Athletes Embrace The Infrared Sauna

By Benjamin Andrews

Athletes have long known of the many benefits that come from using infrared saunas. Regular sauna use has been linked to increased endurance and greater physical performance, as well as improved levels of tolerance for more anaerobic exercises.

The heat emitted from an infrared ray sauna penetrates deep into the body and causes the heart rate to increase, which is a great way to work out your cardiovascular system without putting stress on a sore or injured body. According to the American Medical Association, "many of us who run do so to place a demand on our cardiovascular system, not to build big leg muscles. Regular use of indoor saunas may impact a similar stress on the cardiovascular system, and its regular use may be as effective, as a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning of calories, as regular exercise."

For athletes and those on fitness regimens, a sauna can be a supplemental method of burning calories (around 500 calories per sauna session! -Journal of American Medical Association report), a way of getting rid of fat cells and a means of boosting the metabolism. Saunas should not be used as a replacement for a traditional cardio workout, but make a great follow up to a workout as well as a way to stay fit while injuries prevent athletic mobility.

Guyton's Textbook of Medical Physiology tells us that every gram of sweat we produce we burn 0.586 calories. This means we can measure just how many calories each particular athlete is burning by measuring their sweat. The average person will sweat off half a liter during an infrared sauna session, or roughly 1.000 grams of transpiration and 500 calories.

There are many benefits that come specifically from the warming effects of the deeply penetrating infrared rays on sore, damaged or tired muscles. The heat will dilate blood vessels and increase blood circulation which will assist muscles to repair and strengthen themselves. Also, the pain of worn or tight muscles will be lessened by the loosening of muscles and reduction of lactic acids that result from infrared sauna use.

A FIR Sauna is perfect as a "heat therapy room" for athletes looking for a pre-workout warm-up to warm up muscles and increase flexibility, helping to prevent injury. Tissues heated to 112 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius) and then stretched exhibit a non-elastic residual elongation of about 0.5-.9% that persists after the stretch is removed. Thus 20 stretching sessions can produce a 10-18% increase in the length of tissues that are stretched in conjunction with infrared heat. (Justus F Lehmann M.D., Williams and Wilkins, Therapeutic Heat and Cold, 4th edition.)

An athletes joints are notorious for recovering from illness slowly. Heat from infrared saunas is alble to work deep down into the joint area and loosen the muscles to allow greater blood flow. Poor circulation is then eliminated which helps to speed the joints recovery.

Infrared ray saunas are very useful for treating more serious injuries such as sprains. So long as the standard treatments of cold and compressions are first administered an athlete can then use the deep penetrating heat of the sauna to ease the pain and speed the recovery.

The popularity of the infrared ray saunas continues to grow as more athletes benefit from the many benefits of regular use. No matter your lifestyle, being able to wind down in an infrared sauna after a neighborhood ball game or a professional event is something to happy about.

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