What is cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy, also known as cold therapy, works by exposing the body to extremely low temperatures of dry air. The practice of cryotherapy involves an individual standing alone in our enclosed chamber for up to 3 minutes, and your body will be exposed to extremely low temperatures of -120°C to -150°C. Our chamber is open top, allowing a client’s head to remain outside of the chamber, at room temperature.
During your session, the extreme cold reacts with the skin and will send signals to the brain triggering a fight or flight response. To protect the body from hypothermia, your blood vessels will constrict, causing a reduction in blood flow to protect your core organs maintaining a safe internal body temperature. This will release a copious number of endorphins and anti-inflammatory proteins into the bloodstream and your heart rate will increase, enabling oxygen and nutrients to reach your main muscle groups.
Cryotherapy has been used by many athletes across the world for years, but why? The cold temperatures that the chamber plummets to can actually numb an irritated nerve, helping with the discomfort that is associated with nerve irritation.
For those that suffer with arthritis, cryotherapy can greatly assist with the reduction of pain. With pain significantly reduced by treatment, this allows for more aggressive sessions of physiotherapy.
As well as the physical benefits that can be seen from the use of cryotherapy, there are also psychological benefits. Cryotherapy possesses the natural benefits of a workout, providing an emotional boost. The extreme temperatures can cause a hormonal response, resulting in the body releasing hormones called noradrenaline, adrenaline and endorphins. The release of these hormones can have a positive effect on your mood and can ease anxiety, depression and stress.
One session of cryotherapy has been shown to burn between 500-800 calories! The body produces a hormone called norepinephrine which increases the metabolic rate. Increasing your metabolic rate will allow you to burn more calories whilst active, but also while at rest. Cryotherapy increases blood circulation, making it more efficient in the delivery of nutrients, enzymes and oxygen around the body. Toxins are released when the dilation of the blood vessels occurs.
Lack of sleep or insomnia can have a massive impact on major aspects in your life. Common causes of insomnia are stress, an irregular sleeping pattern or bad sleeping habits, anxiety, depression, alcohol, caffeine or nicotine. Whilst cryotherapy will aid in improving a lot of the common causes of insomnia, the release of endorphins (the body’s natural feel-good chemical) helps us to feel more energetic and alert. So, you may just find a vast improvement in your quality of sleep.
Cryotherapy can be a great help for those suffering with skin conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and even acne. Cryotherapy boosts the immune system, improves antioxidant levels in the blood and reduces inflammation, thus increases the skin’s ability to heal. The removal of toxins from the body, a better night’s sleep and the alleviation of stress can all help together to reduce symptoms of skin conditions.
Many athletes use cryotherapy – its ability to speed up recovery is one of the many reasons why. Muscle and tissue repair is achieved by the circulation of nutrient rich blood, in turn reducing inflammation, in addition to lymphatic detoxification and delayed onset muscular soreness, also known as DOMS, is substantially reduced. In addition to recovery, cryotherapy also improves sports training and enhances overall performance. The cooling of the skin will encourage the body’s circulation, speeding up the metabolic rate, boosting energy levels and providing a well-known endorphin ‘high’. The benefits from a session will continue when you step outside the chamber. When normal temperatures resume the body is surged with oxygen rich blood, leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to work out.
Cryotherapy is a mighty treatment that promotes a wealth of good to one’s general health and wellbeing. Cryotherapy boosts collagen production, but what is collagen? Collagen is the main structural protein found in the body’s connective tissue. It plays a role in strengthening the skin. As you age, the level of collagen the body produces depletes, your skin becomes lax and starts to show signs of ageing. An increase in collagen can improve the skin’s appearance and elasticity creating a firmer, more youthful appearance.
Beauty Benefits
Cryotherapy can help maintain a youthful appearance and rejuvenate your skin.
It speeds up cell rejuvenation and enhances collagen production to smooth and tighten skin and reduce the signs of ageing.
Cryotherapy continues to burn up to 800 calories during and after a 3 minute session. A cryotherapy weight loss program helps by increasing your metabolic rate over a 48 hour period, which, when combined with regular exercise and healthy eating can be an effective way to burn fat.
- Burns up to 800 calories
- Reduces cellulite
- Minimises stretchmarks
- Improves skin conditions
- Aids weight loss
- Tightens skin.
Pain Relief and Wellness
Cryotherapy can help relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety naturally in just a few minutes. It reduces inflammation and triggers pain relieving endorphins, which helps ease emotional and physical symptoms and boosts energy and overall wellbeing. Cryotherapy creates positive hormonal changes which help the body feel relaxed both mentally and physically and in turn aids a good nights sleep.
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Reduces inflammation
- Improves sleep
- Boosts immune system
- Reduces chronic pain
- Post surgery recovery
- Reduces Fibromyalgia symptoms
- Relieves Sciatica.
Cryotherapy can increase recovery time by up to 5 x in comparison to other healing methods. Whole Body Cryotherapy, lasts for 3 minutes, it is comfortable and will not freeze the skins tissue, muscles or organs. Cryotherapy tricks the brain, triggering its anti-inflammatory, metabolic and analgesic benefits, resulting in an improvement in mobility alongside the reduction of pain and inflammation.
The Nitrogen that is used to cool the skin is the same that makes up the air that we breathe. Cryotherapy treatment is perfectly safe, despite the low temperatures used. However, clients should always consult their doctor if they have a pre-existing medical condition. During the session you will be monitored throughout the duration by trained staff.
Some clients can experience tingling, redness, mild skin irritation or numbness, in most cases these side effects are temporary and should last no longer than 24 hours.
You will notice the utmost benefits with regular use; however, you will still receive benefits from a single use session. With athlete’s sessions will vary, for example, some will use WBC daily for 10 consecutive days and then follow with monthly maintenance. Others may use the cryotherapy twice daily.
Not at all, the Cryotherapy treatments cools the skin, it does not affect body tissue, therefore treatment is safe with breast implants.
All men should ensure they have a dry undergarment. If females wish to wear a bra inside the chamber this will need to be free of any underwiring.We will provide you with gloves, socks and slip-on sandals. All Jewellery should be removed.
Our Cryotherapy chamber has an open top to allow your head to be outside, however the body will still be in an enclosed space, in the event you still feel claustrophobic you can leave your session at any time.
The Cryotherapy treatment will last a maximum of 3 minutes.
Unfortunately pregnancy is a contra indication to treatment and is not recommended.
The Cryotherapy treatment is dry air and will not make you skin wet, showering is not necessary.
Either, Cryotherapy will benefit a user pre or post exercise. The therapy is widely used for sports preparation to increase energy levels, reduce inflammation and improve stamina. Post exercise Cryotherapy is ideal for clients seeking muscle recovery. It will accelerate recovery from sports injuries and is an effective method to provide relief from the inflammation and swelling that causes pain.