Updated November 2023
Cold Therapy
Cold plunges and Cryotherapy are types of cold therapy that may help optimize sleep, boost energy, defy signs of aging and aid in athletic recovery. If your lifestyle includes juggling multiple priorities with a consistent exercise routine and you're interested in improving your overall well-being, cold therapy could be an excellent addition to your weekly wellness routine.
What's A Cold Plunge?
A cold plunge is a cold water immersion that involves submerging your whole body or face in water with a temperature ranging from 38 degrees to 60 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 seconds to 15 minutes. Routinely exposing your body to cold water therapy could improve immunity, manage pain, and boost metabolism.
What Is Cryotherapy?
Whole Body Cryotherapy is a medical therapy that exposes your entire body (including your head) to sub-zero temperatures inside a chamber for up to three minutes.
How Does Cryotherapy Improve Your Health?
As your body is exposed to these freezing temperatures, it enacts a natural fight or flight response that constricts blood vessels to restrict blood away from the extremities. This redirection causes your body to move blood toward the core, protecting your organs. During this process, the body increases oxygen and certain proteins levels that can decrease swelling. When you exit the Cryotherapy chamber and return to room temperature, this oxygen-rich blood circulates throughout your body.
Pain Management & Athletic Recovery
Dr. Rich Joseph, MD and Chief Medical Officer at Restore Hyper Wellness, states that, “Cold exposure is commonly used as a therapeutic tool for musculoskeletal healing and management of chronic pain. Noradrenaline and beta-endorphins are endogenous pain suppressors, which likely explains why cold exposure can act as an analgesic.”
A study from the National Library of Medicine found that, "Cryotherapy has demonstrated to be a preventive strategy against the deleterious effects of exercise-induced inflammation and soreness. Local and systemic cold therapies (cryotherapies) are widely used to relieve symptoms of various diseases including inflammation, pain, muscle spasms, and swelling, especially chronic inflammatory ones, injuries, and overuse symptoms."
Cognitive Health
Dr. Rich adds, “The known increases in noradrenaline, beta-endorphin and dopamine due to a cold stimulus may have a positive effect on mental health and brain development.” An article published in Psychology Today found in 2014 that, "Cold therapy can produce a feeling of calm, happiness, and well-being, which can support the mitigation of mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety."
Consistency & Frequency
The National Library of Medicine found that consistency and frequency led to the best therapeutic results based on deep investigative research over many years. In a controlled group of 15 healthy men, this research found that after 5 - 20 Cryotherapy sessions, inflammation decreased compared to baseline, but these positive effects dissipated after two weeks without cold therapy use.
Experience The Benefits Of Cryotherapy
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