"I felt noticeably energised for the rest of the day, my mood felt heightened and I had one of the best sleeps of my life that night."
My Experience with wholebody cryotherapy
Elissa D.
As someone who will do just about anything to avoid the cold, it was beyond me why anyone would want to voluntarily spend 3 minutes in a room chilled down to a frosty -110℃.
Yes, you read that right, -110℃!
I’m not one to shy away from trying new things, especially when it comes to my health. I believe that my own personal experiences far outweigh what any scientific studies can tell me about the benefits and effects of any given treatment or therapy. However after reading about some of the many benefits of whole body cryotherapy has to offer, I decided it was more than worth giving a go. Even just to say I’d done it, hopefully then, never to do it again.
So, there I was. Standing there, pretending to listen as the instructions for how the next 3 minutes were going to play out were given to me whilst secretly, slowly dying inside.
One thing I have learnt over the years, and wholeheartedly believe, is that health is not any one diet, fad or hack. It is consistent daily practices and choices that lead to your overall health and wellbeing. You are a result of what you eat, drink and think (rhyme highly un-intentional!).
As someone who follows an Ayurvedic approach to life, due to how far removed it is from being a “fad” or “diet”, I don’t generally fall for hypes or crazes. I believe that what humans knew thousands of years ago about how to live a healthy lifestyle applies today and that health truly is nothing short of common sense. And it’s because of this that I was so curious and intrigued to try cryotherapy. Whilst cryotherapy only originated in the 1970’s, cold therapy has been around since as early as 400 BC when Hippocrates, famously known for quoting “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, used cold to treat pain and swelling. Cold therapy has come a long way since then and thanks to an unnameable amount of scientific developments, has now been scientifically proven to be a highly effective treatment for multiple conditions.
So what exactly are the benefits of cryotherapy and what impact did I specifically feel it had on me?
Whole Body Cryotherapy is said to:
Reduce inflammation and swelling
Reduce pain
Improve joint function
Support exercise recovery and performance
Treat mood disorders through the release of feel good hormones
Stimulate the immune system
Increase collagen production
Treat a range of auto-immune conditions
Give renewed vitality
Now, with a list of claims like this, who wouldn’t want to at least give it a try?
The first thing to be said for whole body cryotherapy is the feeling you get immediately after walking out of the chamber is nothing short of incredible. You feel exhilarated, energised and are buzzing with energy. This is thanks to the release of adrenaline, noradrenaline and endorphins. Hello happy!
Whilst it took a few minutes for my teeth to stop chattering long enough to be able to verbally explain how I was feeling, in a word it was - amazing. I felt noticeably energised for the rest of the day, my mood felt heightened and I had one of the best sleeps of my life that night.
Despite the pain and discomfort experienced during the 3 minute session, I decided that purely based on the immediate feeling I got afterwards I was willing to keep going with it. I started using cryotherapy around 2-3 times a week because, to be honest, it becomes quite addictive! Plus, as with any good treatment, consistency is what yields the best results. You wouldn’t go to the gym once or eat one healthy meal and expect lasting results, would you? After about 2 weeks I started to notice a few undeniable changes. One of the biggest reasons I was so intrigued to try cryotherapy is because I have had hypothyroidism, an auto-immune disease, for over 10 years now. As anyone with a thyroid disorder will be more than willing to tell you, it unfortunately comes with a list of symptoms longer than I care to note. I’m always willing to try anything that may reduce these. Whether cryotherapy has specifically impacted this is hard to tell, however, I certainly have felt some of the many symptoms reduce since starting whole body cryotherapy. In addition to this, my hands and feet were no longer freezing cold at the end of each day showing my circulation had improved, I was sleeping deeper and shorter than usual and waking up feeling vibrant and energised, my skin had improved and some minor pigmentation on my forehead had noticeably faded. Overall, I felt dramatically better.
Many people ask about how long the effect of whole body cryotherapy lasts. This is a question that can’t really be answered. It’s like asking how long a healthy meal lasts. Or how long the effects of a workout last. It is unique to every individual. However, based on my own feelings and experience with cryotherapy, I think it is something you need to consistently maintain. But purely going off of the effects it has had on me it is one thing I am more than happy to keep going with, despite my aversion to the cold, it is absolutely worth it. And at the end of the day, it’s only 3 minutes.
It’s also important to note here that the regularity in which you use cryotherapy will vary and is completely personal. Once a week is fine for most people however play around with different variations of days and see what works for you.