What Is Cryotherapy And How Does It Work?
Cryo comes from the Greek word krous, which means “icy” or “cold.” And despite its current fame in the wellness
world, cryotherapy has actually been around for centuries. Have you ever put an ice pack on you knee after a fall? Well then, congrats! You’ve already done cryotherapy—technically. We’ve known for years that icing an injury can help reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation, so whole-body cryotherapy just takes this concept to a new level.
Naturally, the first question many of us have is “Does it hurt?” Exposing your body to subzero temperatures does seem like a pretty unbearable experience, but people say it’s actually more tolerable than an ice bath since the air is dry instead of wet—which makes it feel more like standing in front of a freezer on a hot day.
How does the cryosauna work?
The cryosauna uses nitrogen gas to lower the client’s skin surface temperature from normal body temperature to 30 degrees Fahrenheit in 30 to 45 seconds and keeps it that way for 2-3 minutes. The skin reacts to the cold and sends messages to the brain that stimulates the body to go into survival mode by shunting blood from the extremities to the core where the blood is enriched with oxygen, enzymes and nutrients. As the body re-warms, this nutrient rich blood is pushed back to the extremities. Enriched blood promotes internal organ regeneration, expels toxins from subcutaneous layers, initiates cell renewal process, triggers replacement of damaged cells and eliminates dead cells from peripheral tissues. Or simply put, it is rejuvenation of the body at the cellular level.
What should I know before I go?
If you’ve gotten this far and are thinking about trying it out, there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters, we love that Glastonbury Cryotherapy is affiliated with Damato Chiropractic Center of Glastonbury — so that is something to look for.
Still not sure if it’s right for you? We get it, even after taking in all this information, it can still be hard to decide. If you’re a high-performance athlete or suffering from chronic pain or inflammation, cryotherapy might be a worthy experiment.