Cost/Benefit Analysis of Cryotherapy
Ever heard of taking a cold plunge for your health? Plunging yourself into icy water is a daunting concept for most people and definitely not a comfortable activity. Cold temperatures are jarring and the physical ‘shock’ reaction our bodies have can seem terrifying to say the least. Once the water hits your ribs you start shock breathing, hyperventilating, every cell feels like it’s screaming for reprieve. BUT. Taking the cold plunge is one of the best ways to care for our health.
There are many benefits to exposing your body into icy water, you may be surprised to learn all it can do for you. I’ve compressed articles from the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Vale Health, and PubMed to provide a detailed list of short and long-term health benefits (source links at the end). Cold Water Immersion is the most common form of Cryotherapy and one of the most accessible. Here’s a quick summary of benefits, followed by a more detailed look at how Cryotherapy works internally.
There are many benefits to exposing your body into icy water, you may be surprised to learn all it can do for you. I’ve compressed articles from the Mayo Clinic, Vale Health, and _ to provide a detailed list of short and long-term health benefits (source links at the end):
- Improved Circulation
- Shock of the cold increases blood flow to vital organs
- Enhanced Muscle Recovery
- Short-term relief of inflammation
- Boosted Immune Function
- Resilience to infections & illnesses
- Mental Well-being & Energy Levels
- Production of Endorphins and Noradrenaline
- Decreased stress & anxiety
- Increased alertness & awareness
- Energy levels increase over time & sleep quality improves
- Weight Management
- Changing fat cells from ‘white fat’ to ‘brown fat’ to burn calories
According to a study completed by PubMed, cold-water immersion primarily focuses on anti-inflammatory behaviors in the body. As we exercise our body creates lactic acid that can build up in the muscle tissues and our blood stream. This build up causes an inability to utilize the energy we need to progress and strengthen our bodies over time. Completing a cold plunge decreases the lactic acid levels which restores agility and strength. High intensity workouts are designed to cause muscle tearing to establish muscle growth, these minor tears can big worse than expected and cause inflammatory response. This inflammation delays that ‘bulk build’ many people are working so hard towards achieving. Cryotherapy reduces the inflammation and increases recovery time of muscle repair and can contribute to increase in speed during running activities. By reducing muscle fatigue and pain from inflammation, joint mobility is increased and boosts balance, flexibility & agility. This study was completed by PubMed on a team of soccer players on national teams to establish a better understanding on using cryotherapy to help players recover faster and better after training and boost their game performance.
How to Begin Your Cryotherapy Journey
Starting the dive into a regular cold-plunge takes some time to acclimate to. Start slow and short. You can begin the mental challenge by taking quick cold showers right after a workout, you only need to be in for a few minutes.
Once cold showers aren’t a big deal for you anymore, you can move into swimming in local lakes to begin working on endurance and time. If you don’t have access to a cooler lake (60-70F) you can extend the time of your cold showers or take a cold bath around 60F.
Then you will want to look into a proper cold bath designed for cryotherapy, it’s like a reverse hot tub. We highly recommend Arctic Warrior for quality and affordability with a range of sizes costing between $200 – $2500. These baths allow you to control the temperature of your water and maintain that temperature evenly. As you build up your body to be able handle cold water temperatures, you can go for extended periods of time which really boosts the benefits of taking cold plunges.
Remember to complete cold water immersion with safety in mind, positive effects are noticeable within just a few minutes but spending too much time in very cold water can cause negative reactions.
Risks of Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is a great health choice for mitigating many issues in your body and recover from intense workouts, but there are safety concerns to be aware of. Any water that is cooler than your internal temperature will ‘cool’ you down, we lose body heat 25x faster in water than in air. This is why you want to be hyper-vigilant about the temperature of your water and the length of time you’re submerged. This puts you at risk for:
- Hypothermia
- Numbness
- Loss of Motor Control
- Breathing Difficulties
- Cardiovascular Stress
- Skin Damage
- Nerve Damage
3 Stages of Hypothermia: Signs & Symptoms
Hypothermia is categorized based upon internal body temperature and symptoms associated with changes in demeanor, appearance, cognitive & physical capabilities. There are technically 5 stages of Hypothermia, Stage 4 is near death with a slim chance of recovery and Stage 5 is unrecoverable and fatal. There are 4 ways our body loses heat with substantial impact: Conduction, Convection, Radiation, Evaporation. For the purpose of this awareness section, we will only discuss the first 3 Stages of Hypothermia and Convection & Evaporation.
- Convection – air or liquid flow across the skin drawing off heat (for example, wind will increase heat loss, as will water that is cooler than body temperature).
- Evaporation – fluid on the skin turns to vapour, drawing off heat (moist skin will lose heat more rapidly, such as in someone who is wet, clammy or has exposed moist skin, such as burns).
Stage 1: Mild Hypothermia (95-89.6F / 35-32C), signs and symptoms include:
- pale and cool to touch
- blood vessels constrict in the skin
- numbness in the extremities
- sluggish responses, drowsiness or lethargic
- Shivering / teeth chattering
- Increased heart rate and breathing
- Confusion / trouble speaking
- Clumsiness
- Exhaustion
- Excessive urination
- result of an increased workload on the kidneys related to blood being shunted to the major organs
Stage 2: Moderate hypothermia (89.6-82.4F / 32-28C):
- Slow down in breathing and heart rate.
- Slurred speech.
- Decline in mental function.
- Hallucinations.
- Decreased shivering.
- Bluish color to skin (cyanosis).
- Increased muscle stiffness.
- Dilated pupils.
- Abnormal heart rhythm.
- Decreased blood pressure.
- Weakened reflexes.
- Loss of consciousness.
Stage 3: Severe hypothermia (below 82.4F / 28C), signs and symptoms include:
- Loss of shivering.
- Low blood pressure (hypotension).
- Fluid in lungs.
- Absence of reflexes.
- Complete muscle stiffness.
- Loss of voluntary motion.
- Low urine output (oliguria).
- Heart stops beating (cardiac arrest).
- Coma that may mimic death.
- Loss of consciousness
- Slow irregular pulse
- Death
Is Cryotherapy Worth the Risk?
We’ve discussed a lot of facets of taking the cold-plunge and whether or not you should consider it. You are encouraged to complete your own in-depth research to see if cryotherapy is the right choice for you. Today you’ve learned about all the benefits cold-water immersion can have on your body and its’ recovery, but you’ve also learned the risks. The risks of a cold plunge are easily avoidable and you can build up your adaptability and endurance to minimize those risks even further. Start with a cold shower and move into a bath when you’re ready. Avoid being in cold water for extended periods of time and be prepared. Have a towel at the ready to prevent evaporation contributing to a secondary risk of hypothermia. Soak within your limits and remember not to push yourself too hard. Take it step by step and you’ll reap the rewards of cryotherapy.