Words by Kyle Maslen
Cryotherapy has long been used to treat elite athletes, and like many people I never really considered the treatment an option for an everyday ‘athlete’ like me. But when I heard it was now available to the public in London I decide to do a little bit of digging, and this is when I stumbled across 111CRYO at Harvey Nichols.
Whole Body Cryotherapy’ is the stimulating use of extremely low temperatures in a chamber of -85 to -90*. I know what you’re thinking, sound horrendous, right? But I can assure you it actually feels ok, and that’s coming from somebody who hates the cold!
The cryotherapy chamber is a therapeutic device used for general wellness, weight management, sports conditioning and for pain relief.
Or is it another just wellness buzzword?
Well I was VERY skeptical before going for my first session. For a while I’d been looking into ways which I could help calm some of my anxiety and poor sleeping without going to see a therapist, and 111CRYO claimed its treatment could help address these problems. But I couldn’t see how being in a super cold room for 3 minutes could help with some of the issues I was struggling with. However, after my first session I could instantly feel the benefits.
Here’s why I think it worked for me and could benefit you too. ⠀⠀
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Clinical studies have shown that whole body cryotherapy can benefit a wide range of physiological conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, tendonitis, muscle and ligament strains and back and neck pain. There are even reports emerging that it may help with depression, anxiety and skin complaints including psoriasis & eczema.
You enter the Cryo chamber wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), a headband, mask, gloves, socks, enclosed footwear, shorts and a vest if required. So basically you’re in full Ninja mode before entering - #NewFaveLook.
During the cooling treatment the skin temperature drops significantly which sends messages to the brain, however core temperature does not change.
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The treatment triggers the release of endorphins, which is known to induce natural pain relief in the body. The immediate effect of skin cooling and pain relief lasts for a few minutes; however the release of endorphins may reduce pain and inflammation in users for a longer period of time, especially with more frequent treatments.
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For me personally, the effects of Cryotherapy treatment has allowed me to have a much more settled and undisrupted night’s sleep; something I’d really been struggling with previously. So if you have any muscular or emotional issues you want to deal with, or are simply intrigued as to how Cryotherapy could help your day-to-day life, I’d absolutely recommend you get down to 111CRYO in Harvey Nichols and try it for yourself. It could be a real game changer.
