I recently celebrated a birthday, and being the kind of guy that generally doesn’t ask for much, I thought I’d treat myself to something special this year. No, not a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 – I’ll put that on next year’s list!
My 2020 birthday splurge was slightly less expensive: a far-infrared sauna.
The benefits of a good sweat are legion, and the therapeutic use of heat in the form of “sweat lodges” and ancient Finnish pit saunas dates back thousands of years. More recently, today’s “European” saunas typically use an electric burner to heat the rocks – and the air – to around 70-100 degrees Celsius. You’d think that might cook you, but with the air having little humidity, it’s usually well tolerated by healthy people. (Just check with your doctor first!)
That’s the kind of sauna I had been using four to five times a week before COVID-19 shut down all gyms. I’d usually crank it up to around 90 degrees C, and as long as some doofus didn’t dump water on the rocks (and potentially trash the heater), I could stay in around 20 minutes.
Well, the gym may reopen sometime this month, but it doesn’t appear the sauna will be operating anytime soon. I’m guessing it’s difficult to sanitize wood benches and walls between uses, and I doubt many members will want to share an enclosed space with other sweaty folks.
Which is why I bought my own.
I did some research, and settled on far infrared for a variety of reasons.
I can plug into a normal wall outlet, and not worry about hiring an electrician to install a 220-volt outlet.
These operate at lower temperatures than a traditional sauna, and use less electricity. And it will be easier keeping my basement cool during this July heat wave.
My wife finds regular saunas stifling.
Unlike traditional saunas, which heat the surrounding air to warm the body, far-infrared units use carbon or ceramic heaters to warm the body directly. I went for a Canadian-built sauna that uses medical-grade ceramic and stainless steel heaters, and these max out the interior temps at around 55 degrees Celsius.
Plenty hot enough – with panels surrounding me from all corners – to produce a really intense sweat.
I’m a bit of a science geek, and refuse to spend nearly four grand for something that just “feels good.” There’s some serious science behind the benefits of sauna. Some of it from Finland – no surprise – where there are roughly two million saunas for a population of 5.5 million.
Results from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study, which included more than 2,300 middle-aged men from eastern Finland, found that subjects who used the sauna two to three times per week were 27 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes than those who didn’t. Subjects using the sauna four to seven times reduced their risk by 50 percent.
The story is even better for dementia, with those using the sauna four to seven times per week having a 66 percent lower risk of developing dementia and a 65 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's, compared to those who used it only once per week.
There are loads of other benefits – too many to list here – but you can do your own research on Google. Or check out this lengthy, but well researched article by Dr. Rhonda Patrick.
Bottom line: I’m pumped about adding this to my morning routine, after my meditation and workout. I know all of this sounds a bit self-indulgent, but we spend thousands of dollars regularly maintaining our vehicles – so why not our mind and body?
After all, when they begin to fall apart, you can’t trade yours in for a new one…
Neil Moore is a communications specialist, freelance journalist, masters athlete, and family man who believes that excellence has no expiry date. That being said, Neil is not a medical doctor. This blog is for informational purposes only and is no substitute for professional medical advice.
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