Introduction
Infrared saunas are becoming increasingly popular as a choice to conventional saunas, allowing people to enjoy the same profuse sweating and the added benefit of heat penetrating deeper than a traditional Finnish-style dry or steam sauna.
But does making your way to a good sweat in an infrared environment help you burn calories and aid in weight loss?
The answer is yes, simply because raising your body temperature will often burn more calories. But the number of calories burned will depend on various factors, so estimates can only be made using assumptions. The best way to get an exact number of calories you burn during your infrared session is to wear a heart rate monitor while you sweat it out!
What is an Infrared Sauna?
An Infrared Sauna is an innovative type of sauna that uses light to create heat. This type of sauna is more effective in providing therapeutic health benefits than a traditional sauna, as it uses Infrared Heat instead of air to penetrate the body up to three inches deep. The heat produced by an infrared sauna can reach temperatures up to 150°F, increase sweating, and encourage healing without feeling overly hot or uncomfortable.
Infrared Saunas come in Far-Infrared (IR) and Near-Infrared (NIR). Far infrared saunas heat the body directly with infrared light radiation, while near infrared lamps are used warm the nearby air and indirectly heat the body. This sauna provides many benefits, including improved circulation and oxygen flow, detoxification (through profuse sweating), pain relief, stress reduction, and weight loss. In addition, all types of infrared saunas have been shown to potentially boost the immune system and provide numerous anti-aging benefits on both physical and mental levels.
Regarding calorie-burning potential, research has found that people using an Infrared Sauna can expect to sweat out approximately 400-600 kcal per 30 minutes from simply sitting in them! Of course, these figures will vary between people depending on their metabolism rate. Still, Infrared Saunas can be considered an excellent way to burn calories without working out at the gym.
How Many Calories Does an Infrared Sauna Burn?
While there is some controversy regarding the effectiveness of infrared saunas for weight loss, many claims suggest you can lose weight using an infrared sauna. However, it is important to understand how many calories you burn in an infrared sauna before using this method for weight loss.
The number of calories burned in an infrared sauna varies from person to person depending on several factors, including age, height, weight, heat duration, and body composition. However, studies have shown that a 30-minute session in an infrared sauna can burn anywhere from 200-600 calories depending on the person. That equates to roughly anywhere from 4-16 calories per minute!
While it is generally accepted that a person’s metabolic rate increases during their time in the sauna due to increased heart rate and core body temperature, the exact amount of calories burned overall is still unknown.
Due to this uncertainty, it is crucial to approach infrared saunas with realistic expectations regarding how much weight you will lose from using one regularly. While there may be other health benefits associated with using an infrared sauna (such as improved skin tone and detoxification), weight loss should not be your primary focus when deciding if this type of heat therapy is right for you.
Factors That Affect Calories Burned
An infrared sauna is a great way to relax and potentially burn calories. However, the number of calories you burn in an infrared sauna can vary depending on a few factors. In this section, we will look at how the length of time spent in the sauna, your age, and the temperature of the sauna can all affect the number of calories you can burn.
Duration of Session
The session duration is one of the critical factors affecting the total number of calories burned during an infrared sauna session. Generally, the longer a person stays in a sauna, the more calories they burn.
The total calories burned in an infrared sauna also depend on sweat rate, resting energy expenditure, and basal metabolic rate. During a typical 30-minute session at 140˚F (60-65˚C), users are estimated to burn up to 600 kcal. The exact number of calories burned may depend on metabolism and how much time you spend in the infrared sauna at one time.
Everyone has their unique metabolic rate – the speed at which your body burns energy from food or stored fat and converts it into heat – which can affect individual results. For example, higher metabolic rates will tend to produce higher amounts of sweat per hour and quicker results in terms of calorie burning. However, no matter what your body temperature or metabolism rate is, regular sessions over time will also help reduce weight overall.
Intensity of Session
The intensity of the infrared sauna session can greatly impact the number of calories burned. Typically, the more intense and longer your time spent in the sauna, the more calories you burn. If you are looking to maximize your calorie burn, it is suggested to gradually increase both temperature and time spent in the sauna each day. Like any exercise, incorporating intervals can also help increase your tolerance and burn more calories in a shorter time.
Additionally, research has shown that a dry sauna is more effective for burning calories than a wet sauna. The optimal method for burning calories includes an initial dry and hot period followed by colder showers or immersion into cold water baths at least once or twice a week after your workout or sweat session.
Body Weight
Body weight significantly influences how many calories are burned during a sauna session. People with more body weight will burn more calories than someone smaller. It is due to two reasons:
- The added load of the extra mass requires additional exertion.
- The larger person typically has a higher metabolic rate and resting heart rate, contributing to another calorie burn.
That being said, people of any size can benefit from an infrared sauna session’s calorie-burning effects.
Activity Level
The amount of calories you burn in an infrared sauna is based on several factors, including your activity level. Generally, the more active you are before and during your time in the sauna, the more calories you burn. Regular exercise before and during your sauna session can increase calorie burning significantly. For example, if you sit quietly for 45 minutes in the sauna, you may burn about 130 calories; however, if you do a light bodyweight workout with squats and other exercises while in the sauna, that total increases to approximately 400 calories.
Other factors influencing how many calories are burned while using an infrared sauna include how hot the session is set and how long it lasts. Usually, higher internal heat will result in more calories burned; however, each individual has their optimum range, so temperature settings should be done cautiously to avoid overheating or injury. Additionally, higher temperatures usually need shorter times to hit the desired effect of calorie burning, whereas lower temperatures need longer times for full impact.
As with any physical activity and exercise program, it is recommended that individuals consult with their healthcare provider regarding any health conditions they may have before the use of an infrared dry sauna for calorie-burning purposes.
Benefits of an Infrared Sauna
An infrared sauna is a heated environment featuring light panels emitting far-infrared radiation. This type of light is linked to various health perks, including improved mood, detoxification, better sleep, and even weight loss. However, infrared saunas typically heat up to temperatures around 120°F to 140°F (54°C to 60°C), and it can be difficult to estimate how many calories your body is burning while inside.
The amount of calories burned depends on several factors, such as the length and intensity of your session, the temperature of the sauna, and your age. Generally speaking, a 30-minute infrared sauna session may burn between 200-600 calories. However, due to the wide range of differences already mentioned, exact calorie burn rates are hard to estimate.
In addition to helping you lose weight, spending time in an infrared heat session can provide numerous other health benefits. For example, regular infrared sauna sessions can help improve circulation since these types of heating lights penetrate deeper into tissue than traditional saunas do – providing therapeutic effects on circulation throughout the entire body instead of just in the surface layers like with traditional alternatives where you get more superficial heating but less deep penetration into the tissues that circulate blood flow around joints and organs.
Another key benefit associated with this type of therapy is how it helps reduce inflammation naturally without putting too much stress on your joints or muscles – great for those who suffer from chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia or arthritis – by increasing blood flow, it helps reduce inflammation naturally aiding speedy recovery from exercise routines or trauma or injury related flare-ups due to chronic conditions naturally without harmful side effects like traditional pain medications taken orally tend to cause long term ranging from constipation, nausea stomach bloating overweighting and other unwanted side effects one may experience when taking them a long time.
Conclusion
In summary, the number of calories an infrared sauna burns varies depending on the individual. Generally speaking, it appears as if typically around 150-200 calories are burned during a 30-minute session, but this can vary depending on size, metabolism, and even how much heat you are exposed to.
It is important to note that some reports suggest that sweat rate decreases over time due to body acclimation (less sweat) with repeated use of an infrared sauna. Therefore the number of calories burned could also be affected. As a result, it is recommended that individuals who are looking for weight loss and muscle building should use other types of exercise different than infrared saunas to achieve the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many calories can you burn in an infrared sauna?
A: The number of calories burned in an infrared sauna session can vary, but it is estimated that you can burn between 300-600 calories in a 30-minute session.
Q: How does an infrared sauna help burn calories?
A: In an infrared sauna, the heat penetrates deeper into the skin and causes the body to work harder to cool down, which can increase heart rate and calorie burn.
Q: Does the number of calories burned in an infrared sauna depend on the type of sauna?
A: Yes, the number of calories burned can vary depending on the type of infrared sauna, the temperature, and the session length.
Q: Can you lose weight by regularly using an infrared sauna?
A: While an infrared sauna alone is not a weight-loss solution, regular use can contribute to a healthy weight-loss plan by improving circulation, reducing stress, and aiding detoxification.
Q: Are there any risks associated with using an infrared sauna for calorie burn?
A: It is always important to consult a healthcare professional before starting any new fitness routine, including using an infrared sauna. It is also important to stay hydrated during and after a session and to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for safe use.