Have you ever been to infrared therapy before? We know it sounds different, but infrared therapy is a relatively new, innovative light-based therapy that’s proven to be beneficial in a number of ways. One benefit could possibly be stress reduction. But does it actually work, or is it just a mind trick?
In this article, we’ll discuss how infrared therapy works and whether it really helps decrease stress.
What is Infrared Therapy?
First things first, what is infrared therapy? If you’re old enough, you’d remember that before phones had Bluetooth, they used infrared to send information. Even your TV remotes use infrared to connect and control your TV. So, infrared light is actually used all around us. But how is it used for therapy?
Infrared therapy involves isolating specific wavelengths of light and delivering them to areas on your body that have injuries or are tense. The reason infrared light is such an effective light source is that it can penetrate below your skin layers without damaging or killing your cells like ultraviolet light would. Thus, as a result, it can provide you with pain relief and loosen your muscles without causing thermoburns or other heat-related issues.
How does infrared therapy work?
When you go for infrared therapy, whether it be a sauna or isolated therapy, the infrared light penetrates your skin, going as deep as 7cm. This allows it to reach your muscles and bones and provide relief for injuries or chronic conditions. Its benefit lies in how the light mimics the same kind of light that the sun provides but without the harmful UV rays.
As a result, our bodies absorb the light via the photoreceptors which causes a chain of processes that benefit your body at a cellular level. In fact, it has been shown that exposure to healthy amounts of infrared light actually promote cell regeneration instead of decay like UV light does.
How does infrared therapy reduce stress?
So, down to the question at hand: does infrared therapy help you to destress? Well, the answer is absolutely! But, how it does this is another answer that is all on its own. Here’s how infrared therapy reduces stress:
- It helps you relax
When you get into an infrared sauna, the first thing that begins to happen is a process called vasodilation. Vasodilation is when your blood vessels dilate due to the warm environment you’re in. As you sit in the sauna, the infrared light warms you up and penetrates your skin, allowing your blood vessels to widen and improving your blood circulation. As a result, your heart doesn’t have to pump as fast to circulate blood, your breathing slows, and your body essentially feels more relaxed as blood is pumped more easily to muscles and organs.
- It increases your recovery
Another key benefit of infrared therapy and how it helps you feel more relaxed is how it can help you heal faster. This benefit is closely linked to the point above, but specifically the role of nitric oxide, a molecule responsible for several functions related to the circulatory system.
Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, meaning it’s one of the molecules that signal your blood vessels to expand allowing for better circulation. Better circulation means that more nutrients and oxygen are delivered to muscles, allowing them to get the nutrients needed to recover faster.
- It helps improve your sleep
Stress is a terrible inhibitor of a good night's rest! What’s worse, a lack of sleep can even contribute to feeling more stressed. Research shows that a lack of melatonin could be the reason why some people struggle to sleep through the night. When you undergo infrared therapy, studies show that it naturally increases your melatonin levels, which should help you get back into a decent sleep routine again.
Are there any side effects of having infrared therapy?
While the research into infrared therapy is still far from finished, the therapy has shown some promising benefits that are backed with scientific evidence. For instance, studies have shown that infrared therapy has some pretty significant benefits on the physical health of your skin, muscles, and recovery.
But its benefits don’t stop there, because of its non-invasive nature, infrared therapy has almost no side effects. It’s also showing potential benefits for mental conditions like depression and anxiety as well! So, to answer the question, Infrared therapy is completely safe an clearly very beneficial for most people. That said, if you have chronic health issues it would still be bet to consult your doctor before doing infrared therapy.
Final Thoughts
There are so many ways to reduce stress in the world today, like yoga, reading, or simply relaxing in nature. However, not all of these destressing methods work for everyone, so you have to find what works best for you. So, why not decrease stress by using an infrared sauna? It might be the solution you’re looking for!
