Written by the Himalayan salt lamps team
If you know even a little bit about Himalayan salt lamps, then you’ve surely heard about some of their health benefits as well. More than just a pretty home décor item, real rock salt lamps offer a range of health benefits to their users.
Of course, all over the world there are also a lot of baseless claims out there such as “salt lamps can cure cancer” which have no scientific evidence behind them.
The Research Behind Salt Lamps
However, many of the effects are well researched and documented in journal articles, and the term "halotherapy" (which basically means salt therapy) has been officially given to salt based treatments for a variety of health issues like asthma, sinus problems and more. So, what are the health benefits you can expect from a pink salt lamp?
So what are salt lamps good for?
- Salt Lamps for Asthma
- Salt Lamps for Allergies
- Salt Lamps EMF Benefits
- Salt lamps for Sleep
- Salt Lamps Skin Benefits
1. Do salt lamps really help with asthma?
Many people have asked themselves if salt lamps are legitimate when they first hear about it, read our unbiased article "do salt lamps really work" and decide for yourself.
Himalayan salt is "hygroscopic" meaning that it draws and "suck's in" moisture from the air. So how is this good for Asthma? Can you use salt lamps for Asthma?
Asthma is often caused by pollutants and irritants in the air, that could be anything from dust, to pet dander, to seasonal pollen.
These airborne pollutants get trapped in the water vapour. As the salt draws in the moisture it also draws in these pollutants.
The water is evaporated back into the air from the heat of the salt lamp but the pollutants and irritants that normally cause asthma get stuck and more importantly, remain stuck on the lamps surface. The end result… a lot of relief for asthmatics and those with sinus problems.
Although the salt lamp itself is quiet a new and “bright” idea – pun intended – the benefits of salt, especially himalayan salt, are far from new.
The locals of the area where Himalayan salt comes from (in norther Pakistan) have long known that the salt caves healed people with breathing difficulties.
A lot of first time salt lamp owners who buy a lamp from our shop report similar benefits themselves. So is owning a salt lamp a good idea for asthmatics? Most definitely, the more the better.
But the benefits don’t stop there, there’s been studies on salt therapy that have shown improvements for people with
- COPD
- cystic fibrosis
- bronchiectasis
- smokers cough
- and a range of other lung and sinus related diseases.
There is some concern out there whether salt lamps could actually be bad for asthma for some people and to this, we’d have to say that it’s not impossible but extremely unlikely, as the overwhelming response from people is positive.
2. Salt lamps for allergies? Yay or nay?
Short answer, Yay. Now the long version. Do Himalayan salt lamps really work for people’s allergies and if so how exactly does it happen.
Well, we’d be lying if we could say exactly HOW it happens, but the anecdotal evidence and testimonials of rock salt lamp owners says that there is definitely an anti-allergic effect that people experience around their lamps. In short you can use salt lamps for allergies.
If you have an allergy yourself, then you might know how little we know about them in conventional medicine. What we do know is that like Asthma, many allergies can be caused or irritated further by environmental factors, that could be anything like
- mould
- mildew
- pet dander
- seasonal pollen
- air borne chemicals
- cigarette smoke
- or plain old dust.
If salt lamps are cleaning the indoor air of your home environment, they are indirectly reducing the chances for allergies to flare up.
But there’s still a lot of allergies that are caused by other factors, that a salt lamp could not and should not be relied upon to reduce, this includes allergies like peanut and food allergies, we still recommend you continue your regular treatments and see your doctor.
Having said that… definitely give it a try, the worst that could happen is nothing happens, but on the positive side you could experience a slight or even significant relief in symptoms.
3. Salt lamps fight against bad radiation from electronics
The list of benefits you can gain from salt lamps is impressive to say the least, but the best reason to get one would be this ‘Himalayan salt lamps reduce EMF’ which stands for electromagnetic field.
In simple English, an electromagnetic field is an invisible energy field created by all electronic devices. It is positively charged, and if you’re exposed to it too often it can be harmful to you.
There’s been a lot of research on this so it’s worth paying attention to! Over time positive EMF can accelerate aging, cause stress and in rare cases even cancer.
How often is too often? It’s very likely that if you frequently watch your favourite TV shows or chat with friends on your phone you are being exposed to these harmful energy fields.
Does this mean you have to quit everything related to electronics? Far from inconvenient, in this day and age THAT sounds pretty much impossible. The solution is to find devices that counteract these frequencies as much as possible.
Salt lamps have a unique property among electrical devices, because although they also run on electricity, the salt itself emits negative ions when its heated up.
These negative ions neutralize the positive EMF from electronics in our home and keep us protected from their harmful effects. The more salt lamps you have the better protection they’ll provide as the neutralising power multiples the more lamps you get.
4. Salt lamps for better sleep
There’s one thing you can never have too much of, and that’s a good night’s sleep. Though some of the other health benefits of salt lamps are under debate, no one can deny that when it comes to getting a better shut eye, you can definitely use Himalayan salt lamps for sleep.
But, the benefits don’t come from the lamp’s ‘moisture sucking’ properties, but instead from salt lamps colour properties. Salt lamps emit a warm, soft, orangish light when turned on, this is because of their natural crystal structure.
This ‘pink red’ colour profile is good for sleep; it helps people sleep faster and better. That’s why salt lamps actually make great night lights as well. We sell a salt lamp nightlight that you can plug straight into the socket of your bedroom.
Many of the electronic devices we now use like smart phones and computers emit a blue light frequency that research has shown has a negative effect on our sleep. It interferes with our hormones and disrupts our natural sleep cycle.
Having a salt lamp alone can’t fully counteract this, we need to limit our screen staring as much as we can. But, having a salt lamp will go a long way to balance this problem, since the light from salt lamps has ZERO of the blue light it essentially cleanses our visual field from all these harmful blue light and brings us back to something we are naturally more adapted to, the amber hue of a campfire.
Some of the most common issues of sleep like restlessness, insomnia or waking up too easily are things that salt lamps can help reduce. Sleep apnoea and snoring, both of which can be caused by shallow sleep can also be helped by pink salt lamps.
5. Himalayan salt lamps and skin benefits
Even though salt lamps dry out the air they don’t dry out your skin, so dry skin victims rejoice, salt lamps are safe for you. In-fact himalayan salt lamps benefit skin, in general.
However the positive effects on skin are only slight for salt lamps. The best way to reap the full health benefits of Himalayan salt for your skin is by using Himalayan salt topical creams, those can do wonders, as the salt needs to be in contact with your skin for maximum effect.
But, salt lamps can act in another way. Skin conditions like eczema can often be caused by the same environmental factors that cause allergies, like dust, or airborne chemicals.
Salt lamps clean the air and so naturally this will help prevent skin allergies from flaring up. They also increase the number of dry salt particles in the air, when this salt lands on your skin it can help prevent bacteria from growing and causing acne out breaks or itchiness.
However, you need more than just one lamp if you want to improve your skin. If skin health is a big issue we recommend you get a salt lamp and also a salt soap bar to go hand in hand, that’s a surefire combo.
Not all claims about salt lamps are real
Apart from the above claims there are a bunch of unsubstantiated claims that salt lamps can cure cancer, or it improves blood circulation in the body. These claims are not supported and should be taken with a grain of salt!
But when all is said and done, it’s a great item to have in your home. The key however is to have multiple lamps placed throughout your room because that’s when you get the most benefits from them.
So now that you know about the health benefits of salt lamps, we hope you’re encouraged to try one for yourself. If you still have questions, leave one in the comments below or visit our FAQ where we tackle many of the most common questions we get asked about salt lamps.
Here are some links to studies showing the positive results of salt inhalation on asthma
