4 Methods To Ensure You're Using Infrared Therapy Properly
Infrared therapy has seen a wave of excitement (pun intended) in recent years. Many people are using the benefits of infrared therapy to aid their health, for example, tissue repair, pain relief, and improved blood circulation, but for anybody that's looking to get started with infrared therapy, it is critical to follow safety guidelines and ensure that it is doing what you intend it to do. Here's how you can use infrared therapy in the right ways.
Choose the Right Equipment
Whether it is a light therapy bed, an infrared sauna, or a handheld device you have to ensure that it is safe for use and certified. You may also want to do it through a healthcare provider. It's important to ensure that you know as much as possible about infrared therapy, for example, the three different types of infrared therapy, near-infrared (NIR), mid-infrared (MIR), and far-infrared (FIR), which all come with different wavelengths and depth of penetration. Far-infrared light will go deeper into tissues than near-infrared light, for example, so it's all about the right equipment based on your comfort level.
Know How to Prepare
If you have ever been to a sauna, you may already know how penetrating it can feel. Preparing for any infrared therapy is like preparing for a sauna. It's about making sure that firstly you are hydrated. We sweat out approximately a pint of sweat during a short time in a sauna, but we can maintain our hydration levels before, during, and, afterwards. Additionally, you should start with shorter sessions, for example, like anything new, it requires acclimatizing and you will reap the benefits of the therapy gradually but make sure that if it feels too uncomfortable you don't attempt to push through for too long. The same logic applies to things like cold showers or intense exercise and any form of yoga. We all need to gradually work up to a level where we can do it effortlessly.
Know Your Body
Any sauna or infrared therapy can stimulate deep physiological changes but we have to be aware of our bodies' unique reactions to this. If you notice any discomfort, intense overheating, or you feel sick you should stop right away and make sure you replenish any sweat lost with water but also have proper downtime.
Ensure You Combine It with Other Methods
Lots of people are looking for infrared therapy as an amazing cure-all, but there's a lot of other things that you can use it with to cover a lot of bases in your personal health journey. Infrared therapies and saunas can make you physically relax which is wonderful if you cannot sleep, but when you also use infrared therapy in combination with the things that can give you a more solid foundation, whether it's yoga or any other physical therapy, you could reap the benefits.
Infrared therapy, much like a sauna, can bring about very individual responses so make sure that, if you plan on going down this route, you use it in the right ways.
