Transcript: How to Use an Infrared Sauna for Maximum Health Benefits Ep. 20

Full transcript with clickable timestamps linking back to the source video.

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When I'm in my sauna and I know I'm about to start sweating buckets, river sweating as I like to call it, that's like I'm like a kid in a candy store. I'm like it is about to hit me and I'm about to feel like a million bucks. Infrared heat, it's a radiant heat compared to the conventional heat. Infrared uses a non-visible light ray. It actually heats your body directly compared to just that ambient air. The best way to use an infrared sauna is to get in around your core body temperature. So, what I do is I have the unit set to 150 and then when the unit reads about 100 to 110 ° on the temperature sensor, that's when I like to get in. Awesome. Yeah. Welcome to the Sweat Fanatic Podcast where we talk all things sweaty, infrared saunas, hot rock saunas, hot yoga, anything that makes us feel good and improves our health. So, thanks for joining today. Today I have a special guest again, my one of my good friends Nick Pachalias. Uh he's an infrared sauna expert. He's very familiar with the infrared sauna world, how to use them, what's good, what's not so good about them. So, thanks for coming on, Nick. Yeah, super excited to be here on another exciting episode. I know this is something that we probably spend a lot of our our days talking about. So, we're both very very knowledgeable on the subject. Yep. So, uh what we're going to talk about today, we're going to talk about what number one, what is an infrared sauna and then number two, we're going to talk about how to use an infrared sauna. Cuz we get a lot of questions from people that have our sauna or other saunas and they don't know if they're using it right, they don't know what temperature to set it at, what should I do before, during, after. And they just want to maximize the benefits and they don't know how to do that. So, we're going to cover a lot

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do that. So, we're going to cover a lot of that today here with this episode. So, Nick, what is there a short way quick way you can explain what a infrared sauna is? The long story short is infrared heat, it's a radiant heat compared to the conventional heat. So, a lot of times like at gyms or spas, there's a furnace style heater that's going to heat the ambient air temperature. Infrared uses a non-visible light ray, it actually heats your body directly compared to just that ambient air temperature. So, it's a different type of heat to answer the question shortly. Uh is there any moist moisture used at all? There's no moisture like added into the environment. Now, when you are in there perspiring, it is going to raise that ambient air temperature and there may be a little bit of moisture condensation that can Okay. occur in the unit, but so that's a little bit different than a traditional sauna, right? Correct. And then there's like a steam room that that just uses hot steam that they pump into the air, but traditional saunas with the hot rock furnace styles, some users will pour like water on those hot rocks just to create like a steam effect. That's really just raising that ambient air temperature a little bit higher. You're still getting benefits in that high ambient air temperature and I know like for me when it's that like 180, it's a little abrasive as far as like difficult to breathe, it kind of dries out my eyes, agitates my nose after a while. And so, that's where it differs from an infrared where that infrared heat, because it's actually heating your body directly, it's only heating about 20% of that ambient air. So, it's a lot less abrasive. I know clients with like heart conditions who have to be a little careful in like a traditional sauna or steam room, they can actually use and get a lot of benefits from an infrared. And obviously with your paramedic background, is there kind of the scientific answer to why that is? Well, it's just it's it's the stress on the heart. So, if you go in an environment that causes your blood pressure heart rate to skyrocket, obviously that's going to be a lot more

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obviously that's going to be a lot more stressful and you have to be careful in environments like that. Where infrared is it's a lot more comfortable, it's a lot more relaxing, doesn't cause your blood pressure and your heart rate to go through the roof. And uh we get much more of a cardiovascular workout where it slow increases our core temperature, it slowly increases our heart rate, and it's it's a lot more effective at conditioning our heart. And when customers are like, "I need the highest heat possible." Is there any validity to that or what are they really looking for when asking that? Usually it's number one, a lot of people use saunas cuz they feel better. Like, you want to sweat. So, that's the main thing. I I want to sweat buckets cuz the more I sweat, the better I feel, the better my health is. However, if you go into a really hot room like a sauna and it's super hot and it kicks you out right away, you're you're not going to get a really good benefit as far as cardiovascular wise. You're not going to sweat as much and it's kind of like just heating the tissues up on the surface of our skin versus actually getting a deep therapeutic benefit and actually going making our heart go for like a a long run without the high impact on our knees and our joints. So, for temperature ranges, infrareds are usually most infrared saunas you can set them up to 140. So, some of them 150, even some of them 165. Uh most people use them in that 120 to 150 range where a hot rock sauna is going to be 150 ° and higher. Some of the wood fired ones are going to be 180 to 200, 220. And yeah, do I use those once in a while? Yeah, one of my buddies has an outdoor wood fired and sauna that I'll use once in a while. That's more for like once in a while. Let's hang out, let's have some people over, have a campfire type that type of stuff. But as far as the health benefits, how I feel after using it, the infrared makes me feel much better than a wood-fired or even a hot rock sauna. As far as using a infrared sauna, a hot rock sauna, Nick,

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infrared sauna, a hot rock sauna, Nick, how do people use each type of sauna? And and that's a big reason why we wanted to kind of have the episode today is decipher how you should use an infrared sauna and then how you should use a traditional sauna and how you can amplify the benefits with both. And now, traditional saunas heat that ambient air temperature up. Typically in a gym setting, they'll let it run all day long if not turn it off or they'll let it they'll turn it on at 4: 00 a. m., let it run all day long or just never turn it off. Mhm. And so, in an infrared, that's where it's not heating up all that ambient air temperature. So, in a residential setting, that's kind of where we like to really dive into how you're going to use it in your own home compared to just going to a gym where the sauna's already running for you. So, does is there any heat in the air in the infrared sauna? Does it feel hot? Yes. The the ambient air temperature is hot in an infrared sauna. Now, it's not as hot as a traditional heat, but you're still going to get that high heat air temperature feeling, just not as much. Yeah. And so, that's kind of why we're talking about it, how to use an infrared, how to use a traditional. How would your typical infrared sauna session look? So, typically people that use a hot rock sauna, they set it to a temperature, they wait for it to get there, and then they jump in it cuz it you have to get the air around you hot. An infrared sauna is used a little bit different. And so, let's get in in this next segment, let's get into how to use an infrared sauna. So, Nick, you're a brand new sauna customer, you don't know much about them, you just got it installed in your house by Good Health Saunas. What is the best way to use an infrared sauna? The best way to use an infrared sauna is to get in around your core body temperature. So, what I do is I have the unit set to 150, and then when the unit reads about 100 to 110 ° on the temperature sensor, that's when I like to get in. So, the body temp's normally

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to get in. So, the body temp's normally that 98. 6. That allows your body to heat up with the unit, and then compared to jumping in at close to those max temps or your set temperature, what happens is you're in there the entire time those heaters are running. Compared to jumping in at that max or set temps, where what happens is the heating elements cycle on and off. So, getting in there around body temp, and then being in there the entire time the heaters are running, that's how you're going to maximize the health benefits. And I'll do about a 30-45 minute session. Is that how all infrared saunas in the industry work? Correct. All infrared saunas, you should get in around body temp. The units that are already heated up to those higher temps and you're just getting in, you're almost simulating more or less just a weaker traditional style feel. And and when I do it like that, am I going to sweat more? Am I going to sweat less? You're going to sweat more getting in around your core body temp, cuz what happens is you're enlisting a fever-like response. So, the faster you can raise that core temp, you're going to raise it a roughly 3 and 1 / 2 °. It's enlisting that fever-like response. So, everyone who's ever been sick at night, sleeping throughout the night, sweating buckets in their sleep, that's the body's natural reaction. So, the quicker you can raise that core temperature, the quicker you're going to simulate that fever-like response, and the quicker you're going to get into that recovery mode, allowing for a lot of those long-term health benefits. Okay. Perfect. So, let's talk about leading up to the sauna session. So, number one, I guess, what should I wear in there? Minimal clothing is best. So, because of the infrared heat your body's absorbing, it's super important to make sure A, you're close to those heaters, and then you don't have any fabrics or anything that are going to block any of that infrared absorption. And so, close to those heaters, minimal amount of clothing. I'll just wear like gym shorts, compression shorts, towels on the bench and the floor to help absorb any sweat. And then, I'll typically put like music, podcast, audiobooks on for the first 20-30 minutes, and then can just kind of relax for however long I'm

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just kind of relax for however long I'm looking to stay in. Perfect. And then, do you do anything for hydration-wise leading up to the sauna? Hydration is super important. I like to drink at least a liter of water before, a liter of water while I'm in the sauna, and then at least a liter of water after. And so, hydration before, during, and after is super crucial. I like thinking of it as a car engine. If you let the tank get to empty when you're in the sauna, and then you just try and fill it back up, you're not going to get all the way back to hydration. So, if you're hydrated before you go in, and then you also hydrate after, that's how you're going to make sure you're not getting dehydrated. Yeah, and a lot of people ask me, you know, what do I have to worry about? What do I have to do? And as long as you stay hydrated in there, nothing can harm you. You just want to make sure you stay hydrated. And like you said, it is a 24-hour hydration thing process. It's not just slam a bunch of water after you've dehydrated yourself. And that's kind of how when I first started using a sauna, that's how what I would do. I would go in there, I would sweat buckets, I'd dehydrate, I'd slam a bunch of water, and then I'd go on with my day. As you start to use the sauna every day and all the time over the course of years, you start to think of it differently. You're like, okay, what can I do to just stay hydrated for so I don't get to that dehydrated state? And it's super easy. I The The main thing I do before I go in my sauna is I I drink water with electrolytes. Mhm. And then Well, and what specific electrolytes? Cuz I remember we were talking about it and I was using um just a sugar-free brand and then you were like, "Try the one with sugar." And it was a noticeable difference. Yeah, and that's always a controversial subject cuz there's so many people they eat so much sugar and drink so much sugar throughout the day, so to add any sugar it's just it's it's not good for them. But for somebody that maintains a real healthy diet, they don't eat much sugar, they are going to need some sort of glucose in their electrolytes.

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of glucose in their electrolytes. So, using sugar-free when you don't really eat any sugar throughout the day or you're in a fasted state, it does it's not as effective as as having having some sort of glucose in your electrolytes cuz the the glucose transports the minerals into our cells. Mhm. And for me I don't eat much sugar at all. So, I don't have much glucose that I'm putting in me that my body my those electrolytes can then transport into my cells. So, I need to use electrolytes with glucose in it. So, I like that and it doesn't have to be a lot. I mean, there's some electrolytes out there where it's just insane amounts of sugar. But if you can find one that's got a just a little bit of a sugar help hydrate our cells, it's going to be more effective. What I like to do for me is what I've what I do is I'll I'll take a glass of water and I have reverse osmosis, which does put and I do have a filter that puts more minerals back into the water because it does take out all the minerals. So, I add it back in there just with my filter. Then when I make my glass of water, I'll put in a little bit of Celtic salt, which has really good trace minerals, and then I'll put in just a touch of organic maple syrup. Mhm. And maple syrup works better than honey because there's minerals in the there's trace minerals in the maple syrup, and it's organic. Yeah. And that's a really good way of hydrating Mhm. our bodies, but also not It's easy on the pocketbook, cuz it's not that expensive. Where it can get pricey if you're constantly buying these these uh electrolyte packets that people put in. Definitely. never know what kind of chemicals they're putting in that either. Right. So, if you know, if you just make your own water, throw some of your own Celtic salt, add a little touch of organic maple syrup, you're perfect. You're good to go. So, that's how I'll make my water before I go in. I'll drink another glass of water, and I do like to drink coffee in my sauna in the morning. And

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And And Keeps the coffee nice and warm. Exactly. It's my favorite part of the day, in my sauna drinking coffee. It's It's not going to get better than that. And then I'll drink some water afterwards and throughout the day. So, I'm slowly drinking water throughout the day. I never get dehydrated. No, that's that's perfect. And I don't know, I just had a question that kind of popped up when we're talking about the sugar and I know I've had customers ask me is someone with diabetes able to use an infrared sauna, and how does it kind of benefit them? Yeah, it's not going to have any negative effects on a diabetic patient at all. It actually helps regulate the glycemic index, which actually is really good for a diabetic patient. Plus, a big thing with diabetic patients is they have really poor blood circulation in their legs and their arms, especially hands and feet. Mhm. And this vasoldilates the blood vessels and increases blood distribution throughout our body, especially in our extremities, where we don't have the best circulation. And it's really good for people with Raynaud's syndrome, who have poor blood circulation in their hands and their feet, and causes their hands to get really cold, their feet to get cold. They turn purple, white. Mhm. It helps tremendously with Raynaud's. Nice. And neuropathy, too. Yep. Oh, yeah, neuropathy, um any type of pain, back pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, Lyme's disease, it helps with any types of aches and pains. That's That's probably one of the top reasons people buy infrared sauna. But, let's get back to how to actually using it. So, how long would How long is a typical session? A full session in an infrared sauna is anywhere from 30 minutes up to an hour. So, I typically like to do about 45 50 minutes. Mhm. And don't get me wrong, like that 45 50 minutes, I'm kicking down the door after. I am dripping sweat, but that's that addicting feeling in a good way. That's when I know I'm really getting that passive cardiovascular workout. I can track it on my watch, see my heart

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can track it on my watch, see my heart rate slowly elevating, and then that's when you're really amplifying that detoxifying aspect, too. That's when I really feel like just pushing out all the heavy metals, toxins, carcinogens. And then there's some mental benefits to sitting in kind of that high heat for a some duration, right? Oh, yeah. It's That's That's the point when you're getting the endorphins really released. When you're like, "Oh, man, it is hard to stay in here. I'm sweating buckets. I'm hot." It almost turns into a type of meditation. You have to narrow in, focus on your breathing, and you get more norepinephrine or adrenaline released, which is really good for mental clarity, focus, concentration. And then you get the endorphins are really good for depression patients, anxiety patients. So, it really helps with the mental health aspect, and especially if you go if you push yourself a little bit. You don't have to go too hard, especially if you're just getting into it, but once you get experience with this, there's a real good benefit to pushing yourself a little bit in there. And that's where I feel like when I first started kind of doing that 30 40 minutes was good, and now I've worked my way up that 45 50 minutes, but some days I'll only be able to sit in there 35 minutes. So, I feel like diet, how much water I drank, activity level the day prior, almost a week prior, all kind of plays a role in how the time Yeah, so does humidity. Humidity plays a role, you know, the time of the year, if it's summer versus winter, is it a hot summer day and your core temperature is elevated, is it a cold winter day and your your core temperature isn't as warm. That will help affect how long you can stay in there, but yeah, hydration is key, diet, everything you said. Um And for the first I mean, for me, if I break it down in like a 10-minute segment, I would say like my first 10 minutes, I'm really not starting to like profusely sweat, but that's when I start seeing the little beads of sweat accumulate all over my body. Then that 10 - to 20-minute mark is when I

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10 - to 20-minute mark is when I start feeling the sweat just dripping down the body. That 20 - to 30 - is when we really start getting that profuse sweat from every pore, and then like I said, that 30 - to 40-minute, I'm really feeling the cardiovascular benefits, kind of the mental benefits, like you said, and When I'm in my sauna and I know I'm about to start sweating buckets, river sweating as I like to call it, that's like I'm like a kid in a candy store. I'm like, it is about to hit me and I'm about to feel like a million bucks. So, using it for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour is a little bit different than like using a traditional sauna. So, why do you want to use an infrared sauna a little bit longer? How can you use it a little bit longer? And you want to use it a little bit longer cuz those same benefits that we were just talking about, I mean, sweating any which way you cut it is super beneficial. And so, in an infrared sauna, when you can stay in there from 30 minutes to an hour compared to the 10 - 20 - minutes if you're pushing it in the traditional sauna, I know for me when I use the traditional sauna, that 15-minute, 20-minute mark, it's almost a suffocating type feeling. It's a little difficult to breathe. It's really drying up my eyes, my nose, my mouth. And so, I almost feel like I have to get out just because I can't take that deep breath with that really high air temperature. Mhm. But then in an infrared, like I said, when I hit that 20 30 minute mark, that's when I start to really profusely sweat. And so, being able to sit in that type of environment for an extra 15 20 minutes, you're amplifying those benefits of just a traditional sauna by a lot more. And so, sitting in it at a little lower temperature, but sweating as much gives you all of those benefits of just traditional sauna and then a lot more, too. That's a great explanation, Nick. So, you did a good That's a really good explanation. I like to equate it to is me and my wife to watch track. She was a track star growing up. So, I can sprint 800 m or I can do a 5K.

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I can sprint 800 m or I can do a 5K. What's going to be better for my heart? Doing that 5K. Right. Exactly. That's a great analogy right there, too. Yeah. So, let's get into the question of if I'm going to use this for 30 minutes to an hour, what am I going to do while I'm in there? And that's a great question. For me, I asked myself that when I first started, too. I'm looking at a small wooden box that I'm a very mobile person. I can't sit still for too long. And so, I'm sitting I'm looking at that thinking, "What am I going to do with myself for 30 minutes up to an hour?" When I first started using it, I'd bring my phone in for the first 5 10 minutes. Little table next to a towel rack outside that after that first 5 10 minutes, I'll just put my phone on the table. I'll normally have podcast, audiobook, music going on. And then when I'm in the sauna, normally after that 10 15 minute mark, muscles are starting to feel really good. I'm really loose, relaxed. So, I like stretching out. I'm even doing some like yoga poses. And then, for the remaining remainer remaining 20-30 minutes, that's when I'm kind of just meditating. Really focuses on like breathing, amplifying just the cardiovascular aspects, any sore muscles and joints. I'm really trying to loosen those up. So, for me, it's more so just that meditation after that first 10-20 minutes. alone time. Yes. So, it I want to use my sauna for hour. Number one, it feels good on my skin, it feels good on my muscles. I look forward to going in there in the morning. So, it's it's very it's a very enjoyable experience, and it's something that I talk to a lot of people that have a infrared sauna or they use one somewhere where they can't wait to get in there and use it. Like, it's quiet, it's alone. I mean, when today when when are you alone in a quiet environment? Not in front of a screen, too. That's what I like. It's a nice time to unplug. Obviously, you can still have like meditation music or podcast or anything like that going, but you're still able

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like that going, but you're still able to just not be in front of a screen. So, just relaxing. I mean, like you said, it's one of the most euphoric parts of the day, and for me, and I know you as well, I feel just so much sharper after I come out, mentally alert, just not as drained. So, that's an addicting feeling in a good way, too, wanting to jump-start my day and have that locked-in, energized feel throughout the day, not just 10-20 minutes after I'm done. Mhm. Perfect. So, how uh how often should you use it? How many times a week? That's a great question. And obviously, just like everything, consistency beats intensity. So, if you're going to the gym three times a month compared to if you're going three to four times a week, you're really going to notice a lot of the difference going more consistently rather than if I just go to the the once a month, and I try and sit in it the highest temperature once or twice a month, I'm not going to feel or notice as many health benefits compared to if I used it three to four times a week, minimum of 30 minutes up to an hour. So, that's the recommended amount, anywhere from three, four times a week, 30 minutes up to an hour. I mean, we like to use it daily, and the more you use it, the more long-term health benefits you're going to see and feel. Yeah, no. I mean, I started using it a couple times a week, three times a week, and then I really quickly transitioned to using it every day cuz I know when I use it, I am going to feel a lot better mentally and physically. It's addicting in a great way. And in the traditional sauna, it's it's almost the same way where I'll go in it in a commercial environment. Obviously, you're sitting with others, so the community aspect is nice, but having that individual time in your own sauna, in your own home, it's unmatched compared to any other experience as far as the health product. So, one of the things that I'll hear and

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So, one of the things that I'll hear and you'll hear once in a while is, "I'm using it and I'm not sweating." So, what are some of the things that you go through with the customer if they happen to say that, and then what to expect afterwards? Yeah, and that's very rare that a customer wouldn't be sweating in either one of our series, but if they do call, first question is kind of asking how they use the sauna cuz circling back to kind of your protocol as far as how to get the most out of it. Most of them are jumping in around those max temps or whatever temperature they have the unit set to. So, what then happens is those heating elements cycle on and off. So, they're not in there absorbing all of the infrared, so it's taking a lot longer for them to raise their core temp. So, that's why hopping in around your body temp, and then heating up with it, maximizing that absorption infrared is going to get you the deepest, most therapeutic heat, and then allow you to maximize the health benefits in your full session. Yep. And then And it goes back to again, is it a cold winter day? Is it a hot summer day? What were you doing? Were you on the couch? Were you outside working in the yard? Also, if you don't have anything in you, you don't have anything to sweat out of you. So, you have to stay hydrated. Mhm. And there's There's a lot of people that will come to me. They've never used an infrared sauna. They're thinking about it. Maybe they're not thinking about it, but they're like, "Hey, I don't sweat, but I know how healthy sweating is, and I want to sweat. Um is there anything I can do?" And I'll tell them, "Go in the sauna every day for 7 days in a row, and put it in your schedule that I'm going to use my sauna or a sauna for the this day from this time to this time." And then every time they start using it, they start sweating a little bit easier, a little bit faster. And there's a couple things that are at play. Number one, we're pouring sweat out of everybody. So, it We need to clean out our body. So, we need to It's like giving our body an oil change. So, once we start to sweat, it starts to open up those

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sweat, it starts to open up those pathways, and allows clears the path to allow us to sweat easier in the future. The other thing that happens to is our body adapts to it. It's like, "Oh man, I'm in this hot environment again. I better start sweating, because otherwise I'm going to overheat." And then your body starts sweating easier and faster. And before you know it, I'll talk to them in a week, a couple weeks, and they're like, "Oh my gosh, I've never sweat so much in my life. I feel amazing. I feel fantastic. I can't believe I haven't been doing this years ago." Yeah. And it's always kind of described as like a a light switch. You won't start sweating, you won't, and then once that light switch gets flipped, profuse sweating from every pore is on the body. Mhm. So, that's good answer to a question we'll we hear ever so frequently. Yep. All right, perfect. So, let's wrap this up and let's finish it off. Each one of us is going to give us one tip that they like to use with their sauna session, whether it's leading up to it, during, or after. And we'll start with Nick. So, Nick, give me give us one tip that you like to do with your sauna session. One tip that I will say for novice users or experienced is drinking water during. I feel a lot of customers will either drink water before or they'll drink water after. Yeah. And I think drinking water during is super important. You're almost replenishing those fluids as quick as you're getting rid of them. So, it's almost like helping that oil change just more frequently. Yeah. Perfect. And then my tip is going to be don't be afraid to move your body around. So, people get in there and they'll come in there and they'll sit down like, "I don't want to touch anything. I'm just going to sit here and I'm just going to you know, sweat, right?" No, it's like move your shoulders around. Move your head around. You know, get the body moving a little bit. It feels good to stretch your body out, especially when you're sweating buckets and your core temperature's elevated and you're heated up. It actually

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you're heated up. It actually allows you to get into a little bit of a deeper stretch, which allows us to be more flexible even when we're not in the sauna. So, if if you come and you see a sauna session after I'm done with it, there's sweat everywhere. I've done a full-blown chair yoga class in my sauna. And I use it in the morning, so the stretching feels even better. It's a very addicting feeling. That's a good one. That's a great one. All right, perfect. Well, thanks for coming on, Nick. I really appreciate it. You gave us a lot of valuable information that our listeners and our viewers can use in their own sauna session or they can prepare to do that once they get their their sauna in their house. So, that's it for this episode of the Sweat Fanatic podcast. Like, share, subscribe, comment. Thanks for watching, and until next time, get out there and sweat.