas have been on everyone’s mouth and they seem to be causing quite a frenzy not only among regular people but also your favorite celebrities such as Leonardo Di Caprio, Michelle Williams and a long string of others who are now number one fans of such saunas. Besides offering a great way to unwind, various claims have surfaced online saying that infrared saunas aid in weight loss.
However, weight loss is an issue of debate and of great interest among people of all ages, the claims about infrared saunas and weight loss too is now a subject of great scrutiny among health and fitness living experts. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for that late night show with Jim Fallon or Wendy’s show to know whether this is true because we are here to answer the question, can infrared saunas aid in weight loss and if so, how? For the answer to that and more, continue reading through below.
What are infrared saunas?
Before we take a deep dive into the question “what is an infrared sauna?”, it is essential that you grasp the full meaning of this type of sauna and difference between them and conventional ones. To put it simply and plainly, an infrared sauna uses light to create heat. Therefore unlike the conventional one which heats the air around you first before the heat can get to you, an infrared one heats your body directly [1].
Does it aid in weight loss?
The short answer to that is yes. Check out how it achieves that below.
How does an infrared sauna aid in weight loss?
As mentioned earlier, an infrared sauna heats your body directly. That automatically means, your core temperature will begin to rise without you feeling uncomfortable. The increase in core temperature often causes other changes in your body such as an increased heart rate. According to experts, the increased heart rate and core temperature are similar to what someone who is having a morning run or is working out experiences. Hence your body will respond the exact same way as the person working out and that is by working hard to keep up with the increased heartbeat and also lower your temperature. This spontaneously means, it will have to use energy to do so and in the process, it burns calories resulting in weight loss.
Additionally, it is able to achieve a fat loss of about 600 calories in one sitting because the heat penetrates up to 3 inches of your skin causing more calorie breakdown. However, just like any other weight loss techniques, you cannot rely on it solely. You need to incorporate other methods such as healthy eating and other exercises such as a morning run to make it more effective . Otherwise, if you keep passing by your favorite snack joint after every session then you’ll never see any results and that is how you end up in the pool of critics against infrared saunas.
Why an infrared instead of the traditional sauna?
A traditional sauna often heats up to 180 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit and with this kind of temperatures, it is easy to think that it would be more effective in weight loss instead of an infrared one which only reaches 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If this is how you view infrared saunas vs steam saunas, you are very wrong. You see, your body is biologically structured in such a way that it can only withstand a certain amount of heat hence making the modern one more tolerable even to the heat-sensitive individuals. In respect to that, you can stand being in it for longer periods than the conventional one and as such enjoy more weight loss and its other benefits more efficiently.
Other benefits of infrared saunas
With the weight loss tags a string of other benefits of using an infrared sauna such as
- Flushes out toxins leaving you healthy and with a glowing skin
- Improves blood circulation and as such helps with conditions such as blood pressure
- Eases joint inflammation by increasing circulation to the inflamed areas and relaxing the muscles around such areas
- Offers relaxation and is a great way to unwind and put your worries at bay
Do I have to worry about any risks?
Even though there are no adverse reports yet, it is essential that you minimize your sessions to twice a week. Are infrared saunas safe? You should know that as much as they pack a bunch of health benefits, overdoing them just for weight loss poses various health risks. For instance, prolonged or too many sessions place you at the risk of dehydration, heat stroke, low blood pressure, hypovolemic shock and even worse brain swelling. That is why we earlier advised you to incorporate other methods of weight loss such as healthy eating instead of relying on it. Additionally, if you happen to have any health issues such as diabetes, kidney or cardiovascular conditions, it is vital that you consult your doctor in advance to prevent any problems in future.
Bottom line
In a nutshell, infrared saunas do aid in weight loss by raising your temperature and increasing your heart rate. However we will emphasize again, you should not rely on them solely because too many prolonged sessions will put your general health on the line and if that happens then you will have achieved nothing if you lose weight but end up in a hospital bed. We left no stone unturned so you can know all that you need to know so you can start this journey of infrared sauna with enough assurance. If you need help choosing the best infrared sauna for your home, please know that we’re here to help!
