Warm up, get sweaty and boost your immunity this winter!
As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, we know we’re on our way into winter and with that, the cold and flu season.
Factors like stress, lack of exercise/sleep, poor nutrition and toxins contribute to a weakened immune system and can increase your risk of picking up a nasty bug this winter.
To give our bodies the best chance of fighting off unwanted illnesses, the best thing we can do is work to improve our immunity.
Regular practices like proper exercise, nutrition and recovery can all help boost your immune system – infrared sauna sessions are one of our favourite winter immunity-boosting recovery practices.
What is an Infrared Sauna?
The main difference between an infrared sauna and a traditional sauna is the way heat is produced. An infrared sauna heats the body directly, using infrared wavelengths of light, rather than simply heating the air around you. This means you can experience a more intense sweat, in a more comfortable temperature.
Here’s three ways infrared saunas can help strengthen your immune system:
1. They induce an artificial fever
An infrared sauna penetrates the skin to heat the body directly, raising the core body temperature and acting as an induced fever.
Fever increases the body’s resistance level to disease and combats infection by increasing the production of white blood cells. These cells act as the first line of defence when infection strikes.
These natural defence mechanisms destroy harmful germs and bacteria, improving immune functions and preparing your body for the cold and flu season.
2. They help your body release toxins
Deep sweating helps rid the body of accumulated toxins and we guarantee that you’ll leave a 60-minute – or even a 30-minute – infrared sauna session with a big sweat on!
The intense sweat helps remove heavy metals and toxins from your body, strengthening your immune system in the process.
Essentially, if we can sweat out the nasties, our immune system has less to fight off.
3. They help relieve stress
High levels of stress produce high levels of immunity-weakening cortisol.
An infrared sauna session helps to activate your parasympathetic nervous system which takes you out of a stressful state, encourages relaxation and helps to balance cortisol levels.
Less stressful, more restful sleep is a vital immune booster.
Want to give an infrared sauna session a go? Infrared sauna sessions are available at Rigs Recovery in 30-minute or 60-minute blocks – learn more.
We recommend stocking up on one of our 10-session value packs to reap all the immunity-boosting benefits through the winter months! Get yours here.