Curious about how light therapy can support your wellness goals? Red light and infrared sauna therapy are two of the most popular options—but while they sound similar, they work in distinct ways and offer different benefits. In this blog, we’ll break down how each therapy works, what they’re best for, and how to choose the right one for your health and fitness needs.
What is Red Light Therapy and How Does It Work?
Red light therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy, uses low-level wavelength red light to stimulate cell activity. It works by gently penetrating the skin’s surface layers, where it’s then absorbed by the mitochondria (or the “powerhouse” of the cells). In response, the mitochondria boost cellular energy, leading to the following benefits:
- Enhanced Muscle Recovery: Red light therapy improves circulation and accelerates cellular repair, which in turn reduces muscle soreness and inflammation after workouts.
- Improved Skin Health: In addition to increasing cell activity, red light therapy can stimulate collagen production. This helps minimize fine lines, wrinkles and scarring.
- Increased Healing: While many people use red light therapy for pain and muscle soreness, it also offers healing benefits. The enhanced circulation and cellular energy can help heal cuts, scrapes and tissue injuries.
What is Infrared Sauna Therapy and How Does It Benefit the Body?
Like red light therapy, infrared therapy uses light waves to penetrate the skin. However, these waves are longer, which allows them to extend further beyond the skin’s surface and impact the muscles, joints and internal tissues. This leads to the following benefits:
- Reduced Muscle Soreness: By penetrating deep into muscle tissue, infrared therapy relaxes tight muscles and encourages recovery.
- Decreased Joint Pain: Infrared therapy improves circulation, which relieves pain in the joints (including hard-to-reach areas like the knees, hips and shoulders).
- Reduced Inflammation: Along with boosting circulation, infrared therapy improves cellular repair. This helps reduce chronic or acute inflammation in deeper tissues.
Key Differences Between Red Light Therapy and Infrared Sauna Therapy
Both red light and infrared therapy use light technology to promote muscle recovery and healing. While they share many similarities, they also differ in the following ways:
- Wavelength: Infrared therapy uses longer wavelengths than red light. As a result, it can reach deeper muscles and tissues.
- Heat Levels: Red light produces little to no heat, while infrared light comes with a slight warming sensation.
- Treatment Goals: Red light therapy is typically used for cosmetic and surface-level healing, while infrared therapy is used for deeper therapeutic benefits, such as muscle and joint recovery.
Red Light Therapy vs Infrared Sauna: Which is Better for Your Health and Fitness Goals?
Now that you know the differences between these treatments, you might be wondering: Which one is better for me? The answer depends on your personal goals.
You should consider red light therapy if you want to:
- Improve skin appearance and elasticity
- Target localized pain or inflammation
- Enhance surface wound healing
You should consider infrared therapy if you want to:
- Ease sore muscles and full-body tension
- Improve cardiovascular health and circulation
- Reduce joint pain caused by overuse, injuries or arthritis
Red Light and Infrared Therapy for Recovery and Injury Prevention
Are you interested in the benefits of both red light and infrared therapy? If so, you’ll be pleased to hear that you don’t have to choose between them. Rather, you can incorporate both into your fitness routine, resulting in optimal performance and recovery. Here are some benefits of using these technologies together:
- Faster Muscle Recovery: When combined, these treatments reduce both surface and deep-tissue inflammation.
- Improved Performance: Red light and infrared therapy improve athletic performance by increasing circulation and cellular energy.
- Reduced Injury Risk: By keeping your muscles flexible and your joints mobile, red light and infrared therapy help lower the risk of injuries.
- Enhanced Wellness: Through a combination of targeted red light repair and whole-body infrared healing, these treatments enhance overall health and wellness.
The Future of Fitness Recovery: Red Light and Infrared Therapy in Tampa Gyms
Over the past few years, recovery has become an increasingly important part of fitness. To help ensure proper muscle healing, more and more gyms are offering these therapies alongside traditional workouts. They complement fitness regimes in the following ways:
- Pre-Workout: Infrared and red light therapy prepare the muscles and joints for exercise by boosting blood flow.
- Post-Workout: Through enhanced muscle recovery, these therapies help reduce soreness after intense workouts.
- Targeted Recovery: Both of these therapies can be used for targeted recovery plans, helping prevent injuries in specific areas (including the knees, shoulders and back).
At Bayshore Fit, we offer personalized workout plans that accommodate your unique needs, including your fitness and recovery goals. Whether you want to target certain muscles, increase healing or just enhance whole-body wellness, we’re here to help. Explore our memberships today!