Soma Haus

What is an Infrared Sauna?

Unlike a traditional sauna, infrared saunas don’t heat the air around you. Instead, they use infrared heating panels that emit light to warm your body directly. An infrared sauna is a lot drier which makes it easier to breathe when you are in it thus allows you to experience the full intensity of a sweaty session at a lower temperature. Generally, many find it more tolerable and allows you to stay in there longer while increasing your core body temperature by 2-3 degrees. This will help your body to detoxify and gives you a much deeper cleansing experience.

The infrared light can\’t be seen by the naked eye but it gives off what\’s called radiated heat, penetrating deep within your tissues, muscles and cells. This form of slow heating makes infrared saunas a much more comfortable experience than a traditional one.

We offer state-of-the-art full spectrum cedar wood infrared saunas that provide a tranquil space to support your health from chronic conditions to mild health concerns, detoxification, immunity  resilience and radiant skin health.

Benefits of Infrared Sauna

Detoxification

One of the biggest infrared sauna health benefits is its ability to increase your blood circulation and stimulate the sweat glands, releasing built-up toxins in the body. Daily sauna sweating can help detoxify your body as it rids itself of accumulated highly toxic metals (lead, mercury, nickel, and cadmium) as well as alcohol, nicotine, sulphuric acid, and other organic and inorganic compounds.

Immune boosting

The deep heating from the sauna\’s infrared heaters will raise your core body temperature, inducing an artificial fever. Although often misunderstood, a fever is actually the body’s natural mechanism to strengthen and accelerate the immune response. This artificially induced fever mimics the body’s natural defence mechanisms, stimulating the production of white blood cells which assist the body in fighting infections and keep us healthy. Studies conducted by the British Medical Association note that ‘it has become well known that people who take regular saunas reduce their incidence of colds and influenza by 65%’.

This enhanced immune system, combined with improved elimination of toxins and wastes via intense sweating, increases your overall health and resistance to disease.

Heart Health

There are studies from around the world that have found a link between using an infrared sauna and maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. It has beens said to reduce cholesterol in patients with congestive heart disease. In patients with cardiovascular disease, infrared saunas have also been demonstrated to improve cardiac arrhythmias and symptoms of chronic heart failure.

Weight loss & increased metabolism

As your body\\\\\\\’s temperature rises, it responds by producing perspiration in an effort to cool down, which raises your heart rate and pumps more blood into your body, improving circulation. As a result of the increased metabolism, more calories are burned! A number of studies have shown that you can burn up to 700 calories per session.

A study showed that people who used the sauna 3 times per week found an average reduction in fat of about 4% over 4 months. These findings are unsurprising given that a single infrared sauna session can burn between 400 and 600 calories! During the trial, neither the individuals\’ food nor their exercise habits were altered.

Improves skin health + anti ageing

The profuse sweating achieved after just a few minutes in the infrared sauna carries off deeply embedded impurities and dead skin cells, leaving the skin glowing and immaculately clean. Increased circulation draws your skin’s own natural nutrients to the surface.You’ll see improved tone, elasticity, texture and fresh colour. Increased blood circulation has also been shown to relieve acne, eczema, psoriasis, burns, lesions and cuts. In addition, open wounds heal more quickly and will also help to reduce scarring.

Near Infrared Heat have also been use to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in your skin. Sweating improves blood circulation as well as skin elasticity, tone, texture and firmness – it also helps unblock pores and reduce blemishes. A weekly infrared sauna session will leave you glowing and the more you sweat the better you\’ll feel.

Pain relief

Regular use of an infrared sauna can provide relief from discomfort associated with tight, overworked muscles and joints for both athletes and chronic pain sufferers. Increased circulation aids in the clearance of waste products like lactic acid from the body while also delivering oxygen-rich blood to muscles, resulting in speedier muscular recovery. Infrared saunas warm the body, which helps to relax muscles. When your muscles are warmed, it allows for deeper stretches, increasing your flexibility and range of motion. Infrared Saunas can also help to reduce spasms, soreness and inflammation in muscles and joints.

Stress reduction + Sleep management

One of the biggest benefits of an infrared sauna is relaxation and the chance to de-stress. Elevated levels of stress in our modern lives are leading to an increase in all health concerns. An infrared sauna session can not only help you unwind but it also decreases the production of cortisol, the main hormone for stress in the body. Infrared saunas help with thermoregulation and can help kick in your melatonin production. Melatonin is known as the sleep hormone. With sleep being an important pillar of well being, better sleep means quicker recovery, high readiness and ultimately a healthier you!

Improved mood and Decreased Fatigue

Now who doesn’t like a good sweat? Sweating causes the brain to release endorphins, a feel-good chemical that gives us a boost throughout the day. Our infrared sauna rooms are soothing and relaxing, assisting the nervous system in slowing down and shifting into a healing mode. The infrared sauna affects the autonomic nerve system, allowing the body to recover and replenish itself. This healing condition is also known as the parasympathetic state, or rest and digest state, and can help people to feel more energised.

With a large movement across the globe that is growing everyday along with breathing techniques being taught by people such as Wim Hof they started the process of research and development. Using ‘cold, hard nature’ as his teacher, Wim’s extensive training has enabled him to learn to control his breathing, heart rate, and blood circulation and to withstand extreme temperatures and continues to share the benefits of cold exposure.

Cold exposure has been proven to be good for our health, athletic endurance, preventing muscle atrophy, increasing neurogenesis, improving learning and memory, and improving longevity. Cold showers or cold exposure can even be used to treat depression.

Exposure to cold releases norepinephrine into the brain, where it is involved in vigilance, focus, attention and mood. It has also its role in pain, metabolism and inflammation. This response is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight). Norepinephrine can rise 200-300% with cold immersion. Cold also activates cold thermogenesis, a way for the body to produce heat. The health benefits of cold thermogenesis are due to the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT), a form of fat that burns regular fat for heat generation through fat oxidation.

This has mitochondrial effects in cranking out more ATP. The more mitochondria there are, the better our aerobic capacity will be. Cold exposure increases the number of mitochondria (mitochondrial biogenesis).The more BAT you have, the better your body becomes in burning fat for energy.

Pain Management, Faster Muscle Recovery & Reduce Inflammation

Ice baths reduce inflammation and improve recovery by changing the way blood and other fluids flow through your body. When you sit in cold water, your blood vessels constrict; when you get out, they dilate (or open back up). This process helps flush away metabolic waste post-workout.

Ice baths work with our lymph system (a clear fluid made up of white blood cells and fluid from your intestines).While your heart constantly moves blood around your body, your lymph nodes don’t have a pump. Ice baths constrict and open vessels manually, which helps stagnant fluids in your lymph nodes move throughout your body. Increased blood flow also floods your cells with nutrients and oxygen to theoretically help your body recover.

Some research suggests ice baths may reduce soreness after workouts. A 2018 metanalysis of 99 studies looked at the effectiveness of several recovery methods—including contrast water therapy, massage, and ice baths—at reducing delayed onset muscle soreness, perceived fatigue, muscle damage, and inflammation after exercise.

Improve sleep quality & Decrease chronic fatigue

There is research that is showing how cold exposure and ice baths can optimise body temperatures for sleep. The drop in core body temperature sometimes allows for less nighttime arousals and deep sleep in the first three hours. With improved circulation and metabolism, many people have found ice baths to be extremely helpful in overcoming chronic fatigue.

Increases Energy, Metabolism, and Weight Loss

Ice baths can also improve metabolism and accelerate weight loss. A study on the human metabolism found that cold exposure helps white fat act more like brown fat. Brown fat is the “good fat” that helps the body create heat (newborns have lots of brown fat). That means cold therapy helps white fat begin to burn more readily. Additionally, brown fat gain is associated with better insulin sensitivity.

Better Focus and Mental Clarity

Cold therapy may increase mental focus as well. This is likely due to the catecholamine release cold therapy provides. Exposure to cold activates the sympathetic nervous system and increases endorphins (feel-good neurotransmitters). It also increases the release of noradrenaline in the brain, which prepares the body for action and sharpens focus.

Cold therapy can also improve mood for similar reasons. Because of a large number of cold receptors in the skin, cold showers are expected to send electrical impulses to the brain, which could result in an antidepressant effect (like a milder, non-harmful electroshock therapy). In fact, it’s thought that cold therapy may have antipsychotic effects for the same reason. The electrical impulses from cold therapy may also “crowd out” the psychotic neurotransmissions.

Nervous System Regulation

Ice baths stimulate our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, stress response, and recovery process, all of which contribute to a natural high and boost in mood and attitude.

Improve circulation

Cold therapy cause vasoconstriction, which challenges the circulatory system to maintain optimal blood flow. Over time, regular ice baths or cold exposure have been shown to improve circulation and improve vascular health. People have also experienced other hosts of benefits from improved circulation such as better skin and hair health.

NormaTec was founded by a physician and bioengineer who developed the technology to help patients with circulatory disorders. The technology was later adapted for use in athletic recovery, and has since become popular among elite athletes, professional sports teams, and fitness enthusiasts.

NormaTec compression pants are designed to be easy to use and maintain. They are made of durable, high-quality materials that can withstand frequent use and washing.  One of the unique features of NormaTec compression pants is the ability to customise the compression level and pattern to meet individual needs. The control unit has several pre-programmed settings for different body types and activities, as well as the option to create custom settings for specific areas of the legs.Many people are now turning to the compression pants to assist with lymph flow. The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, nodes, and organs that removes waste, toxins, and excess fluids from tissues, playing a vital role in immune defence. It is made up  of thin tubes, called lymphatic vessels, that collect lymphatic fluid. This fluid flows into the lymph nodes, which act as filters, removing foreign substances, bacteria, and viruses. After filtering, lymphatic fluid is returned to the bloodstream, helping to maintain the balance of fluid in the body. When the lymphatic system isn’t working properly, it can lead to swelling and the spread of infections and diseases.

In addition to serving as a drainage network, the lymphatic system helps protect the body against infection by producing white blood cells called lymphocytes, which help rid the body of disease-causing microorganisms. The organs and tissues of the lymphatic system are the major sites of production, differentiation, and proliferation of two types of lymphocytes—the T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes, also called T cells and B cells. Although lymphocytes are distributed throughout the body, it is within the lymphatic system that they are most likely to encounter foreign microorganisms.

While NormaTec compression pants can be a helpful tool for recovery, it’s important to note that they should not be used as a substitute for proper rest and recovery techniques such as sleep, hydration, and nutrition. They should also not be used as a treatment for medical conditions without the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Overall, NormaTec compression pants can be a valuable addition to an athlete or fitness enthusiast’s recovery routine, helping to improve circulation, reduce muscle soreness, and enhance overall performance.