There’s an assumption that Cryotherapy is only useful in professionally sport circles. This narrative that only athletes can benefit from the technology is wrong – there’s a lot of ways cryotherapy can help people of from all walks of life.
In fact, cryotherapy has proven benefits across a wide range of health and wellness concerns, some of which you’d probably be surprised about. Whilst it’s true that cryotherapy is particularly useful for athletes and active people, there’s far more to the technology than you’d assume.
In this article we’re going to look at 10 of the clinical and wellbeing uses for cryotherapy, all with evidence-based claims…
10 HEALTH BOOSTING USES OF CRYOTHERAPY
From sports recovery and weight loss to improving sleep and the appearance of your skin, here’s a snapshot of the uses of cryotherapy for people across a wide range of backgrounds…
#1 SPEEDING UP POST EXERCISE RECOVERY
When you exercise, you create a significant amount of physiological trauma that your body needs to deal with. This trauma includes muscle tissue damage and connective tissue damage. There are bones that will be remodelled, and waste product build ups such lactic acid that will need to be removed.
Research shows that whole body cryotherapy helps people to recover across a broad spectrum of physiological areas post exercise.
#2 REDUCE INFLAMMATION
Inflammation is widely regarded as a good thing… to a point. We need a level of inflammation present, because it helps to deliver repair agents to injury sites, it helps cure illness etc. Too much inflammation can be a bad thing though. When left unchecked it can contribute to disease.
Cryotherapy helps to reduce inflammation, returning your body to a normal state sooner after illness and injury.
#3 IT HELPS TO REDUCE STRESS
There has long been a suggestion that cold exposure can help us to deal with stress. Whilst often the claims have been anecdotal, recent research into the effects of cold exposure on our physiological and mental state have shown that it’s not just hyperbole, but that cold exposure helps to control stress!
When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, a cryotherapy session can be very helpful for improving mental state.
#4 CRYOTHERAPY HELPS TO IMPROVE SLEEP
Sleep is a key aspect of health, wellness and recovery. By getting a good night’s sleep you impact all other aspects of health – your physical health, your mental health and your regulation of a wide range of physiological processes.
When researched, there’s a significant improvement in sleep quality and effectiveness after undergoing 3 minutes of whole-body cryotherapy. The return on investment here is huge and requires no medical intervention such as sleeping pills.
#5 ENHANCED IMMUNE FUNCTION
Over the last couple of years our immune function has come under the spotlight more than ever. There’s a lot of unproven and untested advice surrounding boosting immunity, but the research around cryotherapy shows it to be effective at boosting immune function.
#6 PROMOTES MUSCLE REGENERATION
When muscle is injured or damaged through extended periods of high intensity use (such as during exercise), it needs to be regenerated. The research shows that cryotherapy treatments help this process by reducing and blunting many of the physiological processes that lead to increased muscle damage.
By stopping the degradation of muscle, it allows faster muscle regeneration.
#7 IMPROVES BONE DENSITY
Bone injury risk is something that impacts many of us, not just athletic people. For example, if you have had a period of time off the gym, or perhaps you’re a woman suffering from bone density issues thanks to the menopause, the risk is increased.
Employing whole body cryotherapy helps to improve the rate and quality of bone tissue formation, leading to stronger, healthier and less injury-prone bones.
#8 CRYOTHERAPY HELPS TO REJUVENATE SKIN
Like any other tissue, skin is susceptible to inflammation. When the skin becomes inflamed it can swell, making it red and puffy. The opening of pores leads it to be more prone to bacterial infection and general poor condition.
Cryotherapy helps to reverse this process – it reduces inflammation, closes the pores and helps to stimulate the production of collagen, improving both the appearance and health of the skin.
#9 IMPROVES METABOLISM
Within our bodies lies a type of fat called BAT, or ‘Brown Adipose Tissue’. We know that BAT is helpful at increasing the rate of energy burn in the body, and that exposure to cold helps us to stimulate the production and use of this brown adipose tissue.
Regular exposure to the cold could help keep our BAT active, which would help to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce obesity.
#10 IMPROVED MOOD
There’s a regularly noticed outcome after frequent cold exposure, and that is one of increased feelings of euphoria that last for hours or even days after cryotherapy treatment. When it comes to cryotherapy, many users reporting feeling psychologically lighter and more refreshed after a cryotherapy session.
There’s even some suggestion that regular cryotherapy could be a potential treatment for depression, based on the large numbers of patients reporting it as helpful. Despite this, the research is in its infancy at the moment.
10 USES OF CRYOTHERAPY - CONCLUSION
Cryotherapy has many benefits for many people. Whether you’re in need of a simple wellbeing pick-me-up, or a total whole-body repair job after a marathon, it’s a help for you.
From muscles and bones, to skin and mood, cryotherapy is a huge helping hand.
At RP-X we distribute electric whole body cryotherapy machines that can offer your clients all of these benefits and more. Contact us to learn more about the products and services we offer and how it could be of benefit to you.
For more information on cryotherapy chambers, pricing and the right model for you, contact us on info@rp-x.com or 01234 862762.
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