Infrared saunas are a great way to relax after a long day, detoxify your body, relieve muscle pain, improve blood flow and reduce stress. Unlike traditional saunas, infrared saunas provide a lot of heat but do not increase your core temperature to uncomfortable levels. Therefore, you can look forward to enjoying even longer sauna sessions than before. 

Even though the health benefits of every sauna session remain the same, there are several tricks and tips you can use to get the most out of your infrared sauna. These tips include: 

Avoid Alcohol

Generally, drinking alcohol slows down your heart rate and blood circulation and immensely affects your blood pressure. When you combine that with the heat coming from the infrared sauna, the results can be extremely dangerous. Drinking too much alcohol will make you feel dehydrated, lightheaded, and nauseous during your infrared sauna session. If you happen to stay in the sauna for longer, you could easily suffer a serious headache or even heart failure. 

Even though a sauna session can help with a hangover, medical professionals strongly advise against it. Since hangovers are usually caused by dehydration, jumping in a sauna without properly hydrating can intensify the symptoms. 

Hydrate and Hydrate Again 

One of the biggest mistakes most people make when going for a sauna session is not drinking enough water. Remember, you are going to sweat a lot in there. Therefore, properly hydrating before and after an infrared session is important. In fact, you should treat your sauna sessions like sweaty workout sessions and ensure that you drink more water than you would on a regular day. 

Additionally, you may need to include some rehydration salts into your routine to help replenish the electrolytes lost in the infrared sauna session. You can do this by adding an electrolyte supplement or a pinch of salt to your drinking water. 

Rinse Your Skin

Before jumping into an infrared sauna, you should ensure that your skin is clean. Therefore, you need to rinse off in a shower to remove any makeup, dirt, oils, lotions, and other substances. Doing so will keep your pores clear and allow you to sweat freely. 

Watch the Time 

As you’d expect, infrared saunas are extremely relaxing. This means it’s quite easy to lose time while you’re in there. That’s why it’s important to set a timer before going there to avoid overdoing your sauna session. You should stay in an infrared sauna for as long as you feel comfortable or until you break a proper sweat. 

If you’re a first-time, you should stay in the sauna for approximately 15-20 minutes to monitor how your body will react. On the other hand, if you’re used to the heat, you can stay for longer sessions of approximately 30-45 minutes. Such sessions will leave your body feeling relaxed, restored, and fully recharged. 

A Warm Exercise Session 

A brief exercise before your sauna session can help dilate your blood vessels. This will help make your muscles feel even more relaxed when seated in the sauna. Some light exercises you may consider before your sauna sessions include yoga, jogging, Qi Gong, jumping jacks, and stretches. 

Try Morning or Evening Sessions 

You can enjoy an infrared sauna session any time of the day, especially if you have one in your home. But remember that sauna sessions help with relaxing. Therefore, having your infrared sauna sessions early in the morning after waking up and in the evening before going to bed are undoubtedly two of the best times when you’ll feel the most relaxed. 

Jumping in the infrared sauna early in the morning after waking up will help you start your day feeling recharged and refreshed. On the other hand, an evening sauna session will help you get a good night’s sleep after a long day. 

Get Some Towels 

Infrared sauna sessions will leave you sweaty. The best way to make your experience even more enjoyable is to have a couple of towels to soak up the excess sweat and toxins leaving your skin as you sit. The last thing you want is for these toxins to linger on your body and make you uncomfortable. 

Therefore, having towels to wipe off excess sweat during your sauna sessions ensures that you don’t absorb the toxins your body has strived to release. Additionally, it would help if you considered placing a towel underneath you so that you don’t slide from the sauna when your start sweating. 

You can also place another towel underneath your feet on the sauna floor to soak up the sweat and toxins flowing down your legs. 

Embrace the Electronic Gadgets Ban 

Smartphones, tablets, and other electronic gadgets are not allowed inside infrared saunas. This is because the light and heat emitted inside the sauna can easily damage the gadget’s hardware. Even though some public infrared sauna locations have TV screens in their boxes, a digital detox may do you a lot of good. 

You can instead use your sauna session to meditate, relax, or even nap. Even though a sauna nap can be relaxing and refreshing, it’s important to set a timer to avoid sleeping past the planned time. 

Sit Upright 

Infrared saunas work by heating your body directly. Therefore, you must sit up straight and position yourself so that the heaters will be directly aimed at the front and back of your body. This way, your body will absorb enough infrared, and you’ll reap maximum benefits at the end of your sauna session. 

If a certain part of your body is sore or painful such as the knee or shoulder, consider placing it directly facing the heaters so that it can receive the concentrated heat. 

Wash Up After the Session 

An infrared sauna session will open your pores, cleanse your system, and have you sweating profusely. Once you step out of the sauna, you want to take a cold shower to close up your pores, rinse away the sweat and bring down your body temperature. If you don’t shower after a sauna session, the toxins left on your skin will likely clog your pores and result in breakouts. 

Additionally, a cold shower will improve your blood circulation and direct the blood to your vital organs. This will have your body feeling restored and refreshed. 

Wrapping Up 

Infrared sauna sessions can be extremely relaxing. However, the best way to achieve maximum health benefits is to visit the sauna regularly. Experts recommend using an infrared sauna several days a week based on your tolerance, health, and preference. If your body is more tolerant to the heat, you can even have daily infrared sauna sessions.