Stress, anxiety and depression are things we all feel at times whether we admit it or not. Most clients enter Life Works either because they’re approaching or have reached a tipping point in how they feel, knowing that a session in one of our infrared saunas will help to pull them back towards normality. So we’ve compiled 5 reasons to use a Life Works sauna for better mental health.
Here are FIVE ways that regular Infrared Sauna Therapy can improve mental health:
1. Heat relieves depressive symptoms.
According to Dr. Charles Raison who conducted an a experiment to study the effects of hyperthermia on depression found that “heat makes the brain happy.” In the University of Wisconsin Madison trial published in the Journal of American Medicine, Dr Raison used infrared light to raise core body temperature to 38.5 Celsius and found that it improved symptoms of major depression for as long as six weeks after a single treatment. He concluded, “We think that using heat to stimulate the skin activates serotonin-producing cells in the midbrain, which then produces a change in how the brain functions.”
2. Quiet time in private.
When you sauna at Life Works, you’re disconnected from the outside world. Together with the heat, your body and mind goes on a journey from pleasure to adversity during which, you are unable to ponder your day-to-day stresses. This mindfulness is essentially meditation which we all know offers innumerable health benefits including reducing stress, decreasing anxiety, and promoting emotional health. Our infrared saunas are sanctuaries of peace. Studies have shown that regular meditation practise reduces the inflammation response that stress causes by decreasing levels of stress-induced cytokine chemicals that can affect mood and lead to depression.
3. The benefits of coloured light.
Exposure to coloured light to promote healing is an idea that has been around for many years. Chromotherapy is an approach to wellness based on scientific evidence that the specific vibrations and frequency of light can impact the body in positive and healing ways. The evidence illustrates that specific vibratory qualities of colours can impact specific organs and, therefore, specific ailments. Each of our saunas are fitted with medical grade overhead Chromotherapy lighting which YOU can change to suit your needs. If it’s stress and anxiety you’re looking to alleviate then choose blue or violet to help calm your nervous system.
4. Build your infrared sauna session in to an already healthy lifestyle.
Even for those of us with already established wellness practices, regular infrared saunas can be seamlessly integrated and the health of our body and mind more closely intertwined. You’ll find yourself wanting to schedule time in the serene sanctuary of your infrared sauna to enjoy the effective light and heat benefits for yourself.
5. A sense of achievement.
Spending 40 minutes in one of our saunas is no mean feat. With your core temperature raised, you’ll find it tough. No-one has ever left Life Works wishing their sauna had been hotter! A session here is possibly the hardest easiest thing you can do for your wellbeing and when you’ve conquered this adversity, you’ll feel a sense of achievement – a feeling very much needed when you’re stressed or down in the dumps.