There has been a lot of debate on how infrared saunas help with weight loss recently. There are different views on the subject though.
With so much to read about on infrared saunas and weight loss on the internet, it is easy to get confused or even misled.
Here are some helpful facts to help you learn more about using an infrared sauna to lose weight.
Infrared Saunas Vs Traditional Saunas
Using saunas to relax and rejuvenate yourself is not a new concept, but the infrared sauna is not just like a traditional sauna. There are a few key differences between them and it is crucial to understand these differences before you move ahead and see how an infrared sauna will (or won’t) help you lose weight.
Difference #1
A traditional sauna works by heating the air, raising the temperature, and causing your body to cool itself by perspiring. An infrared sauna uses special light wavelengths that enter your skin. Your body temperature increases as the light waves are absorbed.
Difference #2
Infrared saunas are not humid, but traditional saunas have very high humidity.
Difference #3
The temperature inside a traditional sauna is usually between 185 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people find that temperature overwhelmingly hot. An infrared sauna, while still very warm, maintains a more comfortable temperature range of 120 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. You may find the lower humidity a plus as well.
How Infrared Saunas Work
So how does it actually work?
If you don’t know how an infrared sauna works, you won’t be able to understand how it will help you lose weight in the first place.
Well, the infrared light waves in the sauna penetrate well beyond your outer layers of skin. As your body absorbs the light waves, it begins to react, and the deeper light waves create added perspiration from within your body.
The direct heating of tissue causes increased health benefits from infrared saunas.
Preliminary studies show positive effects for people who use infrared saunas including improvements for those suffering from headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, and weight loss, to name a few.
How Infrared Sauna Will Help With Weight Loss
Results of a study which looked at numerous potential benefits gained from infrared sauna treatments found that the obese study participants showed that both body weight and body fat significantly decreased for those who had two weeks of sauna therapy. In this study, the loss of body fat, as well as body weight, refutes detractors’ claims that infrared sauna therapy only helps remove excess water weight and is not a useful treatment for sustained weight loss.
Another sauna treatment study published in the New England Journal of Medicine further refuted claims that a person’s weight loss from infrared sauna therapy is only temporary. These critics held the belief that weight loss with infrared sauna is temporary and the weight would come back as soon as the person re-hydrated.
The article titled, Effect of Sweating, points out the flawed notion that water weight lost during a sauna treatment was not simply leaked out of the body. Rather, in order to sweat, your body must go through a process with several steps all of which will lead to your body burning calories to carry out the process.
Critics failed to account for the fact that to be able to sweat the body needs an increased heart rate, metabolic rate, and cardiac productivity. Just as the human body burns calories during typical physical activities such as jogging or swimming, the body burns calories while stationary in an infrared sauna.
Selecting an Infrared Sauna
Infrared saunas, thus, do help with weight loss and if you’ve been struggling to lose weight, do give them a try.
Finding the best infrared sauna can be difficult. Here is a quick advice to help you get started.
Look for well-established brands, warranties, and high quality wood material like cedar or hemlock. They are very durable and look pleasing. Avoid pine and plywood, they might be cheaper but will not last very long.
Conclusion
With different kinds of contradictory information, it is easy for consumers like you to get frustrated when trying to find the facts about the benefits of infrared saunas, especially concerning weight loss. As medical professionals conduct experiments and do more in-depth studies on how infrared saunas help you lose weight, the case for using sauna treatments to help with weight loss will strengthen lessening confusion for you.
