While saunas are known for being great for your health, there are still some dangers of an infrared sauna that you should be aware of. The truth is saunas are like most things, too much of them can cause damage to your body/mind.

For this reason, we created this article to clearly go over the dangers of an infrared sauna. We highly recommend reading all of the below information to stay safe while sauna bathing.

How Infrared Saunas Work

Infrared saunas operate much differently than the traditional saunas most people are used to. Instead of using heating elements and sauna rocks to heat the room by convection. An infrared sauna uses infrared light to produce radiant heat.

This infrared light penetrates deep into your skin and allows you to sweat profusely while running at a much lower temperature (at around 120-150°F). While this is less warm then a traditional sauna, the deep penetration makes up for this and allows you to reap most of the same benefits that traditional saunas promote.

On the other hand, since they run at much lower temperatures, they are extremely friendly to newbie sauna bathers and young children. In addition, this lower temperature allows infrared saunas to be built with many more features that would otherwise be damaged by the extreme heat that traditional saunas promote.

Health Benefits of Infrared Saunas

As most people know saunas are a perfect tool to enhance your mental and physical well being. With that being said, what are the actual health benefits of saunas? Down below we go through some of the top benefits that everyone should know.

• They help increase cardiovascular health. (Saunas make your heart work harder by increasing blood flow and circulation. Over time this strengthens your heart and overall cardiovascular health.)
• They help you lose weight. (Your body burns more calories while in the sauna, which can enhance weight loss. In addition, they increase muscle mass, which helps you burn more calories over the long haul.)
• They boost your immune system. (With increased white blood cells and other health effects, saunas help boost your immune system.)
• They help you build muscle. (Multiple studies conducted show saunas can literally increase muscle growth after a hard workout.)
• They help you recover from a workout. (The warmth that saunas promote increases blood flow, which relaxes your muscles and gets rid of lactic acid.)
• They improve your skin health. (Saunas help get rid of excess minerals, dead skin cells,  and toxins within your body/skin.)
• They lower your blood pressure. (The heat from the sauna relaxes your blood vessels which increases blood flow.)
• Etc.

Dangers of an Infrared Sauna

Heat Stroke

While this might seem obvious to some, the most common injury from saunas comes from heat stroke. Even the healthiest of human bodies can be susceptible to this and heat their bodies beyond recoverable levels. To avoid this you should be conscious of your body and be able to see signs of heat exhaustion.

In most cases, heat stroke occurs from people staying in the sauna for too long. This typically occurs because people like to push beyond their limits or they simply fall asleep while in the sauna. You should make sure you never sleep while in the sauna and sauna bath for a maximum of 30 minutes. This amount of time is sufficient to get the maximum benefits from the sauna while not pushing beyond your bodies limits.

If at any point in the sauna is feel nauseous, dizzy, light-headed, or simply weird, then you should exit the sauna immediately. Don’t push beyond your limits and always be conscious of the signs your body is telling you.

Dehydration

The second common, but obvious dangers of infrared saunas is dehydration. There are a lot of people who either fall asleep in the sauna or simply sauna bath for too long without drinking water. These are a big “no no’s” as dehydration symptoms can be sometimes hard to detect.

If you’re in the sauna and you’re experiencing dry mouth, headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, or dry skin then you might be suffering from dehydration. If this is so, you should leave the sauna immediately, drink a lot of water, and allow your body to cool down for at least 10-15 minutes.

To prevent this from occurring in the first place you should always drink a lot of water before you enter. This will ensure your body is fully hydrated and ready to experience the extreme temperatures of the sauna. While sauna bathing you should bring a large bottle of water to drink while in the sauna. Be sure to periodically drink this water to keep you hydrated.

To avoid extra dehydration then you should never drink soda, sugary drinks, or alcohol before the sauna. This will automatically dehydrate your body and make it much easier to harm yourself while in the sauna. In addition, you might fall or do something stupid when alcohol is in the mix.

EMF Radiation

One danger of infrared saunas that most don’t know of is EMF radiation. EMF radiation, otherwise known as electromagnetic field radiation, is emitted from the infrared heating panels that these saunas use to produce heat. This radiation is also found in our regular gadgets such as wifi routers, cell phones, microwaves, and etc.

While EMF is found in our everyday lives, high exposure to this EMF can produce health risks such as cancers. While negative health effects from EMF is rare, it’s still something you should be aware of and try to limit as much as possible.

On a positive note, most infrared sauna manufacturers are aware of EMF and actively try to limit the amount of EMF their saunas produce. Most infrared saunas have an EMF rating which can easily be identified before purchasing. In addition, some infrared saunas produce little to no EMF, making the sauna bathing process as healthy as possible.

Silicone Implants

If you have silicone implants then you should consult your surgical doctor to see if they can be affected by the heat of the sauna. In some cases, cheap silicone implants can melt and get deformed. This is, of course, is an issue because you paid top dollar for them to be perfect. In the worse circumstances, the shell to these implants can break or get ruptured which is highly toxic for your health.

With that being said most quality silicone implants have a melting point over 392 degrees, which would indicate that you should be fine since most infrared saunas only reach a maximum temperature of 150 degrees F. Just to be cautious we still recommend consulting your doctor and asking if sauna bathing is right for you.

Medical Conditions

If you’re suffering from certain health conditions then it is wise to ask your health professional before using the sauna. Since sauna put your bodies in extreme conditions, they can enhance negative medical conditions and harm you. You should avoid the sauna in general if you previously suffered from:

• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Lupus erythematosus
• Aortic stenosis
• Brain tumors
• Multiple sclerosis
• Angina pectoris

In addition, you should consult your doctor if you have a pacemaker, implants, or diabetes. While people with these can typically use the sauna, you should check with your doctor just in case.

If at any point in the sauna you feel light-headed, pain, or extreme discomfort then you should exit the sauna immediately. Be sure to drink a lot of water and give yourself enough time to allow your body to cool down.

Conclusion

Overall infrared saunas are completely safe if you use them properly. This means following all of the proper safety tips, and simply using common sense while in the sauna. Be sure to never over push your boundaries and always have water handy to rehydrate your body.

If done correctly, infrared saunas can greatly enhance your health and make your body/mind feel much better. For this reason, we highly recommend purchasing these saunas in order to maximize your health efforts.