3 Waves

Multi-Benefits

Infrared comes in 3 distinct types and since it’s on a spectrum, infrared has a range of waves in its own category. There are 3 types based on wave size, frequency, and the amount of energy they carry: near (NIR), mid (MIR), and far (FIR). Though tiny pinpoint-size waves, each infrared ray does something beautifully unique for our bodies, and nature.

Memory tip: each one is named for how close it is to visible light.

Infrared heats the body directly rather than simply heating the air.

• Infrared penetrates human tissue, and the energy it delivers is just the right nudge cells need to stimulate warmth, growth, and release.
• Infrared is effective at a low, soothing temperature.
• It is completely healthy and safe for all living things. It’s even used in hospitals to warm newborn infants.

Infrared

Detox

It’s frustrating to feel your body holding you back when you want to live a full, active life. Today’s world places a toxic load on our bodies, from environmental toxicants1 to stress and anxiety that creates inflammation and other symptoms. An infrared sauna’s fundamental benefit is the ability to sweat out toxic substances naturally. Sunlighten infrared saunas promote a deep detoxifying sweat that will leave you feeling cleansed, refreshed, and energized.

Hearth Health

Give your heart some love

You want to take care of your heart. Good circulation is critical to your overall health. We understand how hard it can be to make the lifestyle changes you need to fight genetics. Or simply to stay on track with all the things you need to do to keep your heart healthy as long as possible. Sunlighten makes it pleasant and effective, and science supports using a Sunlighten infrared sauna regularly as part of a healthy lifestyle can be good for your heart.

Infrared sauna sessions raise your heart rate and increase circulation. This replicates a cardiovascular workout we term “passive cardio.” In fact, blood flow during infrared sauna use may rise from a normal rate of 5-7 quarts/minute to up to 13 quarts/minute. Your heart is a muscle; working it makes it stronger. A stronger cardiovascular system helps capillaries deliver more oxygen to muscle cells. For people with injuries or conditions precluding them from cardio activity, Sunlighten saunas can help serve as an alternative for needed cardio benefits. 

Blood Pressure & Circulation

Benefits & Research

Sunlighten saunas have been clinically shown to provide one of the best, natural ways to help temporarily lower blood pressure.* In a 2005 clinical study by the University of Missouri Kansas City, Sunlighten’s SoloCarbon far infrared heaters were shown to temporarily lower blood pressure through a program of 30-minute infrared sauna sessions 3 times per week. The study concluded that Sunlighten sauna sessions, as part of a healthy lifestyle, dilated blood vessels and reduced the volume of their inner lining, thus increasing circulation needed for healthy blood pressure.

A Japanese study published in the October 2008 issue of The Journal of Cardiology examined the clinical effectiveness and safety of infrared blood pressure therapy, as compared to standard therapies for patients with chronic heart failure. The report concluded that far infrared sauna therapy is both safe and effective at improving clinical symptoms and cardiac function as well as decreasing cardiac size in chronic heart failure patients. Repeated infrared sauna use improved impaired blood vessel functions in patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. This suggests a preventive role, as a part of a healthy lifestyle, for infrared sauna use for arteriosclerosis.

Infrared Stories

5-min Reads

Faster. Better.

Muscle Recovery & Performance

No one wants muscle soreness to slow them down. Whether you’re a competitive athlete, a weekend golfer or simply trying to stay active, proper muscle recovery impacts your ability to keep doing what you love. Sunlighten’s infrared sauna therapy penetrates muscles deeper, increases blood flow, and helps the body recover faster so you can stay in the game, of sports and life.

Beyond building muscle, the right recovery is important.

Most people understand the benefits of exercise and training when trying to enhance performance or build muscle. In fact, that’s often the only thing they do. Equally important is the recovery process, or downtime in between training, when energy is restored, and the body is able to heal tissue damage and rebuild muscles. Building muscle not only increases strength but also boosts metabolism, reduces the risk of injury, improves bone density, and helps with excess body fat.

Infrared light benefits muscle recovery and performance.

Heat, in and of itself, is great for recovery, temporary pain relief, and inflammation. Infrared light heats the body from within and penetrates the joints, muscles, and tissues, increasing circulation and blood flow.

Good circulation is critical for proper healing. Red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients to the site of the strain or inflammation, which helps to create new blood vessels and tissues at the site. The more red and white blood cells that can get delivered to muscles, the quicker they rebuild.

Anti-Aging & Skin Health

Inside. Out.

Healthy, glowing skin can help you feel radiant and confident, and it’s one of the many benefits of consistent infrared sauna use. Sunlighten infrared saunas can help reduce wrinkles and crow’s feet while improving overall skin tone, softness, smoothness, elasticity, clarity, and firmness. What a wonderful way to restore, refresh and rejuvenate your skin.

Rejuvenate and purify your skin.

It sounds too good to be true, but science supports it. Photobiomodulation uses invisible, near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths (700 to 1,200 nanometers (nm)) to deliver energy to cells. Research shows specific light frequencies have specific activity. NIR has the perfect wavelength (880 nm) to penetrate skin best. When NIR is applied to the skin, fibroblast cells absorb the light activity, stimulating the production of collagen and elastin. Over time, those increases create thicker, younger-looking skin, decrease lines, fade scars, and promote skin renewal, cell health, and tissue growth.

Immunity & Wellness

Pure Strength

You want to do everything you can to stay healthy and well like managing your diet, your fitness and activity levels, your water intake, and your mental health. Adding infrared sauna use to your wellness routine can help even more, especially now. Its natural preventative properties help support all your goals with benefits for circulation, weight loss, sleep, immunity, stress relief, and temporary pain relief.

Increase core body temp, and activate your immune system.

Your body naturally defends itself. During a fever, body temperature rises and strengthens the immune system. It’s a signal to white blood cells and the body’s antiviral army of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and interferons to come to the rescue. Increased body temp may also help fight infections as it stimulates heat shock proteins that deter viruses from reproducing and reduces inflammatory cytokine proteins. Raising body temp above normal for therapeutic treatment is called hyperthermia. Sunlighten’s infrared heating technology gives you the highest quality and quantity of infrared clinically proven to raise core body temperature by three degrees.

Sauna is the most effective way to induce hormesis.

Nature uses a process called hormesis to make us stronger. It’s a 2-phase response our bodies have to certain stressors, like exercise or fasting, heat or cold, where a little bit of strain creates strength or resilience. When our ancestors were less insulated from the environment, their bodies naturally responded to the challenges. Modern life requires us to recreate opportunities to challenge our immune system and sauna use is the most efficient and effective way to do that. The benefits of hormesis affect overall wellness, heart health, and immune system boost.

REFERENCES

1. Downing JF, Martinez-Valdez H, Elizondo RS, Walker EB, Taylor MW. Hyperthermia in humans enhances interferon-gamma synthesis and alters the peripheral lymphocyte population. J Interferon Res. 1988 Apr;8(2):143-50. doi:10.1089/jir.1988.8.143. PMID: 3132509.

2. Tomiyama C, Watanabe M, Honma T, Inada A, Hayakawa T, Ryufuku M, Abo T. The effect of repetitive mild hyperthermia on body temperature, the autonomic nervous system, and innate and adaptive immunity. Biomed Res. 2015;36(2):135-42. doi:10.2220/biomedres.36.135. PMID: 25876664.

3. Pilch W, Pokora I, Szyguła Z, et al. Effect of a single finnish sauna session on white blood cell profile and cortisol levels in athletes and non-athletes. J Hum Kinet. 2013;39:127-135. Published 2013 Dec 31. doi:10.2478/hukin-2013-0075

4. Ryan M, Levy MM. Clinical review: fever in intensive care unit patients. Crit Care. 2003 Jun;7(3):221-5. doi: 10.1186/cc1879. Epub 2003 Mar 8. PMID: 12793871;PMCID: PMC270667.

Improve Sleep

Night. Night.

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to feeling your best. When you don’t get the rest you need, the health consequences quickly add up. It’s hard to give yourself fully to what—and who—you love. Infrared sauna helps the body in so many ways that can help improve sleep, and give you back the energy you need to thrive.

Saunaing may help you sleep better.

There’s not much scientific study on infrared saunas and sleep – yet. Anecdotal evidence often points to the possibility and creates the need to learn more. In recent years, we began seeing a pattern of feedback from people noticing an effect on their sleep after they began saunaing. We asked our Sunlighten Community who experienced improvements in their sleep: 70% of those who responded said they had. Not everyone does, and the reasons for that are varied. For those who have, we found their experience compelling enough to share.

Resolving sleep issues is complex.

Our bodies regulate sleep through a complicated chemical process managed by our brain, activated by our circadian rhythm and sleep drive. When that process is disrupted, there are a lot of variables to consider and evaluate, including activity patterns; health issues like stress, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, depression, menopause, diabetes, etc.; and sleep hygiene factors such as room temperature, light reduction, regular bedtimes and wake times, etc.

Infrared therapy may improve the amount and quality of sleep. The mechanism for this effect has not been firmly established but may be related to the ability of infrared to act as an “exercise mimetic.” It is well known that physical exercise will improve disturbed sleep. Infrared radiation can increase blood flow and oxygen metabolism in the muscles and the skin and could trigger a biochemical cascade resulting in improved sleep. Prof. Michael R Hamblin – Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Johannesburg

Morning sauna may help promote sleep drive.

Sleep drive (or “sleep pressure”) makes you sleepy and deepens your sleep. Your sleep pressure is governed by levels of adenosine, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Being active during the day is important to creating a sleep drive in your body. Saunaing in the morning can energize the body for more activity that will create a better sleep drive. The passive cardio activity started by a sauna session also stimulates circulation similar to exercise, giving you one more tool to help your body be active without the physical demands of exercise.

Saunaing before bed may help sleep.

Circadian rhythm (your body’s 24-hour clock) affects sleep by helping signal the body to produce melatonin. Lowering core body temperature is one of the many cues to begin that process at night. A hot bath or infrared sauna before bed can result in lowering overall body temperature. Bringing heat to the surface of your skin can help lower it as you cool down. It also can decrease cortisol levels created by daily stress and induce relaxation which also aids sleep.

Healthy Weight

Weight Loss

Maintaining a healthy weight is important to your quality of life yet can be so challenging. Changing your behaviors is key to success. You can create an enjoyable habit that will help your efforts in many ways with a Sunlighten sauna. You get all the benefits of sauna and infrared light therapy in a pleasant session. It’s an easy lifestyle and behavior change you’ll actually want to stick with for sauna weight loss support.

Saunaing: the habit you’ll enjoy creating.

The most current research shows behavior change techniques are now critical to weight management programs. Sunlighten saunas are beautiful, enjoyable experiences using infrared light to heat your body from the inside instead of heating the air. Infrared saunas can do more for the body’s health in a more pleasant environment (between 110 and 130 degrees) than the harsh suffocating heat of traditional saunas (180-210 degrees). Built-in chromotherapy lights create body-balancing beauty and calm.

Sauna’s cardiovascular benefits are like a cardio workout.

A 2019 study compared participants’ cardiovascular effects in a sauna and on an exercise bike. The increase in heart rate was similar to a short, moderate workout. Researchers stated, “A sauna session is a physical strain. Its long-term positive effects are comparable to sports activities.”2 The focus was on the benefits to the heart and cardiovascular system, rather than weight loss or muscle development. We call it a “passive cardio workout.”

Release toxins and reduce inflammation.

Studies have shown that sauna therapy can release environmental toxins stored in fat tissues that can prevent weight loss.3 Heavy metals and fat-soluble chemicals like PCBs, PBBs, and HCBs can trigger the body to protect itself, resulting in the immune system’s inflammatory response.”4,5 Infrared sauna therapy heats the body at the cellular level, helping to detoxify the body and reduce inflammation.

Relieve stress and lower cortisol.

Studies have shown a direct connection between stress, cortisol, and weight gain. Chronic stress leads to cortisol production in large amounts, which leads to obesity and weight gain.6 Dr. Amy Myers recommends an infrared sauna for weight loss to help break the connection between cortisol and weight gain by naturally relieving stress. Stress relief lowers cortisol, which can help create a healthy metabolism, thus contributing to weight loss.

Increase cellular metabolism.

People often report feeling energized after infrared sauna sessions. Cells need the energy to perform their best, just like our bodies need the energy to function. Near-infrared stimulates cellular energy when the body’s energy-producing cells absorb the light energy (photons) and produce more adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which fuels all cells.7 This can increase cell health and performance throughout the body and all of its systems. 

REFERENCES

1. Omer T (2020) Behaviour Modification in Weight Management: The Transtheoretical Mode of Change and the Motivational Interviewing. J Obes Weight-Loss Medic 6:038. doi.org/10.23937/2572-4010.1510038 

2. Ketelhut S, Ketelhut RG. The blood pressure and heart rate during sauna bath correspond to cardiac responses during submaximal dynamic exercise. Complement Ther Med. 2019 Jun;44:218-222. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.05.002. Epub 2019 May 2. PMID: 31126559   

3. Crinnion WJ. Environmental medicine, part one: the human burden of environmental toxins and their common health effects. Altern Med Rev. 2000 Feb;5(1):52-63. PMID: 10696119 

4. Chen, L., Deng, H., Cui, H., Fang, J., Zuo, Z., Deng, J., Li, Y., Wang, X., & Zhao, L. (2017). Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs. Oncotarget, 9(6), 7204–7218. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.23208 

5. Cerhan, James R et al. “A pooled analysis of waist circumference and mortality in 650,000 adults.” Mayo Clinic proceedings vol. 89,3 (2014): 335-45. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.11.011 

6. Stress and Obesity: Are There More Susceptible Individuals?. Eline S. van der Valk, et al. Current Obesity Reports. 2018. 

7. Tsai SR, Hamblin MR. “Biological effects and medical applications of infrared radiation.” J Photochem Photobiol  2017 PMID: 28441605   

8. Volume 34, Issue 2, p113-118, January 1, 2010 Do Far-infrared Saunas Have Cardiovascular Benefits in People with Type 2 Diabetes, Richard Beever, BSc MD CCFP CI DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S1499-2671(10)42007-9  

All contents of this page and references to research studies are from SunLighten.