Reduce Depression & Improve Your Mood & Mental Health with an Infrared Sauna
One of the many benefits of infrared sauna is how it can help reduce depression and improve mood.
This blog post is one of eight blog posts I have written for you to help you “Discover the Power of Healing With An Infrared Sauna.” I hope you will visit this link to learn about the many other health benefits of including infrared sauna bathing in your lifestyle.
Sauna Therapy is an Investment in Your Health
Heat bathing in a sauna provides stress relief in a number of ways. It provides a warm, quiet space without distractions. The heat from the sauna relaxes the body’s muscles, improves circulation and stimulates the release of endorphins, and helps stimulate our parasympathetic balance (calmness). We know that endorphins are the body’s natural “feel good” peptide that causes a positive effect in analgesia and mood and allows us to feel calm and positive.
It would seem logical that FIR sauna treatments would also produce an anti-depressant effect, and this was shown in the research team of WebMD (28), who discovered that short periods of elevated body temperature (hyperthermia) can be an antidepressant. They did two studies in which individuals with major depression were placed into a high-tech infrared heating device to induce hyperthermia. In the first study of 16 individuals with major depression, a single hyperthermia treatment reduced their depression scores almost by 50% five days later. However, this study had some weakness in that they did not have a control group, so they did a second larger study in which they randomly treated half of the participants with active hyperthermia and the other half with a “sham” treatment that mimicked every aspect of the hyperthermia treatment except the high heat. Just as in the first study, a single session of hyperthermia produced a rapid and powerful antidepressant effect, with scores dropping by nearly 50%. And remarkably, none of these effects were seen in the depressed patients who receive the sham treatment. The benefits of a single hyperthermia treatment persisted for six weeks (28).
In a Finnish study, it was discovered that moderate to high frequency of sauna bathing was associated with lowered risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, men who went to the sauna four to seven times a week were found 66% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia, and 65 % less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, than those taking a sauna once a week (19).
Sauna Therapy is an Investment in Your Health
Not all Infrared Technology is Equal
Sunlighten’s far infrared technology, Solocarbon®, is the only infrared sauna heater on the market clinically shown to raise core temperature nearly 3 degrees. What does this mean for your health? You will experience the most detoxifying sweat, lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and aid in weight loss through waistline reduction.
The most advanced infrared therapy available is Solocarbon 3-in-1 infrared treatments. The infrared spectrum consists of near (NIR), mid (MIR), and far (FIR) waves, each with distinct characteristics and health benefits. Sunlighten offers all three peak wavelengths for the maximum therapeutic results.
Infrared sauna therapy is an investment in your health. Daily sauna sessions can provide you with a longer life, more energy and a highly effective way to detox your body. With a sauna in your life, every day you will fell better and enjoy long-term health.
Things to Look for In a Sauna:
Infrared sauna is the best way to get that “river of sweat” comfortably. It’s crucial that you sweat to get the benefits. If you don’t sweat, it is not the right sauna, and if it is too miserable for you to sweat, you won’t want to do it. Infrared heat gets you to that “river of sweat” without you being uncomfortable.
Problems with other type of saunas are:
- Heats the room and skin
- Hard to breathe (steam)
- Can create mold/grow bacteria
You will want to use a sauna that is low in radiation and has “full spectrum,” not just NEAR, and not just FAR infrared. You will also want the sauna to reach a therapeutic heat of over 160 degrees. That’s because it is at this temperature that the “river of sweat” is produced, where core body temperature is raised, where the production of heat shock proteins are produced and where the immune response is mobilized.
Infrared Protocols:
Use daily for a minimum of 30-45 minutes at 120-125 degree F for the first two weeks, then 125-135 degree F for the next two weeks.
Drink 8-16 ounces of water before and after each sauna session. Once a week add a few drops of trace minerals to your water supply.
Infrared Sauna Therapy is An Investment in Your Health!