Practical Ways To Use Your Sauna To Help Relieve Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Since creating Hypothyroid Mom in 2012, I’ve heard from reader after reader telling me that they feel better with regular use of infrared saunas. With one million people following Hypothyroid Mom it can’t be mere coincidence. Hypothyroidism symptoms are tough and it takes extraordinary strength to live them day in and day out. I’ve long wanted to include an article about how an infrared sauna can help with those difficult symptoms and I took my questions to the best in the industry, Sunlighten.

Can an infrared sauna help relieve symptoms of hypothyroidism? That’s the question.

I feel depressed or am dealing with brain fog that affects my motivation and daily function.

Your body is a solar panel and was designed to soak up light. Lights enters the body through the eyes and skin. Light triggers the hypothalamus in the brain, which regulates all life-sustaining bodily functions, the autonomic nervous system, endocrine system, and the pituitary (the body’s master gland).[1-2] It is the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis that maintains normal circulating levels of thyroid hormone in the body.[3]

Since the first description of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in the 1980s, light therapy has become a well-established treatment modality.[4] In recent decades, the interest in light therapy has expanded to include other nonseasonal forms of depression. [5]

 If you can’t get natural sunlight, infrared sauna is a great way to get some of the benefits you might be missing out on. The sauna can be your escape from reality and a way to feel better, naturally. It helps your body lower cortisol levels and produce more of the happy chemicals. At Sunlighten, we have added chromotherapy (light therapy) to all our saunas. And we took our most popular sauna of all, the mPulse series, and leveled it up with red light therapy all in one. With data-driven programs using specific blends of far, mid and near infrared and red light therapy, the mPulse Smart Sauna seamlessly adapts to your health goals, providing tailored sessions for optimal results.

Country star LeAnn Rimes is a big fan of Sunlighten saunas, noting how she felt after starting a sauna routine: ‘I noticed a difference right away, especially in my mood. The days when I feel depression creeping in or feel really low on energy, I am a different person by the time I walk out of the sauna. I feel more awake, vibrant and uplifted.’

I feel bloated and puffy.

Infrared sauna can relieve symptoms associated with excess water weight. Researchers have documented significant loss of body fluid in young sedentary and overweight men with repeated sauna use and these changes were intensified with successive treatments.[6]

My skin feels dry and scaly, brittle nails.

NASA developed NIR light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to grow plants in space, replicating the sun. A study in The Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy showed significant improvements in skin appearance after 3 months of sauna skin therapy using NIR technology. Participants saw reduced wrinkles, improved skin tone, softness, smoothness, elasticity, clarity and firmness.[7] The Sunlighten mPulse series is the only infrared sauna on the market with NIR LED lights and includes an anti-aging program designed from this study. Our mPulse series has a variety of other helpful programs depending on your goal including Relaxation, Pain Relief, Cardio, Detoxification, and Weight Loss.

I feel tired all the time.

Repeated exposure to heat stress can induce beneficial adaptations in our mitochondria.[8] Why does this matter for people with hypothyroidism? Mitochondria are our cellular powerhouses and our energy levels depend on them.[9]

I don’t have energy to exercise but I know my body needs it.

Heat therapy has been reported to have similar effects on the cardiovascular system as exercise which is particularly beneficial for hypothyroid people who are too exhausted to exercise.[10] Think of it as passive cardio. Your sauna can be a way for you to “workout” even when you feel tired.

I can’t sleep, don’t get quality sleep, or can’t stay asleep.

Use your sauna in the evening to raise your core temperature so that your body’s natural cooling systems are activated, allowing you to be cooler when it comes time to go to bed.

I struggle with chronic pain.

Researchers in Japan studied the effects of infrared sauna in 13 women with fibromyalgia and discovered a significant reduction in pain level after the first session of infrared sauna therapy. The effect became lasting following about ten treatments and the women reported pain reductions between 20-78%.[11] Studies also suggest that people living with chronic tension-type headaches benefit from regular sauna use with clinically significant results.

Since Hippocratic times, heat has been a popular treatment among people with rheumatic disorders. Researchers studied the use of infrared sauna cabin units in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis for a 4 week period with a series of eight treatments. Pain, stiffness, and fatigue all showed clinical improvements.[12]

I am constantly too cold or too hot.

Sauna use can help with thermoregulation. You are ‘working out’ that system of the body that helps you properly maintain temperatures. Over time, regular sauna use can lead to adaptations in the body’s thermoregulatory system, such as an increase in sweat production and a more efficient regulation of blood flow. This can improve the body’s ability to handle heat stress and help to maintain a more stable core body temperature. Additionally, sauna use can also improve cardiovascular function, including increasing heart rate and blood flow, which can help with overall thermoregulation. Sunlighten has infrared saunas ranging in size from the popular Solo System that fits one person to large multi-person sauna cabins.

References:

[1] Gul, A., et al. Chromo therapy – An Effective Treatment Option or Just a Myth? Critical Analysis on the Effectiveness of Chromo therapy. American Journal of Pharmacy. 2015;1(2):62-70,

[2] Yousuf Azeemi, S.T., et al. A Critical Analysis of Chromotherapy and Its Scientific Evolution. Evid. Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005 Dec;2(4):481-488.

[3] Feldt-Rasmussen, U., et al. The hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT)-axis and its role in physiology and pathophysiology of other hypothalamus-pituitary functions. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 2021 Apr 5;525:111173.

[4] Campbell, P.D., et al. Bright Light Therapy: Seasonal Affective Disorder and Beyond. Einstein J Biol Med. 2017;32:E13-E25.

[5] Al-Karawi, D., et al. Bright light therapy for nonseasonal depression: Meta-analysis of clinical trials. J Affect Disorder. 2016 Jul 1;198:64-71.

[6] Borysławski, K., et al. Correlations between Repeated Use of Dry Sauna for 4 x 10 Minutes, Physiological Parameters, Anthropometric Features, and Body Composition in Young Sedentary and Overweight Men: Health Implications. BioMed Research International. 2019 Jan 21;2019: Article ID 7535140.

[7] Russell, B.A., et al. A study to determine the efficacy of combination LED light therapy (633 nm and 830 nm) in facial skin rejuvenation. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2005 Dec;7(304):196-200.

[8] Hafen, P.S., et al. Repeated exposure to heat stress induces mitochondrial adaptation in human skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol 2018 Jul 19;125:1447-1455.

[9] Adriaenssens, E., et al. Small heat shock proteins operate as molecular chaperones in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Nature Cell Biology. 2023 Jan 23;25:467-480.

[10] Hussain, J.N., et al. Infrared sauna as exercise-mimetic? Physiological responses to infrared sauna vs exercise in healthy women: A randomized controlled crossover trial. Complement Ther Med. 2022 Mar;64:102798.

[11] Matsushita, K., et al. Efficacy of Waon Therapy for Fibromyalgia. Internal Medicine. 2008;47:1473-1476.

[12] Oosterveld, F.G.J., et al. Infrared sauna in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Clinical Rheumatology. 2008 Aug 07;28:29-34.

READ MORE: HYPOTHYROIDISM & CHRONIC PAIN