The Top 8 Infrared Sauna Health Benefits + How To Find The Best Sauna For You

What is an infrared sauna?

The biggest difference between a traditional sauna and an infrared sauna is the method by which they heat you up. Infrared saunas use infrared light to penetrate your body’s skin barrier to raise your core temperature whereas a traditional sauna has to heat the air before it actually heats you. Because of this key difference, an infrared sauna gets less hot, allowing you to spend more time inside reaping its multiple benefits.

Another major difference is that infrared saunas emit infrared spectrum wavelengths that each have their own healing capabilities. Near-infrared (NIR) penetrates the least past the skin barrier to help more on a surface-level by fighting against signs of aging and helping to heal wounds. Mitochondria absorb NIR energy which helps increase production of ATP, the body's fuel that makes every system work. That's why you feel energized after an infrared sauna session, not drained. Mid- infrared (MIR) goes a little deeper to help reduce inflammation and chronic pain and far-infrared (FIR) is absorbed the deepest into the body to help with chronic pain as well as draw out toxins, increase circulation, strengthen the immune system, and help reduce inflammation. 

I always recommend Sunlighten - particularly the mPulse Smart Sauna line - to anyone looking for an infrared sauna as they are the only brand to offer the only infrared heaters and LED light panels engineered to deliver all three infrared spectrum benefits as well as red light all at peak wavelengths.

Infrared sauna benefits

While saunas are typically thought of as a “treat yourself” indulgence, infrared saunas actually provide a variety of important health benefits that can help you reach your health goals and find relief from chronic health conditions.

1. Detoxification

Sweat works as a way to help your body to expel many toxicants within your body including heavy metals and endocrine disruptors like BPA and PCBs from plastics. Sitting in an infrared sauna is one of the easiest ways to encourage detoxification as it helps promote a deep, productive sweat and works to support your body’s lymphatic and endocrine systems function.

2. Heart Health

Infrared sauna therapy acts like a passive cardio workout, which helps your heart by strengthening the endothelial cells in the heart walls and improving circulation. Sunlighten saunas have been clinically shown (1) to provide one of the best, natural ways to help temporarily lower blood pressure.

3. Muscle recovery

Infrared helps deliver more oxygen to muscle cells for faster repair and pain relief. Studies have even shown that infrared saunas can significantly reduce pain in those with rheumatoid arthritis (2) and other inflammation-related pain conditions.

4. Anti-Aging

If you’ve been searching for the “fountain of youth”, look no further than an infrared sauna. In fact, infrared saunas have been scientifically proven to revitalize your skin’s appearance since red light and near-infrared LED technology can increase both collagen and elastin. Also, far infrared waves can increase circulation to help regenerate skin cells.

5. Relaxation & Mental Wellness

With all the stressors in our modern world, it’s rare to get a chance to truly relax and de-stress. Infrared saunas provide you with a peaceful wellness sanctuary in the comfort of your own home allowing you to experience therapeutic heat that leaves you feeling physically restored and mentally refreshed.

6. Immunity

The natural preventative properties of infrared light and heat help your cell health and overall immunity. With regular use, the infrared heat induces hormetic stress which activates and strengthens the immune system as it increases core body temperature and activates heat shock proteins. Infrared light improves energy function in cells throughout the body.

7. Sleep

The time you spend in an infrared sauna can help you get better rest by cultivating a routine that supports relaxation and a healthy circadian rhythm, especially when done as part of your nighttime routine. Saunas can also be used in the mornings to energize your body to be more active during the day, which can also result in improved sleep.

8. Weight Loss

Far infrared sauna wavelengths in infrared saunas act as a passive workout - stimulating sluggish metabolism and improving fat burning.

How do I know what infrared sauna is best for me?

With infrared saunas rising in popularity, there are more brands on the market than ever to choose from - but not all are created equal. After vetting multiple brands, I personally chose Sunlighten as my at-home infrared sauna of choice that I use every day after my workouts. If you follow me on social media, you know that Sunlighten has become a daily staple in my wellness routine, and for good reason!

Sunlighten’s patented SoloCarbon heating technology delivers the highest quality and quantity of infrared energy for clinically-proven effective health benefits. With gentler and more effective heat and light energy, Sunlighten’s infrared sauna benefits allow you to stay longer and reap more overall health benefits. 

Unlike any other heaters, Sunlighten patented 3 in 1® integrated with red/near infrared LED technology delivers the perfect wavelength of each infrared wave, like dialing in a specific radio station. You get precise far, mid, and near infrared and red light wavelengths for optimal results. Sunlighten innovated the 3 in 1 heater using 50+ data points from 37 3rd-party clinical research studies of how infrared interacts with the body to create different combinations of each wavelength through their 6 pre-set health benefit programs. Made possible with NASA-inspired tech, the SoloCarbon® coating delivers 95-99% effective infrared, meaning your body absorbs it almost perfectly. Plus, the LED panel gives you a built-in red/near infrared light therapy system to invigorate and rejuvenate from within.

Sunlighten has set the bar high when it comes to infrared saunas so you can’t go wrong with any of their models. However, their mPulse Smart Sauna is the one I recommend to most of my patients who are new to infrared saunas or for those looking to get the most out of their daily sauna experience.

What makes the mPulse Smart Sauna better than other saunas?

Ultimately, when your sauna is smart, it makes managing your health, home, and lifestyle easier by providing you with technology that manages your sauna, schedule, and self-care. 

As a functional medicine expert, I understand that no two people have the same lifestyle or health case, making their sauna needs different as well. Each mPulse Smart Sauna includes technology so that you can customize your sauna experience to exactly what you need the most:

1. Sunlighten App

Using the in-sauna tablet, you can choose from pre-set wellness programs or create custom programs for a personalized option, set goals so you stay focused, and access your sauna from up to 500 meters away with the Sunlighten mobile app.

2. Customized health programs

Since what you need and want from your sauna varies, and the touchscreen control panel on the in-sauna tablet gives you many options for your overall experience, every time. Simply select one of six pre-set health benefit programs displayed on the touchscreen, then sit back and let the healing rays do their work. Programs for detoxification, pain relief, skin health/anti-aging, boosting immunity, heart health, relaxation and weight loss make it easy for you to customize each sauna session, and meet the needs of multiple users. Or you can create and save your own customized program on your profile, adjusting the intensity of the RED/NIR, MIR and FIR wavelengths.

3. In-sauna entertainment 

The in-sauna tablet, offered exclusively in the mPulse Smart Sauna, gives you more out of your sauna experience. Just like any tablet, you can download meditation, workouts, or streaming apps from the Google Play store, so you can watch your favorite streaming services or listen to your music or podcasts.

4. Chromotherapy

Every Sunlighten sauna comes with built-in chromotherapy to enhance your sauna experience and transform your mental well being further. Chromotherapy paints your sauna with colors from the sun’s visible light spectrum believed to align with different body energy points, creating an artful atmosphere with a balance-bringing effect.

Plus, each sauna is low-EMF and VOC so you can feel confident in using your sauna on a daily basis, helping you get closer to your health goals - not further away.

Because I love my Sunlighten sauna so much and have seen the benefits firsthand in my own health, I partnered with them to help you get your own infrared sauna. Just use the code DrWillCole when filling out the get-pricing form to get $600 off your sauna purchase!

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe. 

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