An infrared sauna is a type of sauna that uses

infrared heater An infrared heater or heat lamp is a body with a higher temperature which transfers energy to a body with a lower temperature through electromagnetic radiation. Depending on the temperature of the emitting body, the wavelength of the peak of the i ...

s to emit

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

light experienced as

radiant heat Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation generated by the thermal motion of particles in matter. Thermal radiation is generated when heat from the movement of charges in the material (electrons and protons in common forms of matter) is ...

which is absorbed by the surface of the skin. Infrared saunas are popular in alternative therapies where they are claimed to help with a number of medical issues including

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, and

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, but these claims are entirely

pseudoscientific Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...

. Traditional

sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

s differ from infrared saunas in that they heat the body primarily by

conduction Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * Conductor (album), ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured f ...

and

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convec ...

from the heated air and by

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...

of the heated surfaces in the sauna room whereas infrared saunas primarily use just radiation. Infrared saunas are also used in Infrared Therapy and Waon Therapy and although there is a small amount of preliminary evidence that these therapies

correlate In statistics, correlation or dependence is any statistical relationship, whether causal or not, between two random variables or bivariate data. Although in the broadest sense, "correlation" may indicate any type of association, in statistics ...

with a number of benefits including reduced

blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressure" r ...

, increased

heart rate Heart rate (or pulse rate) is the frequency of the heartbeat measured by the number of contractions (beats) of the heart per minute (bpm). The heart rate can vary according to the body's physical needs, including the need to absorb oxygen and excr ...

and increased left

ventricular function A ventricle is one of two large chambers toward the bottom of the heart that collect and expel blood towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The blood pumped by a ventricle is supplied by an atrium (heart), atrium, an adjacent chamb ...

there are several problems with linking this evidence to alleged health benefits.

History

John Harvey Kellogg John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor, nutritionist, inventor, health activist, eugenicist, and businessman. He was the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. The ...

invented the use of radiant heat saunas with his ''incandescent electric light bath'' in 1891. He claimed that it stimulated healing in the body and in 1893 displayed his invention at the Chicago World's Fair. In 1896 the ''Radiant Heat Bath'' was patented by Kellogg and described in the patent as not depending on the heat in the air to heat the body but able to more quickly produce a sweat than traditional Turkish or Russian baths at a lower

ambient temperature Colloquially, "room temperature" is a range of air temperatures that most people prefer for indoor settings. It feels comfortable to a person when they are wearing typical indoor clothing. Human comfort can extend beyond this range depending on ...

. The idea became popular, particularly in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

where "Light Institutes" were set up. King Edward VII of England and

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

both had radiant heat baths set up in their various palaces. The modern concept of the infrared sauna was revived in the 1970s in Japan as Waon (Japanese: "soothing warmth") Therapy and neonatal beds for newborns use infrared elements to keep the baby warm without being stifled.

Description

Infrared saunas can be designed to look like traditional saunas but cheaper models can be in the form of a tent with an infrared element inside. Infrared Saunas differ from other types of sauna such as traditional Finnish saunas mainly in the method of heat delivery. Far infrared light, which is emitted in an infrared sauna at a

wavelength In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tro ...

of around 10 μm, is felt directly by the body in the form of radiated heat without the need to heat the air around the body first. This results in a lower ambient air temperature allowing for longer, more comfortable stays in the sauna. Infrared light also penetrates the body deeply resulting in a fast and vigorous sweat being produced. The average ambient temperature in an infrared sauna is usually 40-60°C compared to 70-90°C in traditional saunas.

Effects

A July 2009

Literature review A literature review is an overview of the previously published works on a topic. The term can refer to a full scholarly paper or a section of a scholarly work such as a book, or an article. Either way, a literature review is supposed to provid ...

of nine relevant papers concluded that there was: * Limited moderate evidence supporting Far-infrared saunas (FIRS) efficacy in normalizing blood pressure and treating congestive

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

* Fair evidence, from a single study, supporting FIRS therapy in

chronic pain Chronic pain is classified as pain that lasts longer than three to six months. In medicine, the distinction between Acute (medicine), acute and Chronic condition, chronic pain is sometimes determined by the amount of time since onset. Two commonly ...

* Weak evidence, from a single study, supporting FIRS therapy in

chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing core symptoms are ...

* Weak evidence, from a single study, supporting FIRS therapy for

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

* Consistent fair evidence to refute claims regarding the role of FIRSs in

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

reduction All of the studies in the review were limited by small sample sizes, short duration, unvalidated symptom scales, and the fact that they were all conducted by the same core research group. In February of 2021

Steven Novella Steven Paul Novella (born July 29, 1964) is an American clinical neurologist and associate professor at Yale University School of Medicine. Novella is best known for his involvement in the skeptical movement as a host of ''The Skeptics' Guide t ...

Science Based Medicine Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients". The aim of EBM is to integrate the experience of the clinician, the values of t ...

commented on the quality of studies in an article entitled ''"Infrared Saunas for "Detoxification"'' he stated that: A November 2018 Systematic review and meta-analysis of nine clinical trials found that five weekly conventional sauna sessions for 2 to 4 weeks, was associated with a significant reduction in

brain natriuretic peptide Brain natriuretic peptide 32 (BNP), also known as B-type natriuretic peptide, is a hormone secreted by cardiomyocytes in the heart ventricles in response to stretching caused by increased ventricular blood volume. Along with NT-proBNP, BNP is on ...

(BNP — a marker of heart failure progression) and

cardiothoracic ratio Cardiomegaly (sometimes megacardia or megalocardia) is a medical condition in which the heart is enlarged. As such, it is more commonly referred to simply as "having an enlarged heart". It is usually the result of underlying conditions that make t ...

(an indicator of heart enlargement), and improved left-ventricular ejection fraction, but no significant effect on left-ventricular end-diastolic diameter, left atrial diameter, systolic blood pressure, or diastolic blood pressure. The review also rated the quality of evidence for these findings as moderate to insufficient citing a risk of bias and imprecision as the reason for the low evidence rating. The evidence presented by the review supported a therapeutic effect of sauna bathing for heart failure patients but recommended that further studies were needed to be able to draw definitive conclusions. A 2019 scientific survey found that most people use both infrared and traditional saunas for relaxation and that its use, 5 to 15 times per month, was associated with higher mental well-being.

Use in alternative therapies

There are a number of claims made about the health effects of infrared saunas that are entirely based in pseudoscience and have no evidence to support them. Fire departments in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

have purchased infrared saunas under the premise that they will prevent cancer and that the firefighters will be able to sweat out inhaled

pollutants A pollutant or novel entity is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like oi ...

. Alternative therapists such as

naturopaths Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are k ...

have advised the use of infrared saunas for the treatment of Cancer and Autism. Wellness clinics have recommended it to remove

and

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from the body as well as a preventative treatment for COVID-19.

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

has also been criticised by experts for recommending infrared saunas as a post COVID-19 treatment. The most common claim not based on evidence is that of

detoxification Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period of ...

. Proponents of infrared saunas will often claim that because infrared light penetrates the body so deeply it must detoxify better than other means of sweat induction. Infrared saunas do indeed induce body warmth and sweat much more vigorously and at lower ambient temperatures than traditional saunas or exercise. This does not however mean that they detoxify more efficiently, or at all. Sweating removes an insignificant amount of toxins from your body and can be counter productive to the function of the body's actual detoxification system, the

liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...

and

kidneys The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...

.Producing more sweat reduces the amount of urine produced by the body which may actually reduce toxin excretion. Kelly Conaboy of ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' wrote an article on infrared saunas entitled "Infrared Saunas Will Not 'Detoxify' You". The author visited an infrared sauna multiple times and found the lower ambient temperature combined with the amount of sweat produced to be highly relaxing. While attempting to research the claims made by manufacturers and spa owners that infrared saunas detoxify the body however, she wasn't able to find anything credible. The claims made were that the sweat produced from infrared saunas will contain up to 20% toxins and that sweat from regular saunas will only contain 3% toxins. She spoke with Dr Dee Anna Glaser who was an expert in

Hyperhidrosis Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by abnormally increased sweating, in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature. Although primarily a benign physical burden, hyperhidrosis can deteriorate quality of life from a psychologi ...

who said She also said she'd never heard of sweat containing up to 20% toxins. When Conaboy asked for evidence from the owners of the spa regarding the claim that sweat produced in infrared saunas contains 20% toxins she was directed to an industry website which made the same claim but didn't provide any source for it. She eventually found a reference to a textbook entitled ''"Vander's Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body Function by Eric P. Widmaier; Hershel Raff, Ph.D.; and Kevin T. Strang"'' but after reading the textbook she was still unable to find the reference to such a high amount of toxins being found in sweat. Conaboy then contacted the authors of the textbook directly to ask about the reference. They each said that the textbook does not make that claim at all. One of the authors, Kevin T. Strang was quoted as saying "I have no idea what those citing our textbook would be referencing".

References

External links