THERE'S COLD AND THEN THERE'S THE RIGHT KIND OF COLD!

 'Supercharge your wellness routine with whole-body cryotherapy.'

By Antra Getzoff, Co-author, ‘Reinventing Cool: How to Make COLD Your Best Ally Against Inflammation, Pain and Aging.’

Rediscovering 'cold' as a super powerful health booster is now shaping the wellness routines of people around the world; indeed, you would've had to have been living under a rock for the last few years to not to have come across the scientifically proven health benefits of cold exposure. Cold can help lessen inflammation and pain, manage stress, improve immune health, increase energy and motivation, regulate sleep, fight symptoms of depression, and even slow down the clock of biological ageing.

Most who have incorporated deliberate cold exposures into their daily lives are using cold water as part of their wellness routine.  Undoubtedly inspired by the 'Iceman' himself, 'Wim Hof', they jump into cold showers, hold-fast through gritted teeth in ice baths, or swim in freezing cold waters. Whilst nobody is denying all these are beneficial ways of bringing cold exposure to the forefront of health and wellness routines, everybody knows how uncomfortable cold water feels on bare skin; so, many find this health-boosting practice hard to embrace. But with the rise of modern-day cold air cryotherapy, it has become much easier. The perception is changing, and rightfully so!

If you have been avoiding trying cryotherapy because you “hate cold”, it may be the right time to join the converted. There are many who cannot bear cold water but have embraced regular sessions in a ‘cryo chamber’, because even moderately cold water feels significantly more uncomfortable than freezing cold air. It is because water extracts heat from the body more than 20 times faster than air. It does not mean that it’s 20 times more effective, though. Let's delve into science...

The body's reaction to extreme cold is different from its reaction to the ‘normal’ cold of even very cold water. The key is the ‘cold shock’ plus the speed at which the skin surface temperature drops.

While discomfort in cold water is higher, skin cooling is slower than in any specially designed ‘cryo cabin’ filled with freezing cold air below -85°C – the lowest temperature ever registered on earth. In water, although heat loss - due to a high transfer rate - is rapid, it’s not perceived by the body as a danger to survival. Initially, the body keeps sending blood to peripherals to fight the discomfort. Only as the exposure continues and the cold starts penetrating the tissue, core protection mechanisms get engaged. In over ten minutes that studies suggest for reaping a full set of health benefits from cold bathing, the cold keeps creeping deeper and deeper, lurking inside the body towards its core. When it reaches the muscles, blood circulation slows, and it becomes difficult to move. Despite the proven greater muscle recovery benefits of deeper cooling of the body by increasing the time exposed to cold water, the longer the down time post treatment and the greater the very real danger of hypothermia.

The greater benefits of whole-body cryotherapy using extremely cold air are rooted in the mechanism of thermoregulation – the body's ability to keep its core temperature within certain boundaries regardless of the environment. When it comes to the most pronounced reaction to cold, perception of danger has proven to be the determining factor. When you step into the 'cryo chamber’, the rapid cooling of the skin makes the brain quickly revert blood flow to the core, as steady core temperature is paramount to survival. This bodily reaction often referred to as ‘fight or flight’ is involuntary. The more extreme the environment, the more pronounced the body’s protective mechanisms of the vital organs and functions become. For this reason, modern-day whole-body cryotherapy uses a few minutes of exposure to gas vapors or air cooled to temperatures below the lowest ever registered on earth, usually around -100°C (-166°F). Reaction-wise, it is more powerful yet, surprisingly to many, markedly more comfortable than cold water immersion of similar length or longer.

When the perceived threat of freezing is over as the cryotherapy session ends, blood gets flushed back to all corners of the body. Enhanced blood flow results in a warmer, energized body, flushed with ‘feel good hormones’ called endorphins. And this brief exposure to cold air has no impact on mobility, it does not stiffen the muscles like cold water does. Once you step out of the 'cryo chamber’, you are ready to go! The no downtime effect causes many athletes to choose the blood flow boost and pain sensitivity reduction caused by whole-body cryotherapy as a tool to ensure readiness and a higher level of physical performance. 

There's a very common misconception that whole-body cryotherapy is just an 'ice bath on steroids', delivering the same benefits, but faster and less painfully. This could not be further from the truth. It's been scientifically proven that shorter, colder sessions are more effective than longer exposure at milder temperatures. A person plunging in cold water for just 3 minutes (the length of an average whole-body cryotherapy session) will only benefit from topical cooling. This type of cold exposure causes brief vasoconstriction and strengthens the cardiovascular system but does not trigger the health promoting mechanisms associated with protecting the core temperature from dropping. For that, cold water immersion would have to be significantly longer. It is here, in the protection of our vital organs, where the magic of whole-body cryotherapy happens sooner and is more pronounced.

Whole-body cryotherapy is generally safer, more impactful, more versatile, but also more comfortable than cold water immersion. The cold shock of entering the ‘cryo chamber’ in combination with rapid cooling of the skin leads to a massive thermoregulatory response that has benefits for performance and recovery in sport, pain and inflammation from various injuries and chronic diseases, as well as physical and mental health and longevity. 

More and more benefits of the extreme cold exposure of whole-body cryotherapy are being discovered all the time; science is fast-paced and very exciting. So, if you are looking to supercharge your wellness routine but have been reluctant to try cold water exposure – give whole-body cryotherapy a try. It is a powerful, fast, less risky, and undoubtedly much more comfortable way to utilize the power of cold.

Reinventing Cool: How to Make COLD Your Best Ally Against Inflammation, Pain, and Aging by Maria Ensabella and Antra Getzoff is published by O Books and available now - Buy Now