Therapeutic blanket with infrared

What do you use best: an electric blanket or an infrared blanket? What are the differences and what works best? Which blanket is best suited for which application? You will find answers to these and other questions here.

Electric heat blankets

It often happens when a customer, when visiting my practice to buy a massage table or certain massage accessories, asks about the difference between an electric blanket and an infrared blanket. As the word itself says, an electric blanket is heated electrically. It therefore gives a pleasant warmth and is excellent for laying on a bed, for example, if you suffer from cold feet in the winter, a cold bed, or I use it on my massage table to give the customer an extra warmth during the massage. allowing the muscles to relax more easily. These electric heating blankets also consist of a sheepskin of 2 to 3 cm thick, which has a comfortable soft lying feeling. But otherwise it has no therapeutic value. On the contrary, it is not really healthy because in the end you are on electricity! After all, an electric blanket consists of heating elements that are fitted with copper wiring. There is therefore a high level of harmful electromagnetic radiation in the form of positive ions. Do you still use an electric blanket? Then it is best to place the electric blanket on your bed half an hour before going to sleep, preheat your bed, then lie in bed for 15 minutes with the warm blanket and then turn it off. The heat continues to work for a while. Leaving the electric blanket warm all night is not a good idea. Why?

Normally, your body temperature will drop automatically when you go to sleep. This way your heart has to beat less hard and you fall asleep more easily and more calmly. You will have noticed that sleeping in the summer during a heat wave is not exactly easy. Because your body temperature is much too high and your heart starts to beat much faster. But because you do not end up sleeping with cold feet, you consider using a heating blanket. Know that the same thing happens under an electric blanket: your central body temperature will rise. This then ensures that your heart has to work much harder. And let that not exactly be good to be able to relax… By using an electric blanket, you will in other words disrupt your normal sleep rhythm. That is why it is good to only use your electric blanket for a short time. Just enough to make your feet or your body warm enough. And of course you don’t want to lie on an electric field all night… Know that your body consists of 70% water, an excellent conductor of electricity. This actually applies even more to a waterbed where the water is also heated electrically…

It is also not good because electricity can undermine your immune system…

The therapeutic effect is much less than with infrared blankets because only the superficial skin is heated (2 to 5 mm deep), so the heat does not really penetrate deeply through the body in the deeper layers.

A few more tips when using an electric blanket:

• Do not fold an electric blanket, but roll it up. Folding it can break the electrical wiring and cause a short circuit. If that happens while you are sleeping, your bed will get very hot!
• When you no longer use the blanket, it is best to pull the plug from the socket. This reduces the risk of overheating and fire.
• Replace your electric blanket in time because old age can also break the wiring. Electric blankets last approximately 7 years.

Infrared blanket

An infrared blanket is a blanket that radiates heat by means of infrared effect. If you put an infrared blanket on a certain part of your body, you will heat up that particular zone. This heat has a much greater therapeutic value because the infrared heat rays are of a far-infrared (far-infrared) mat or blanket of the long-wave infrared type and work much deeper into the muscles. This makes the muscles relax much better. The infrared blankets contain “Carbon wires” wires and no copper wires producing electromagnetic waves like the electric blankets.

How does infrared work?

Infrared light penetrates deep into the skin and muscles. As a result, the body temperature also increased the heart rate and blood circulation. The rise in temperature causes the blood vessels to expand and the skin to sweat. This stimulates the metabolism and ensures that waste products are removed more quickly. There are several ways to increase your body temperature:

• Sports, running or cycling
• A warm, hot bath or a hot sauna
• Using an infrared blanket / mat or an infrared sauna.

The number of white blood cells increases in this way and thus you strengthen your immune system. Due to this accelerated removal of waste products, you have less accumulated acids and therefore less muscle pain. In addition to the accelerated removal of waste, nutrients and building materials are also supplied more quickly. As a result, your body also recovers more quickly from a major effort or a condition. In addition, the accelerated metabolism ensures that muscles have better blood circulation and this makes them longer and smoother. Your immune system, the defense against viruses and bacteria is built up.

For which conditions is an infrared mat suitable?

• Because it works deeply into the muscles, it is extremely suitable for muscle and joint disorders. The heat from infrared radiation can have a beneficial effect on this. The Carbon electrical wiring ensures a quick warm-up. The highest possible temperature setting is 55 ° C. The heat penetrates deep into your skin and stimulates blood circulation. The muscle tension decreases and the joint pain is also reduced. It is widely used in medical care and has a healing effect on rheumatism.
• In addition to the good effect on the muscles, toxic substances are also removed from the body. This thorough cleaning also has a positive effect on the skin. This purifying effect reduces skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and eczema.
• It also has psychological benefits: it helps to relax for those who have stress, are overworked or have a risk of burnout.
• I also use it with my clients when giving a massage: while the back of the legs is being massaged, the infrared mat heats the client’s back and when the back massage the buttocks get a pleasant warmth. This pre-heating is a good preparation to allow the massage to work even deeper! In that sense, masseurs, beauticians, physiotherapists, massage therapists, … can do surprisingly better work if they leave their clients under the infrared blanket for 15 minutes, for example.
• Use of an infrared mesh is healing in rheumatism, healing in fibromyalgia, arthrosis, Bechterew’s disease, all kinds of skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne,…
• Improves blood circulation and metabolic function.
• It can help reduce menstrual cycle pain, cramps, and more.
• Stimulates fat burning.
• Promotes the immune system.
• Supports the recovery of the body cells.
• It can promote good kidney function.
• It promotes a good night’s sleep.

Warning

Although completely harmless, it is advisable to consult a doctor if there are any doubts about the use of the infrared blanket due to your health. This applies to:

• pregnant women
• people under the influence of strong medicines
• people with severe muscle inflammation
• rheumatism patients in acute phase

Infrared (IR-C) radiation

1. This heating blanket consists of carbon fiber heating elements.
   The infrared heating blankets are different from standard heating blankets – they don’t get red hot. Instead, they use Far-Infrared Ray (FIR) heat that penetrates muscles up to 7cm deep.
   Since they can be used at lower temperatures, they are ideal for those with sensitive skin.
   The infrared heating pad is designed to provide temporary pain relief for arthritis, carpal tunnel, joint stiffness, cramps, sports injuries and more by using a safer low DC (12V / 24V) design instead of traditional AC heating pads (220V).
   Carbon fiber heaters are the source of FIR.
2. As we all know, the far infrared carbon fiber heating wire meets the physiological needs of the human body. At the same time, the far infrared light wave can improve the blood circulation and metabolism of the human body, which is recognized as the most comfortable heating method in the world.
3. The infrared mat works on long wave infrared (IR-C).