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Cryotherapy Chamber Clinic

How To Hack Your Circulatory System with Cryotherapy

Biohacking is a kind of “DIY” biology where people make lifestyle changes and do certain practices in order to boost their overall health and wellbeing.

Biohacking has really boomed in popularity in the last few years, with some of the biggest fitness and wellness names claiming that they do a variety of things in order to hack their bodies.

Cryotherapy, properly named cryogenic therapy, is any form of treatment using freezing or close to freezing temperatures.

This can go from small-scale ice baths and facials to the use of liquid nitrogen to remove abnormal cells. Cryotherapy is something that’s often recommended by biohackers to improve the circulatory system, and used by many to improve their health!

So, in this article, I’m going to be talking about how you can actually hack your circulation by practicing cryotherapy regularly.

I’m going to be telling you about the common issues people have with their circulatory system, the benefits associated with cryotherapy, how to practice cryotherapy, and the side effects and risks associated with it too.

What Are The Most Common Issues People Have With The Circulatory System?

The circulatory system contains the heart and blood vessels around the body – it keeps the entire body functioning by carrying oxygen, micronutrients, and hormones through the entire body.

When issues occur in the circulatory system, it can affect how the heart works and can alter the amount of oxygen, micronutrients, and hormones that flow around the body, therefore causing complications to overall health.

Issues can occur in the circulatory system for a wide range of reasons, from genetic disorders to unhealthy lifestyles, and there are a number of circulatory system illnesses and diseases.

Let’s just take a look at the most common circulatory system problems.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, forces blood pressure to be higher than it’s supposed to be and can therefore damage the heart and lead to complications of the circulatory system such as stroke and heart disease.

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease is caused by the buildup of plaque in the wall of the coronary arteries, the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

This plaque is made up of cholesterol and makes the arteries narrow overtime – this is called atherosclerosis. This makes it harder for the circulatory system to pump blood around the body and can weaken the heart and may lead to heart failure.

Strokes

Strokes can occur when blood clots appear in the brain and reduce blood supply. This then stops the flow of oxygen to the brain and can cause a stroke – strokes can be life-threatening if not dealt with immediately.

Diabetes

Although diabetes isn’t technically a circulatory illness or disease, having diabetes does increase the likelihood of circulatory illnesses since those with diabetes typically have much higher blood pressure.

What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is the process of exposing the body to extremely cold temperatures. This process normally only takes a few minutes, whether ice is applied to a localized area or you undergo a whole body cryotherapy session.

The most common type of cryotherapy is a whole body cryotherapy immersion, and it’s the most useful for biohacking the circulatory system.

Whole-body cryotherapy can be done in a variety of ways but is most commonly done by entering into a chamber that surrounds the entire body, whilst keeping the head outside of the chamber.

The chamber that surrounds the body drops to temperatures of around -200°F. Each whole body cryotherapy session lasts between 2-4 minutes.

Young Woman Ice Chamber

The Science Behind Cryotherapy and The Circulatory System

Now you know about the illnesses that can occur in the circulatory system and how cryotherapy works, it’s time to look at the science that links them!

Cryotherapy can help reduce the likelihood of circulatory illnesses by improving and supporting the circulatory system.

Since high blood pressure is the main suspect in circulatory system illnesses, you want to keep your blood pressure at a healthy, low level.

Research has shown that cryotherapy can assist with lowering blood pressure and support cardiovascular function too.

There is science behind this to back it up! Full-body cryotherapy exposes the skin and muscles to extremely cold temperatures which then forces the body to keep the blood warm.

Blood vessels constrict and push blood towards the internal organs of the body. During this process, toxins in the bloodstream are pushed towards the kidneys to be disposed of as waste.

Once the cryotherapy finishes and the temperature goes back to normal, the internal organs of the body, as well as the muscles and skin, become enriched with oxygen and nutrients that are then purified, since the toxins from the bloodstream have been sent to waste.

This process of the blood vessels constricting and then releasing with the temperature change can support the circulatory system as it clears the path for blood to keep flowing, therefore supporting the heart's health by reducing the likelihood of high blood pressure or blood clots.

Keeping the circulatory system is incredibly important when keeping illnesses at bay, and cryotherapy can help support the circulatory system's health!

Other Benefits of Cryotherapy

The benefits of cryotherapy don't just stop with the circulatory system; other cold plunge health benefits are associated with doing this practice, and I thought I’d share some of them with you!

Reduces Inflammation

Cryotherapy can reduce the level of inflammation in the body, which is incredibly beneficial since chronic inflammation in the body can be detrimental to health and cause illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune illnesses.

Reduces Arthritis Pain

Cryotherapy reduces muscle and joint pain, and research has shown that practicing cryotherapy can provide temporary relief for those that are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

Helps To Treat Skin Conditions

Cryotherapy can improve skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema, and acne. This is because cryotherapy removes toxins in the body and reduces inflammation, reducing the symptoms of dry, clogged, oily, and itchy skin.

Numbs Nerve Pain and Small Injury Pain

Cryotherapy can numb nerve pain and acute injuries by specifically targeting the area and numbing the area with extreme cold. Athletes have been using cryotherapy for many years to treat their injuries, numb their pain, and get back to performing faster!

May Support Weight Loss

Although cryotherapy cannot specifically cause weight loss or improve weight loss in the long run as some people may suggest it does, it can promote and support weight loss by improving the metabolic rate.

How Often Should You Practice Cryotherapy?

If you’re wanting to get into hacking your circulatory system with cryotherapy, you might want to just book one session first – don’t book in a set of sessions, since you might not react to it well and lose out!

So, first, try a cryotherapy session. If you enjoy your first session, then you should book 1-3 sessions per week. You should start to really feel/see the benefits after 3-5 cryotherapy sessions.

Even if you truly enjoy cryotherapy, you shouldn’t practice cryotherapy more than 3 sessions per week since you may succumb to side effects.

In addition, although the medical spa that you go to will give you all of the information you need when using a cryotherapy chamber, it’s essential that you’re aware that you should only stay in a cryotherapy chamber for a few minutes.

More than 4 minutes in a cryotherapy chamber can be incredibly dangerous if not fatal.

Is Cryotherapy Safe For Everyone?

Although cryotherapy can be incredibly beneficial, it’s not suitable for everyone and it may cause side effects.

Therefore, let’s take a look at the safety warnings associated with cryotherapy!

The most common side effects of cryotherapy are irritation of the skin, redness, numbness, tingling, changes in skin color, scars, and swelling.

Although these side effects are pretty rare and cryotherapy is normally safe for all, the most common side effects of any type of cryotherapy are numbness, tingling, redness, and irritation of the skin.

In addition, not all people should do cryotherapy. In fact, you should always consult a medical professional before starting cryotherapy if you have any health concerns.

Specifically, anyone with diabetes, a nerve condition, high blood pressure, a history of stroke, a history of seizures, or with a pacemaker should not practice cryotherapy.

In addition, anyone under the age of 18 or anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding should also not practice cryotherapy.

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking to biohack your circulatory system, practicing cryotherapy can definitely support you since it promotes the health of the heart and reduces the likelihood of high blood pressure and blood clots.

If you do decide to practice cryotherapy, you will also benefit from a number of impressive health benefits, such as reduced inflammation and muscle and joint pain relief.

Also, make sure you choose a fully disclosed formula that contains a wide range of either probiotics or enzymes to ensure that you’re consuming the best possible supplements.

So, let’s biohack your way to a healthy circulatory system!

Adam Author

About the LifeHacker Guy

Hi, I'm Adam the founder of the LifeHacker Guy.

I have a First Class Honours degree in Sports Science from Brighton University, specialising in exercise physiology and nutrition. In my youth I was a competitive Triathlete and long-distance runner placing top 10 in most triathlon races I completed.

Since suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I moved into web development, after a couple of years I then moved onto developing a number of online businesses. I've recently taken a sabbatical and I'm now looking to make big changes in my life, hopefully this may resonate with you - join me in my journey!

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