When it comes to maintaining good health and well-being, the vital role which sleep plays cannot be over-emphasised.

Lack of quality sleep asides making you tired and grumpy, is associated with a good number of health problems some of which include:

  • Memory problems
  • Poor concentration and problem-solving abilities
  • Mood swings
  • Weakened immunity
  • Weight gain
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Low sex drive, etc

Getting quality sleep and in the right dose (7 – 8 hours/day recommended) is essential to allow your body heal and restore its balance, making you fit and ready to face the following day’s tasks.

If you’re struggling with getting adequate sleep and have tried various ways to achieve that without much improvement, then perhaps you should try saunas.

Yes, saunas are a great way to tackle sleep problems and are regarded as quite effective.

Sweating as a form of therapy has been around for thousands of years. Sweat houses were used by the Mayans about 3000 years ago according to Harvard Health publications.

However, gaining more and more attention is the less conventional infrared saunas.

What Are Infrared Saunas?

Infrared saunas rather than heating your body indirectly by first heating the air around you, will do so directly, with minimal affectation of the room temperature.

Infrared saunas use lamps to warm your body directly via electromagnetic radiation.

The heat generated penetrates your body more easily and effectively, achieving similar results as conventional saunas at even lower temperatures (a conventional sauna operates usually between 150°F – 180°F while infrared saunas do so at about 120°F – 140°F).

At lower temperatures, you achieve a more intense sweat, and this also means that you are able to tolerate longer periods in the sauna.

What Are The Effects of A Sauna On Your Body?

The effects of a sauna on your body include:

  • Increased body temperature
  • Increased blood flow
  • Increased  heart rate

These are basically effects you’d get from a moderate exercise.

Are Infrared Saunas Beneficial For Improved Sleep?

While there aren’t as much research on infrared saunas as there are on the conventional ones, some studies have shown that there are indeed significant benefits with sauna use which improve sleep.

Some of these benefits include :

  • Thermo regulation

Normally for sleep to set in, the body temperature falls gradually and continues falling through the night until just a few hours before dawn when it starts to rise again. This fall in temperature stimulates the release of melatonin the ‘sleep hormone’.

This effect is mimicked after a sauna session as your body starts to cool off, and lulls you off to sleep.

  • Relaxation

The tranquil and quietness of a sauna helps you take a break from constant intruding thoughts and worries. It also affords you the opportunity to meditate, one of the very effective ways of relieving stress and anxiety and improving sleep.

  • Detoxification

The skin is one of the excretory organs of the body. Through sweating, you flush out toxins from your system, especially heavy metals and BPA (Bisphenol A) from plastics.

  • Relief from aches/joint pain

Sauna therapy has been found to be able to alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. By relieving you of aches and pains, you are able to sleep better and more soundly.

  • Weight loss

People who are overweight are more likely to experience disordered sleep. By deeply heating up your body, sauna therapy mobilises fat-stored toxins which are then eliminated.

  • Reduced muscle soreness and increased recovery from strength-training and endurance performances.

A study carried out in 2015 reported dramatic improvements in sleep and in other symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome in two individuals, following thermal therapy and suggested that saunas could be a beneficial and safe treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome.

In his book “Sauna Therapy For Detoxification and Healing”, Dr Wilson cites research that supports the benefits of saunas in achieving more quality sleep.

As someone new to saunas sits, it is advisable to start out slowly, spending not more than 10 minutes at first and gradually working up to 20 – 30 minutes. Also, it is advisable to drink 2 – 4 glasses of water after a sauna session and to stay away from alcohol while in there as alcohol has a dehydrating effect on the body and coupled with the heavy sweating, might be too much for it to handle.

If you do not like the moist hot air in conventional saunas, then you should consider infrared saunas as they’re just as effective and so far, no adverse effects have been reported with their use.

References

David S. Black, Gillian A. O’Reilly, Richard Olmstead, Elizabeth C. Breen, and Michael R. Irwin. Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults With Sleep Disturbances. JAMA Intern Med. 2015 Apr 1; 175(4): 494–501.

Dave R. How does your skin eliminate waste? Health. 2019 https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/skin-eliminate-waste.htm

National Sleep Foundation. Obesity and Sleep. 2019 https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/obesity-and-sleep-0

Antti Mero, Jaakko Tornberg, Mari Mäntykoski, and Risto Puurtinen. Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions in men. Springerplus. 2015; 4: 321.                                                                                                                                                doi: 10.1186/s40064-015-1093-5

Soejima Y1, Munemoto T, Masuda A, Uwatoko Y, Miyata M, Tei C. Effects of Waon therapy on chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study. Intern Med. 2015;54(3):333-8.                                                                                                  doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.54.3042.