High blood pressure is one of the most common threats Americans face. Known as the “silent killer”, it affects over 50% of American adults and leads to millions of preventable deaths every year.

Tackling high blood pressure on your own is tough. But infrared sauna therapy can provide some assistance and help your body escape the negative effects of high blood pressure over time. Here’s what you need to know about infrared saunas for high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure: An Overview

To understand how infrared sauna therapy can help with high blood pressure, you have to understand high blood pressure in the first place.

In short, your body’s blood pressure describes how hard blood pushes against blood vessel walls. Blood pressure is created through both systolic pressure, which is the contraction of your heart as it beats, and diastolic pressure, which is the relaxation between heartbeats that allows blood to flow throughout your body.

Both of these pressure types form the blood pressure metric we’re familiar with. For instance, a blood pressure of 120/80 is a “normal” blood pressure reading. 120 represents systolic pressure. 80 represents diastolic pressure.

“High” blood pressure is typically characterized by systolic/diastolic pressure readings of 130-180, with 180 being an emergency reading. High blood pressure can be caused by a variety of reasons. But in general, it’s caused due to hypertension.

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension is best understood as any physical tension your body experiences due to:

  • An unhealthy diet
  • Stress from your lifestyle or work
  • Lack of healthy exercise
  • Genetic factors
  • And more

When your body experiences high blood pressure, it can seriously stress your heart and other vital organs, leading to life-threatening conditions.

How Does Infrared Sauna Therapy Work?

Infrared sauna therapy is a unique type of sauna experience that relies on infrared heat rather than traditional heating methods. With a traditional sauna, heat warms the air around you progressively. Then your skin and outer tissues are eventually warmed by proxy.

Infrared heat, however, can penetrate your skin and outer tissues more easily. It quickly warms your deeper tissues and results in a faster, more effective heating experience compared to a regular sauna. Although infrared light is invisible to the eye, it can certainly be felt in just moments after stepping into an infrared sauna.

Most people enjoy infrared sauna therapy due to its many health benefits. By heating your body and deeper tissues, infrared sauna therapy:

  • Relaxes blood vessels and muscles
  • Boosts blood flow to certain tissues
  • Warms the body and releases certain nutrients
  • And more

Does Infrared Sauna Therapy Help with High Blood Pressure?

Yes. In fact, infrared sauna therapy can be a great way to lower the risk of high blood pressure’s side effects over time. Studies have shown that regular infrared sauna sessions can produce beneficial effects for Americans with high blood pressure. Here’s what you need to know:

Lower Stress

Infrared sauna therapy can help with high blood pressure by lowering stress throughout your body. Specifically, infrared sauna therapy produces a gentle heat that soaks into your body, coaxing your muscles and other tissues to relax from a state of stress or tension.

When your body is more physically relaxed, blood flows more freely and your blood pressure lowers as a result. Plus, many of your body’s tissues will be healthier overall; more blood flow means that vital oxygen and nutrients are carried to tissues more quickly than normal.

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Detoxification

Infrared saunas rapidly increase your body heat and cause you to sweat. As you sweat, your body purges itself of toxins that can build up over time, particularly if your diet needs a little work. When coupled with a healthy diet, an infrared sauna session could eventually help you eliminate excess weight across your body. This can in turn help to reduce blood pressure.

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Moderate Exercise Effects

Infrared sauna sessions also cause your body to burn increased calories as it heats up. It simulates the effects of a moderate exercise session. Your heart beats a little faster and your body works a little more to stay cool.

Even this mild physical stimulation can do wonders for lowering blood pressure and helping you feel healthier in the long run. It’s no replacement for full-on exercise, but it can help your body burn away some extra calories without having to go for a light jog.

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Experience the Benefits for Yourself with a Personal Infrared Sauna!

Ultimately, using infrared sauna therapy about three times per week could potentially help you to tackle high blood pressure symptoms and enjoy lower stress overall. Be sure to check out our Clearlight® Infrared Sauna options today to get started!