Do you get migraine often, do you regularly feel overwhelmed, or do you notice that you struggle to feel things: your boundaries, your body, your emotions? Then deep infrared therapy in a special infrared tunnel can be powerful, natural support.
Why does warmth work so well?
Just like skin-to-skin contact, infrared warmth can stimulate the production of oxytocin, a hormone that helps you feel safe, connected and relaxed.
Oxytocin activates:
- Growth of the hippocampus, which improves your memory, stress regulation and orientation.
- Inhibition of the amygdala, the fear centre in your brain.
- Connection with the PAG (periaqueductal grey), so that (pain) signals are dampened better through natural endorphins.
What exactly is deep infrared therapy?
This is not an ordinary infrared sauna of the kind you may know. Deep infrared therapy uses far infrared radiation in an infrared tunnel that is designed specifically to bring warmth deep and evenly into your body, right into your connective tissue, muscles and nerve pathways.
Through this deep warming to around 38°C in your core, your autonomic nervous system responds: you come out of fight-or-flight mode and switch over to recovery, rest and regulation.
What happens in your body and brain?
- More serotonin: your brain produces more serotonin, a natural damper of pain, anxiety and overstimulation.
- Less stress: your breathing deepens, your heart rate drops, your muscles relax.
- More body awareness: you come back to yourself, sense more clearly where your boundaries lie, and experience a connection between head and body again.
Who is this suitable for?
This therapy is intended for people who:
- become overstimulated easily or are highly sensitive
- have a history of early life stress, trauma or neglect
- find it hard to feel connected to their body or emotions (dissociation)
- are recovering from burnout, long-term stress or a life in survival mode
Chronic stress, especially from a young age, makes your nervous system hyperalert. In migraine we often see increased tension in brainstem areas and a shortage of serotonergic dampening. This can lead to oversensitivity to light, sound, touch and emotions. Deep warmth then works like a soothing blanket that helps your nervous system reset: gently, safely and without words.
What does a typical course look like?
- Sessions 1 and 2 are usually scheduled 2 weeks apart, so that your system can experience safety quickly.
- After that, a session every 6 weeks works as a restorative boost and reset moment.
During a session you lie comfortably in the infrared tunnel. You are warmed from above and below, fully wrapped in safe warmth. There is nothing you need to do: your body does the work.
Curious whether this is for you?
The Building Block Analysis helps you find out which approach suits your migraine best.
Scientific references
- Whole-body hyperthermia and depression
Janssen CW et al. (2016) “Whole-Body Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA Psychiatry, 73(8):789-795.
➤ A single session of hyperthermia raised core temperature to 38.5°C and led to a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, possibly through serotonergic and parasympathetic activation. - Effects of thermal therapy on autonomic nervous function
Ohori T et al. (2012) “Effects of Waon therapy on autonomic nerve activity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.” Journal of Cardiology, 59(3):282-287.
➤ Regular infrared therapy increased parasympathetic activity (HRV) and reduced sympathetic tone in people with chronic stress complaints. - Thermal stimulation and oxytocin release
Uvnäs-Moberg K et al. (2005) “The oxytocinergic system in stress regulation.” Physiology & Behavior, 79(3):383-395.
➤ Warmth stimulates oxytocin release via skin thermoreceptors, with a calming effect on the sympathetic nervous system. - Neurobiology of safety and the polyvagal theory
Porges SW (2009) “The polyvagal theory: new insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system.” Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 76 Suppl 2:S86-S90.
➤ Thermal comfort signals (such as warmth) are interpreted by the autonomic nervous system as signals of safety, leading to upregulation of the vagus nerve.
