Inflammation is discussed wildly on many popular platforms and has become analogous with widespread illness within the wellness community. To be clear, all inflammation is not a bad thing for the body, in fact it is literally the body performing at its best to treat injuries, infections, and all forms of attacks from the outside world. The issue with inflammation arises when it becomes chronic and is suggestive of underlying illness that goes unaddressed.
If, someone were to sprain their ankle and inflammation to that portion of the body occurred, most people, as well as medical professionals, would agree that this was the body performing its natural healing mechanism. What happens to the body and brain when there is chronic inflammation that is pain inducing, and potentially activity prohibitive when no blunt trauma has occurred? Most likely the body is responding to a plethora of possible conditions within the body or in its environment.
From pollutants, to plastics, and a potential variety of diseases within the body, many causes may be behind chronic inflammation. Ideally, if an individual were to address these underlying causes the inflammation would go away. Unfortunately, if these causes are unknown, or unavoidable such as pollutants in the environment, it may be best to seek treatment for the inflammation itself, and in so doing perhaps address the underlying conditions.
This article acknowledges that in no way will it attempt to solve the crisis of chronic inflammation; however, it will present several studies that have linked exposure to heat and infrared light to a decrease in inflammation. Hopefully, the knowledge garnered here will be helpful to some individuals who are living in a painful body as a result of chronic inflammation.
What is the Big Deal About Infrared Light Exposure and Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines?
If you have heard different wellness influencers discussing the benefits of infrared light exposure on chronic inflammation you may be wondering if any of this is substantiated by well researched studies, or if it is just a bio-hacking fad that will fade away soon.
While it is true that you can not trust everything you hear on the internet, the reality is that there are excellent peer reviewed studies that suggest a positive correlation between anti-inflammatory results and sauna use, particularly infrared saunas.
While, there are many correlative benefits on inflammation that result from sauna use, there is one really important, seemingly direct effect on inflammation as a result of exposure to far infrared light.
Here is what is really important to know and understand: Exposure to far infrared light in appropriate dosages lowers pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-a.(1)
This means that in addition to all of the other secondary benefits of sauna use to inflammation, there is the direct result of lowering cytokines that enhance inflammation in the body.
What is a cytokine? “Cytokines are small proteins that are crucial in controlling the growth and activity of other immune system cells and blood cells. When released, they signal the immune system to do its job. Cytokines affect the growth of all blood cells and other cells that help the body’s immune and inflammation responses.” (2)
The study that is associated with the discovery of the infrared light’s ability to lower specific inflammatory inducing cytokine is entitled “The effect of far infrared radiation therapy on inflammation regulation in lipopolysaccharide-induced peritonitis in mice”. (1) While the study was performed on mice and not humans, it is considered to be a credible and well performed study.
This is a basic summary of how the study was performed. The baseline blood samples of the mice were taken before exposure to far infrared light began, during the process, as well as afterward. Mice received far infrared therapy for 15 minutes every 30 minutes over the course of 2 hours. Even after just one day of this study important biomarkers (cytokines IL-6 and TNF-a), which are directly related to the presence of inflammation, were reduced in clinically significant ways.
These findings are very encouraging for anyone living with an autoimmune disorder where their own body’s immune system is overactive. Exposure to infrared light would mean a direct decrease in inflammation, and therefore many types of pain.
The initiators of this study were already aware of how powerful infrared light and heat therapy for health when they made this statement.
“There are many biological effects of FIR therapy, including the following: inducing accelerated recovery of skeletal muscle function after exercise, increasing arterial and peripheral blood flow in the lymphatic vessels, improving endothelial function and decreasing pain, inflammation, and oxidative stress.” (1)
We now know that exposure to far infrared light may have a direct impact on inflammatory factors, and this is potentially very exciting.
In addition to the impact that far infrared light has on lowering pro-inflammatory cytokines, there are also other ways that sauna use can help to lower inflammation.
Sauna Use May Reduce Inflammation By Many Facets That are Correlatively Important
- Circulation
- Stress
- Detoxification
- Improved Sleep
The use of a sauna to reduce chronic inflammation via other means beyond that of lowering pro-inflammatory cytokines is also relevant. These primary factors include, but are not limited to, a drastic increase in blood circulation, reduction in stress response hormones, detoxification, and finally overall improvement in sleep quality.
Ameliorated Circulation
Dr Will Kore writes the following about infrared sauna use and inflammation:
“Sauna bathing with infrared heat has also been shown to reduce inflammation by widening blood vessels, leading to increased blood flow in deep tissues, muscles, and joints.” (3)
Dr Kore writes specifically about infrared sauna use in the process of vasodilation, but the reality is that all forms of heat therapy including traditional saunas, steam rooms, sweat lodges, and many other forms of ‘saunas’ can all effectively induce the widening of blood vessels.
What is Vasodilation?: “Vasodilation is the widening of blood vessels as a result of the relaxation of the blood vessel’s muscular walls. Vasodilation is a mechanism to enhance blood flow to areas of the body that are lacking oxygen and/or nutrients.” (4)
Exposure to heat in specific and intentional ways induces the temperature regulatory system to begin to engage a vast cascade of biochemical reactions, and among these are the widening of blood vessels, and therefore improved circulation. As the heart starts pumping to induce sweating, blood begins to flow throughout the body to deliver nutrient rich blood (high in Heat Shock Proteins) to all areas of the body. Blood circulation reduces inflammation and so, regardless of what type of sauna you are using, inflammation will decrease with regular sauna use.
Reduction in Stress Response
The body’s stress response releases a variety of hormones that are inflammation inducing, or pro-inflammatory. Remaining in states of stress response for prolonged periods of time will indeed promote long term inflammation. (5) If you are in a stressful job or relationship, it may not be possible to remove all of the external factors causing the body to move into states of stress response chronically. However, it is possible to mitigate the stress.
Saunas are known to help relax the nervous system and draw the body out of states of sympathetic dominance of the nervous system back into states of relaxation and equilibrium. If you are living with chronic stress that has led to chronic inflammation and are unable to change your external circumstances then, at the very least, getting into the sauna for just 20 minutes a day will provide some relief for the body. The more often the body is able to relax the better the chances are of reducing inflammation.
Detoxification
Toxins in the environment can cause the body to react as if it is having a low level ‘allergic’ reaction. Toxins are so prolific, from nanoplastics that are ingested daily (for many people), to airborne pollutants, and heavy metals. This means that most body’s are in need of some detoxification beyond what the body is capable of doing naturally through the internal organs.
If the inflamed individual can get into a sauna, preferably a far infrared sauna several times a week, then they will be ridding themselves of many forms of toxins that may be causing the body to be chronically inflamed.
Improved Sleep
Finally, sleep is the cornerstone of a healthy body. If sleep is lacking on a repeated basis the body is likely to begin to break down from stress, and lack of a healthy immune response. When this occurs inflammation is bound to occur. Getting a good night sleep as often as possible will dramatically reduce chronic inflammation.
Since sleep is dependent upon a temperature decrease and an ongoing cool sleeping environment, then getting into any kind of sauna shortly before bed will help tremendously in the falling asleep portion of your night’s rest. The temperature drop that occurs after a sauna can help induce sleep and bring on more consistently good night’s sleep for you. A well rested body is much less likely to be an inflamed body.
Consider Incorporating Regular Sauna Bathing Into Your Anti-Inflammatory Protocol
There may be root causes in your life that are creating chronic inflammation and ideally these causes would be addressed, treated, and eliminated. If for whatever reason this is not in the cards for you, you may be looking at managing inflammation through a series of ongoing protocols. The good news is that there are many activities, foods, and lifestyle habits that can help reduce inflammation.
Using a sauna as a portion of your anti-inflammatory treatment could spell great relief for you. Research into the use of far infrared light to help lower pro-inflammatory cytokines is very exciting. In addition, sauna use promotes circulation, may help reduce stress in the body, and improve sleep as well as detoxify the body, all of which may help to alleviate chronic inflammation.
Sauna use is not for everyone, and some individuals may prefer cold therapy, or a cold plunge over a sauna to help treat inflammation. If you do plan on using a sauna as a portion of your treatment protocol, be sure to stay well hydrated with beverages that have plenty of electrolytes.
As always, if you are uncertain about beginning a sauna protocol please be sure to consult with your medical practitioner.
Sources Cited:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6131272/
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy/cytokines.html
- https://drwillcole.com/functional-medicine/next-level-health-benefits-of-infrared-saunas
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557562/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16606412/
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-happens-when-your-immune-system-gets-stressed-out
- Chang, Y. (2018). The effect of far infrared radiation therapy on inflammation regulation in lipopolysaccharide-induced peritonitis in mice. SAGE open medicine, 6, 2050312118798941.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2859063/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23833705/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11583886/
