Understanding the science behind whole-body cryotherapy

Whether you want to treat an injury, help your body recover after a heavy workout, or manage the aches in your muscles, cryotherapy provides instant relief in just a few sessions. Whole-body cryotherapy is a technologically advanced procedure for treating the entire body with extremely cold temperatures. The science behind the process is quite interesting as it gives you a better understanding of what a cryotherapy chamber is capable of.

Understanding the process

Cryotherapy composes of aluminium, Alucobond, and cryogenic constituents. These constituents are built to withstand and retain the immense cold produced during the cryotherapy process. It uses the most advanced spray nozzles to disperse the nitrogen vapour into a cryotherapy chamber. There is a smart pressure technology that makes sure the system is running efficiently and safely.

When your body comes in contact with the low temperatures in a cryotherapy chamber, the surface of the skin instantly reaches below freezing levels. This is when cold sensors get activated to prevent hypothermia. The brain then sends signals to maintain heat and leaves more blood flow available for the core.

Effects on inflammation

Inflammation is the process involved in delayed-onset muscle soreness, rheumatoid arthritis, injury pain, etc. It is a protective response to injury or infection that leads to a localised gathering of cells and chemicals. These chemicals and cells prompt heat, redness, swelling and pain in an attempt to regenerate the injured body part or eliminate the foreign pathogen.

Cryotherapy creates pain-reducing and anti-inflammatory effects that are probably the most desired results by athletes, celebrities and patients. It lowers the levels of cytokine tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), which is a pro-inflammatory compound. This is because of the high expression of norepinephrine after whole-body vibration therapy. Additionally, the therapy also boosts interleukin (IL-10) levels and decreases pro-inflammatory compounds IL-2 and IL-8.

Effects on metabolism

Our body shivers and produces heat when we are exposed to extremely cold temperatures. This is a homeostatic mechanism that aims at maintaining core body temperatures for the proper functioning of human cells. However, when we experience multiple exposures to cold temperatures, our body cells adapt to more favourable thermogenesis. It is the production of mitochondria.

To create more energy and heat, our body regulates the mitochondria production through the hormone norepinephrine. The increase in mitochondria turns white fat tissues into brown fat tissues that are called brown adipose tissues (BAT). BAT produces heat and is crucial for the regulation of body weight and metabolic rate. In fact, increasing BAT can help you control weight gain, the regulation of glucose in your blood and related disorders.

Effects on brain

Cryotherapy has been shown to improve depression, anxiety and other mood disorders. This is because cold temperatures have physiological effects on the brain. They increase the amount of norepinephrine in our brain that improves the overall mood quality and pain alleviation. Also, cryotherapy is good against traumatic brain injury and can decrease intracranial metabolic processes.

Effects on skin

Whole-body cryotherapy improves the skin condition by forcing the human body to generate more collagen. It drops your skin temperature to 41 Fahrenheit and helps your body respond by repairing the outer layer of the skin. It is just a trick that makes your body produce more collagen and results in better skin that looks more firm, healthy and clear.

When should you get cryotherapy?

The best time to get a cryotherapy session depends on your objective. For instance, if you want to reduce pain associated with heavy exercises, try not to undergo whole-body cryotherapy immediately after the exercise. Instead, you should wait so that your body has time to repair itself on its own. It’s a great idea to consult a health expert when in doubt.

Summing up

Since sports medicine has been using ice packs and ice baths, whole-body cryotherapy is a ground-breaking technique that uses the same technique, but in a faster and better way. It has the ability to help the body regenerate itself, which is quite well-backed by science. That said, bear in mind that cryotherapy is not just a treatment that should be done without supervision. Cold temperatures can inflict harm when they are not used properly. Hope we have explained things with better clarity.