Health Benefits
Why Fire?
At Fire and Ice we chose to go down the route of Infrared Saunas.
We believe strongly in the application of both cold and warmth exposure, both exhibiting different physiological benefits.
The difference between a regular sauna and an infrared sauna is typically the way in which the sauna provides heat. A traditional sauna will heat the air, this is a large space to heat, and typically requires more power. In order to heat the body through this method also requires the room temperature to be far hotter. If you’ve been in a hot sauna before, for many it can be uncomfortable.
With an infrared sauna, infrared light is radiated from the source which is directly absorbed by the body, increasing the temperature of the body itself, opening the pores.
At Fire and Ice we believe in providing the best in class so there is no option to us other than to provide the full spectrum of infrared light.
FIR is a term often used in the industry which refers to Far Infrared. This is a specific subdivision of infrared light that is perfectly absorbed by the body but not by the surrounding objects. As a result you don’t have an ultra hot piece of wood to sit on, nor does your towel heat up.
Convenience
Due to the following factors Infrared Saunas are generally more convenient than a traditional sauna.
Infrared Saunas take less time to heat up – As a result we use less energy. On average we are looking at 10-15 minutes to heat up. A perfect time for a quick dip in your ice bath
To maximise your benefits with infrared sauna, you’ll want to spend 20-40 minutes. This is far more doable than a regular sauna due to the more comfortable temperature.
Maintenance and cleaning of your Infrared Sauna will be very easy. With no water, steam, and a lower humidity, the cleaning is quite simple. We recommend keeping it hygienic though as you’ll still be sweating throughout your session.
So what are the physiological benefits?
Cardiovascular health
There have been numerous studies over the years conducted with traditional saunas. As the benefits are similar. A group of 2315 Finnish men were monitored over the period of 20 years with a useage of Sauna from 4-7 times a week. This group not only had improved cardiovascular health, but had 40% lower all cause mortality than men who only used the sauna once per week. Imagine the results if they included people who didn’t use the sauna at all!
Better Sleep
You could argue that better sleep is actually just a result of better cardiovascular health. However it goes a little deeper than this. The endorphins released from the warmth of infrared sauna not only boost mood but reduce pain perception. A reduced level of pain will likely lower the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone fluctuates based on what state we are in, fight or flight, or rest and digest, also known as sympathetic and parasympathetic. High cortisol levels are typically associated with the sympathetic fight and flight state, so a lowering of this hormone will typically result in reduced stress and therefore better sleep.
Better Skin
Infrared sauna addresses the underlying chronic conditions of stress which directly affect the ageing of the skin. Anyone who has been through the teenage years and being prone to acne fully understands the confidence issues that can appear with poor skin.
As well as reducing the ageing effects through reduction in stress, Infrared sauna therapy has been shown to increase the collagen production of our body, and therefore the elasticity of the skin. With The skin care market being a multi billion pound industry, having a routine that targets skin care as well as all the other physiological benefits is starting to become more attractive.
Joint Health
This is one of our favourites. With a huge amount of the population experiencing some kind of pain and with a background in strength and conditioning, we are certainly pro anything that can help relieve a clients pain.
Releasing muscle tension through better blood circulation and relaxation is one of the many ways in which joint health is positively affected. The infrared waves penetrate up to 3 inches into your body so even the deepest muscles are being hit by this positive power. The relaxation of the muscle will also improve the body’s natural healing response to that area.
The infrared sauna will raise your temperature producing a false fever response (don’t worry you don’t get sick). As a result your body produces more white blood cells which are essential for supporting immunity. In turn, your ability to deal with inflammation becomes easier for your body as you continue to use the sauna.
Muscle Recovery
There is a reason why top end athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo use infrared Saunas as part of their recovery method. In 2015 a study on Finnish men showed that a 30 minute sauna session increased Serum Growth Hormone. This increase in Growth hormone would directly affect the body’s ability to recover from bouts of stress, in particular physical and mechanical stress.
This increase in recovery speed allows for athletes to train harder, or for your regular gym goer to simply experience less discomfort post training.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4493260/
“Growth hormone concentration increased significantly also in both sauna conditions, which confirms earlier studies (Kukkonen-Harjula et al. 1989; Hannuksela and Ellahham 2001; Pich et al. 2003).
Why Ice?
Contrary to popular belief, cold exposure does not need to be 0-3 degrees to have the physiological and mental benefits associated to this practice.
Temperature Controlled for Optimal Exposure.
At Fire and Ice we chose to regulate the temperatures of our units to allow for appropriate adjustment to cold exposure therapy. Whilst jumping into a frozen lake or bucket of ice does look impressive on Instagram, the reality is that this is too much for most people.
The physiological benefits come from your body’s ability to be exposed to cold. What cold is to each individual will vary based on their experience and resilience. For some, getting into 7 degree water will simply be too much for them on a first experience.
We have a guide to cold exposure that you can download here, optimised with gradual increases in intensity as we would do with exercise. This sets the user up for the greatest chance of long term success and enjoyment of their ice bath.
Improved Cardiovascular Circulation
No matter whether you’re an athlete, a fitness fanatic or just someone looking to improve their health a little bit, your cardiovascular system (heart and lungs) are your life source. Without these, we do not function. So it makes sense to keep this system optimal.
Cold Water exposure is shown to boost the cardiovascular system, further benefiting levels of energy.
How does it do this?
When you get into cold water or even expose yourself to cold air, you’ll notice that your skin generally turns a little paler. This is because your body is prioritising getting blood to the essential organs inside. As a result blood is drawn away from the skin slightly causing you to temporarily lose that colour. Through processes called vasoconstriction and vasodilation, immersion in cold water induces the opening and closing of blood vessels. This le ads to improved pliability of the blood vessels, helping to boost circulation.
Most notably, one study found that in less than a week, the HRV (heart rate variability – Also an indicator of your levels of stress) of participants was positively affected by cold water immersion sessions of only five minutes.
Better Stimulation of Brown Fat
Brown Fat, also known as Brown Adipose Tissue is a metabolically active form of fat that helps increase our caloric expenditure by soaking up glucose and fats from our blood and converting them to energy. This is one of the reasons many people report feeling more energetic after working through a programme of cold exposure.
The increased energy production (ATP) along with the increased expression of a protein called themogenin also helps to regulate and generate heat within the body. This allows us to become masters of our own temperature regulation.
Improved Mood
Part of the reason we formed this company is the noticeable improvement that cold exposure had on reductions in depression and anxiety scores of the people we talk to. At Fire and Ice we are hugely passionate about mental health and will promote anything that has the possibility of bringing a happier population into the light.
Cold exposure has the possibility to activate the body’s own pain control centre, which can be useful in the treatment of mental health issues.
Improved Quality of Sleep
Body temperature is a strong driver of circadian rhythm. This rhythm is often controlled by your body’s natural stress levels throughout the day. In modern day, we are exposed to a multitude of stimuli that upset the body’s natural circardian rhythm.
Whilst cold exposure is likely to increase cortisol levels in the body temporarily, it will also help the body regulate the temperature after exposure. The spike in stress is also highly mitigated by the exiting of the ice bath, bringing the user into a deep and restful state after cold therapy.