If you’re a fitness buff, then you’ve probably tried every trendy hot yoga, spin, kickboxing, and HIIT class out there. Get ready to try the latest wellness trend to take center stage.
Ever heard of cryotherapy? It’s essentially a short therapy session where you expose your body to extremely cold temperatures. You stand in a -150 F to – 200 F chamber for two to four minutes and the exposure to extreme cold puts your body into a state of vasoconstriction, which causes your veins to constrict and send blood from your extremities to your vital organs and brain.
We know it doesn’t sound like the most relaxing therapy sesh, but it’s actually good for you! Not convinced? Read on to learn all the health benefits that cryotherapy has to offer.
Reduce inflammation
Painful and inflamed joints? Cryotherapy might be the cure for you. “Cryotherapy is the most effective way to take inflammation out of your body,” explains Kevin Peake, co-founder and president of Next Health.
Produce collagen
As you get older, collagen production slows down, which is responsible for promoting skin elasticity, protecting muscles, bones, and organs, and providing structure to joints. Well, guess what? Just one cryotherapy session can increase your body’s production of collagen.“The cold creates collagen synthesis so you produce extra collagen, which everyone loves,” Peake explains.
Reduce migraines
Cryotherapy cools and numbs the nerves in the neck area, which helps to reduce migraines. It does this by cooling the blood that passes through the intracranial vessels (the blood vessels that run from the neck to the skull).
Increase muscle and injury recovery
Cryotherapy applies the same principle of an ice bath as cool temperatures speed up the body’s healing process. “Pretty much every professional athlete does this on a regular basis as opposed to ice baths,” says Peake. “It accelerates the healing process of muscles and injuries by 30 to 40 percent.”
Increase blood flow and circulation
As the veins constrict in cold temperatures, blood circulates to your vital organs and brain. This causes an increased supply of oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells. It also helps take away waste and flushes your system.
Boost your health
Cryotherapy can be beneficial after just one session, but it’s most effective when done regularly. Although those who use cryotherapy reap many of its benefits, it can cause some numbness, redness, or irritation of the skin, so be sure to use it carefully and listen to your body!
Have you tried cryotherapy? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
xx, The FabFitFun Team
