So I Tried Cryotherapy Today...

I got a chance to stand in a cryochamber yesterday, which is a barrel-like device powered by liquid nitrogen that can create air temperatures way below zero. It's commonly used by professional athletes to reduce pain and improve recovery. I originally heard about this thing from Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker, so I had to try it when the opportunity arose. Here I am standing in it right before it was turned on:



You stand in this environment partially naked (underwear, socks, and gloves) for about 3 minutes at minus 150 degrees fahrenheit, if you can take it that long. There was a woman who went before me and she called it quits at around 2 minutes. I went with four friends and we all made it the full 3 minutes, probably because every person in our group is a UFC fighter and tough as nails. Just kiddin. If you are a somewhat healthy person, you'll likely get through it without a big problem. But no matter how tough you are, the last 30 seconds is likely to get your attention for sure. That's when every second feels like a minute. So 10 minutes later, which was 10 seconds of course, you're freezing your ass off to the point where it's becoming painful, and you're actually concerned that you might throw in the towel. Despite your attempts to do a rain dance just to keep the blood flowing, the fun-and-games demeanor disappears and you have no choice but to grind your way through those last eternal moments:



But then the timer beeps and you're done. The interesting part is that it's not a bone chilling cold, because your internal core temp doesn't really drop. The cold is really only on your skin, so putting on a robe warms you up within a minute or two, which is pretty damn cool, (pun intended) . The benefits are reduced inflammation and muscle soreness, better skin tone via increased collagen, invigorated mind, improved sleep, cellulite reduction for women, and overall pain and stress reduction. Some even use it as an ED treatment and as an anti-depressant.

For a few hours after, you're basically high as a kite. You feel super relaxed with euphoric waves of chills and smiles coming and going for hours. I went through this cryotherapy experience with a group of friends and afterwards we had lunch at a local restaurant and were laughing and giggling like a bunch of kids the entire time. When I got home, I had the deepest two hour nap and felt great when I awoke. Roughly 8 hours after the 3-minute arctic blast, the high was gone and I was pretty much back at baseline. It runs about $75 to do it but it can be quite a bit less if you buy a package of appointments. I'm not sure if I will rush out to do it on a weekly basis like a lot of pro athletes do, but it's definitely something worth experiencing at least once if you ever get a chance.

 

Hey, I'm 43 so I'll do whatever it takes to feel a little bit better and get that extra edge if you know what I mean.

So do you live in Denver? I was just there a couple weeks ago!

 

Depending on the intensity and duration of an ice bath, it can take up to 48 hours to get your core temp back up to where it needs to be. Cryotherapy however is touted as giving all the advantages of an ice bath but without the extended recovery period to get the core temp back up. I actually learned about cryotherapy from an interview of Tony Robbins done by Tim Ferriss.