Why Inflammation Happens – and How to Put a Stop to It

In fact, inflammation is often connected to most health issues, particularly if you have a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease. Other symptoms of inflammation can range from headaches, swelling, skin rash, joint pain and more.

You may know that inflammation is bad, but understanding exactly what’s happening in the body when inflammation occurs can help to reduce and avoid triggers that may cause inflammation in the first place. Read on for a look at the physiological process of inflammation and what you can do to prevent it.

Inflammation is your body’s internal alarm system 

It’s easiest to think about inflammation from an external viewpoint. For example, when you get a cut, your body sends white blood cells to the wound site to help it heal and prevent germs or bacteria from infecting the area. This is an inflammatory response1, and in this case, an acute and beneficial one.  

The problem is when inflammation isn’t short-lived and instead, a constant. When the inflammatory response stays too long in the body, invading otherwise healthy tissue, it can lead to chronic diseases2 like heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and even mental health illnesses like anxiety and depression.  

The connection between stress and inflammation 

One of the more difficult things to control when it comes to your environment and lifestyle is stress. Here’s what happens when the body lives in a constant state of stress, according to research from Carnegie Mellon University. The researchers discovered that chronic stress leads to cortisol being unable to do its part to regulate the body’s inflammatory response⁴. Over time, this inflammation then increases the risk to develop mental health conditions⁵, such as depression, due to neurophysiological changes. 

Yet scrutinizing every aspect of your lifestyle and surrounding environment can be stress-inducing itself. You don’t need to do a complete overhaul of your life, but these 7 simple anti-inflammation steps can be a solid starting point in reducing inflammation in the body and the health concerns that come with it.   

The result of this process is good circulation – a key component to combatting acute inflammation in the form of muscle and joint pain or soreness. By sitting in a Sunlighten sauna for 30 to 45 minutes a few times a week, you’ll increase circulation and blood flow in order to deliver more red and white blood cells to your muscles. This can soothe exercise-induced aches and pains and help your body recover faster.  

Using an infrared sauna, like a Sunlighten, will help your body properly regulate its inflammatory response. Browse Sunlighten’s infrared sauna products to see which one is the right fit for your home and life.