Relax with Infrared Radiation

Are you finding it hard to get back into the swing of everyday life after the holiday hiatus? I think that the return to the hustle and bustle can sometimes be such a shock to the system that it feels like we were never refreshed in the first place. If you are looking to find some extra relaxation after a long day’s work or some downtime on the weekends, make infrared heat therapy your new retreat.

Many people confuse saunas with infrared heat therapy rooms – although they can look very similar, the benefits are remarkably different. When you are sitting around in a traditional sauna, it is essentially a hot room with temperatures that range from 180-220 degrees Farenheit. In an infrared room, only 20 percent of the heat goes towards actually heating the air and the other 80 percent directly heats your body. The warming effect on your body stimulates your cardiovascular system, immune system and lymphatic system. As amazing as this sounds, infrared heat therapy can actually elevate your mood and is associated with a long line of unique health benefits for people from all walks of life.

As a result, your body begins to sweat. In a sauna, you begin to sweat immediately based on sheer room temperature. In an infrared room, you will start sweating profusely after about ten to fifteen minutes. Even though temperatures range from 130 to 140 degrees, a range significantly lower than saunas, many have said that you will actually sweat more in an infrared sauna than in a traditional rock sauna. Studies show that sweat from a traditional sauna contain about three percent toxins and, when compared to sweat from an infrared sauna, which contains about seventeen percent toxins, it is clear that infrared lights will really soak the weekend, or in most cases right now, post-New Year’s Eve, toxins out of you. In a sense, cabin temperature is less important in infrared rooms – you can sit in the infrared heat therapy room with the door open and still get all the benefits of relaxation and detoxification.

Many people don’t understand exactly what infrared rays are, mostly because of their invisible nature. Sunlight is a combination of visible light and invisible light. The seven colors of the rainbow are visible lights. Infrared rays and ultraviolet rays are invisible lights. Infrared rays are one of the sun’s healthiest rays because they penetrate into your skin deeply and dissolve harmful substances accumulated in your body while vitalizing your cells and metabolism. For example, when infrared waves are applied to water molecules (which comprise about 70 percent of our bodies), the molecules begin to vibrate. This vibration reduces the ion bonds and the eventual breakdown of water molecules causes encapsulated gases and other toxic materials to be released. This is why infrared heat therapy is perfect for athletes looking for a pre-workout warm-up to get muscles going or increase flexibility, which significantly reduces the chance for strain or injury.

The heaters in an infrared heat therapy room warm the body in the same manner as natural sunlight. Infrared heat therapy uses the wavelength of the visible and non-visible light spectrum of sunlight to heat the body normally. Traditional saunas raise the temperature of the air to a very high level within the chamber to warm the body. Some people have difficulty breathing in this extremely warm air.

Now you may be thinking, “where in the world you could put a room like this in your house?” You may also consider the cost of something like this, but no need to worry – you can still get your relaxation without having to slip into debt. Amerec is a company that produces infrared heat therapy rooms that include prefabricated wall panels lined with Western Red Cedar or Nordic Pine. Heat-proof speakers with a digital control system can be installed as well. This will cost you just as much, or even less in some cases, than installing a sauna or steam room in your home. There are many different models and prices and if the idea of installing a cabin in your basement is out of the question, there are also inexpensive infrared heat lamps that can help to relieve all that unnecessary tension and stress. Infrared heat lamps provide the same benefits as the heat therapy sauna rooms and have elicited many positive responses by users such as mood elevation, tension relief and muscle relaxation. So when things get achy, take a moment to look for the light, you just might find yourself smiling.

– Victoria L. Cooper