The 3 Levels of Infrared Light

Whether or not you know it, you’ve been exposed to infrared light your entire life. It’s true! Each time you sit next to a fire or spend time outside in the sun, your body is absorbing healthy, healing infrared light rays. 

The good news is that you don’t need to work by candlelight or risk a bad sunburn to get the benefits of infrared light. Whenever I am feeling stressed or need to detoxify my body, I step into my Sunlighten infrared sauna to get all the benefits of these healthy light rays.

Infrared light feels warm on your skin, however, the benefits go much deeper than the surface of your skin. I’m about to tell you all about the three levels of infrared light rays and the specific benefits of each level. More importantly, how you can get all the benefits of infrared light without the damaging effects of the sun.

What is Infrared Light?

Infrared light is a type of energy that can be felt, not seen. Every object with a temperature gives off some form of infrared heat, even objects that we think of as being very cold, such as an ice cube. Rocks, trees, chairs, and even the walls around you are constantly emitting infrared energy. 

Infrared energy is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is a continuum of frequencies organized by how they interact with objects. The spectrum includes gamma-rays, x-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves. 

Because infrared light interacts with objects in the form of heat and light, it lives in the middle of the spectrum. Depending on the wavelength, its energy may or may not produce heat, however, it does spread through the body, providing a safe means for natural healing. This energy is broken into three different levels. Let’s take a look.

The Three Levels of Infrared Light

Infrared light has three different levels: near (NIR), mid (MIR), and far (FIR). Each level has their own distinct characteristics, frequency ranges, and benefits. Near-infrared light, mid-infrared light, and far infrared light represent the different sizes of wavelength and refer to the intensity of the treatment. 

Near-Infrared (NIR) 

Near-infrared light measures between 700 and 1,100 nanometers (nm), which is only long enough to penetrate the skin’s outer epidermis layer. At this level, infrared energy can remove toxins, dead skin cells, oils, dirt, and bacteria from your skin. Near-infrared light also stimulates collagen and elastin production, which promotes a youthful appearance of your skin. 

Benefits of Near-Infrared Light 

Near-infrared light therapy is the best choice for optimal skin health and rejuvenation.

What is Mid-Infrared Light (MIR)?

Mid-infrared light is a longer wavelength that penetrates deeper into the body’s soft tissue where inflammation occurs. Mid-infrared light helps expand blood vessels and increases circulation, so more oxygen can reach injured areas of the body. Good blood circulation is critical for proper healing. Red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients to the site of inflammation, which helps increase the production of healing white blood cells, promoting a healthy inflammatory response. 

Benefits of Mid-Infrared Light

Mid-infrared Light is the best choice for reduced inflammation, increased blood circulation, and promoting healthy weight loss. What’s more, when used in combination with far-infrared light waves (which I’ll discuss in a bit), mid-infrared light effectively stimulates blood flow, thereby raising your body temperature. As the body works to cool itself, your heart and metabolic rates increase. A higher metabolic rate helps your body convert fat to energy, supporting healthy weight loss. 

What is Far-Infrared Light (FIR)?

The longest wavelength in the infrared spectrum, far infrared light, reaches deep into the body where toxins are stored. Our body uses sweat to flush out the toxins that we ingest everyday through the food we eat, water we drink, air we breathe, and products we put on our bodies. Far infrared light stimulates our sweat glands through direct heat, resulting in a deep and detoxifying sweat. 

Infrared sauna therapy promotes this process by using what is known as a heavy metal detox protocol to mobilize specific toxins nearly three inches below the surface of your skin. Rather than simply heating the air to draw out toxins, infrared saunas use FIR to heat your body from the inside to expel toxins from deep in your skin.

Benefits of Far-Infrared Light

Far Infrared Light is the best choice for sweat detoxification and promoting healthy weight loss. Infrared sauna therapy promotes this process by using what is known as a heavy metal detox protocol to mobilize specific toxins nearly three inches below the surface of your skin. Rather than simply heating the air to draw out toxins, infrared saunas use far infrared light to heat your body from the inside to expel toxins from deep in your skin.

What is Infrared Sauna Therapy?

While traditional saunas rely on humidity to heat up the room around you, infrared saunas heat your body directly by emitting near-infrared light, mid-infrared light, and far infrared light wavelengths that you immediately absorb. 

Localized heat sent right to the source means tolerable temperatures, a quicker, deeper sweat, and a number of health benefits such as:

• Detoxification
• Relaxation
• Pain relief
• Weight loss
• Improved circulation
• Skin purification

If you are injured or unable to exercise, it can be challenging to reap the benefits of a sweaty workout! Infrared sauna therapy is perfect for anyone interested in detoxifying their body, relaxing, and burning calories without the added pressure to their achy joints and bones.  

How Sunlighten Saunas Use Infrared Light

It used to be impossible to deliver near-infrared light, mid-infrared light, and far infrared light at one time and from a single source. Not anymore! Sunlighten’s SoloCarbon 3-in-1 is the only sauna heater on the market to provide all three wavelengths in one place, meaning you can get the rejuvenating benefits of near-infrared light, the circulation stimulation from mid-infrared light, and the detoxifying energy of far infrared light. 

And if that wasn’t enough, Sunlighten takes it to the next level by using solocarbon heating panels, which are the most effective far infrared sauna heaters on the market today. Solocarbon panels are proven to be 95% emissive, meaning that 95% of the energy being produced is in the therapeutic range to increase core body temperature for a deep, detoxifying sweat. This is the active ingredient that has been clinically shown to lower blood pressure, aid in weight loss, and support detoxification. 

I personally have a Sunlighten infrared sauna in my home that I use daily. After my shoulder injury, it was a great way to get a healthy sweat without straining my muscles. I love getting in my sauna everyday for 30 minutes to feel the full body benefits that infrared light therapy has to offer.