Online, you’ll find many sources proclaiming that “infrared saunas kill a virus” and that “infrared saunas cleanse your body from viruses”. In this blog post, I’ll explain why that thesis isn’t necessarily false, but, that’s there a lot more context to the scientific explanation of what happens.
I’ll use two arguments: 1) pneumonia risk goes down the longer and more frequent you use a sauna, but only long-term; 2) infrared saunas boost your immune system. Let’s explore these options:
Saunas Lower Pneumonia Risk
A very interesting study from 2022, this year, shows that spending more time inside a sauna and more frequent sessions dramatically lowers pneumonia risk. Pneumonia is an airway infection that can be caused by viruses, and is characterised by inflammation.
During the study, 2,200+ men were followed for a period of ~25 years. Study participants who engaged in two to seven sauna session per week had a 21% overall lower risk of getting pneumonia.
Also, if you had higher overall inflammation levels, spending time inside the sauna was protective against the negative effects of excess inflammation.
The same research group carried out another study back in 2017 (2). In that study, participants were followed over a period of ~25 years once again. The participants were then divided into groups of those who spend 1 time or less sessions inside a sauna per week, two to three sessions per week, and four to seven sessions.
The two to three sessions per week group had a 33% decreased riks of getting pneumonia compared to the one session or fewer per week. Also, the group with four session or more had a whopping 47% risk during that time period.
One reason to explain that effect is that saunas lower your overall chronic inflammation levels (3). As you now know, pneumonia is a disease characterised by high levels of inflammation, and saunas might impede that process.
One thing I do want to say is that I’m not advocating for sauna use if you’ve got an acute pneumonia. I’m only talking about using a sauna as a preventive strategy.
And, there’s more:
Saunas Boost The Immune System
Your immune system is highly complex and can be divided into many different systems, classifications, functions, and cells. I’ll keep it simple here, although you have to keep in mind that I’m oversimplifying sometimes.
When you’re spending time in a sauna, your white blood cell counts actually go up (4). White blood cells are what protects the body from foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria. Hence, by spending time inside a sauna, you’ll make your immune system more efficient and effective.
Don’t misunderstand me though: the rule that applied earlier in this blog post appears here too. If you’re sick, and coming down with a viral infection – whether that’s from pneumonia or another reason – then I highly recommend not spending time inside a sauna.
Why?
You’re already stressed in that situation and you’ll add stress on top of existing stress. The end result is usually prolonging the period it takes you to recover.
So, what does all this research mean? Let’s conclude:
Conclusion: Saunas Are Excellent For Preventing Viral Infections
The conclusion I’m drawing here is quite common sense: spending time inside a sauna supports your general health. As a result, your blood and heart vessels become healthier, your ability to move glucose into cells instead of fat tissue goes up, your blood pressure goes down, your immune system becomes more efficient, and so forth.
Because of those effects, your body is better able to handle a viral infection. The direct stimulation of white blood cells and the lowering of (chronic) inflammation prove that point.
How to get the best results? I recommend looking at the home infrared sauna options we offer at Clearlight Infrared® Saunas. We offer the highest quality saunas on the market, with a unique blend of different types of infrared heat, extremely low electro-magnetic frequency exposure, and a construction that only uses healthy materials.
Your overall health and your body’s ability to withstand viruses will thank you later…
