5 Reasons Why Cryotherapy is Better Than an Ice Bath

The use of ice baths has traditionally been the default option for the treatment of sore muscles and to ease inflammation. Plunging into an ice bath is also something that can be suggested when you need to try and revive your body after a punishing exercise routine.

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However, the prospect of immersing yourself in an ice bath is not something many of us relish as it can be an uncomfortable experience. Usually, it is tolerated on the basis that it is delivering some much-needed benefits. However, there is a viable option that doesn’t involve pushing your comfort and tolerance levels to unwelcome levels.

If you search for cryotherapy in Dubai, for instance, you will see that there is an excellent alternative to ice baths and it’s not hard to see why this treatment method is enjoying a deserved surge in popularity.

Why subject yourself to an ice bath when you can enjoy the same recovery benefits without having to be subjected to freezing cold water engulfing your body.

Why is cryotherapy better than an ice bath?  Here are some compelling reasons that might persuade you to try this treatment option when your body needs a fix.

Cryotherapy offers a quick and easy treatment solution

When your body has taken some punishment and you want to replenish your sore muscles or reduce inflammation, do you really want to sit in freezing cold water for about 20 minutes?

You need to spend that sort of time in an ice bath to get the most health benefits out of the treatment. Alternatively, you could look at booking yourself in for a cryotherapy session which takes about 3 minutes to complete.

Whole-body cryotherapy is a considerably faster process than a traditional ice bath and a lot more comfortable.

The treatment takes place in a dry environment. That means you don’t need to dry off after having cryotherapy. Why would you want to spend about five times as long immersed in freezing cold water when you can get the same benefits in less than 5 minutes?

A different type of cold

An interesting point to consider about cryotherapy is that your whole body is able to reach a much lower temperature compared to an ice bath but without anything like the same level of discomfort.

A cryotherapy chamber is able to reach a temperature that is as low as -130 degrees celsius. An ice bath does not reach anywhere near that level of coldness, and you need to be able to tolerate a more penetrative type of cold compared to cryotherapy, despite the temperature difference.

A cryotherapy treatment delivers excellent health benefits without the need to build up a tolerance to the temperature, so it is a lot more comfortable compared to an ice bath.

Additional health and wellness benefits

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You can get cryotherapy treatment to target one specific area of your body, alternatively, you can enjoy a number of potential health benefits if you decide to opt for whole-body cryotherapy.

The extreme cold temperatures have been shown to deliver a variety of positive benefits that range from general health improvements, wellbeing benefits, and even some beauty benefits by tackling certain skin conditions.

If you suffer from regular migraines, it has been shown that cryotherapy has the capacity to help relieve symptoms by numbing and cooling the nerves in your neck that trigger a migraine.

Ultra-cold temperatures have also been shown to help treat mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Crotherapy can help release adrenaline, endorphins, and noradrenaline. These physiological responses offer the potential for short-term relief with regard to mood disorders.

In terms of tackling anxiety and depression, offering relief from the symptoms of arthritis and fibromyalgia, and even helping alleviate skin conditions, it has been demonstrated that cryotherapy offers a number of health and wellness benefits.

A cleaner treatment environment

There can be a greater risk of infection when it comes to taking an ice bath compared to cryotherapy.

You might sometimes share an ice bath, especially in a sporting environment, and that raises the risk of hygiene issues and infection. There is always the potential for water hygiene issues, even in a more sterile environment than a team treatment area, and that means an ice bath has more infection potential than cryotherapy.

The key difference is that cryotherapy is carried out in a dry environment. That makes it far less susceptible to infection potential than an ice bath, even when there are multiuser options.

Not only does a dry environment eliminate water-related infection issues, but an added benefit to consider is also the fact that there is a reduced risk of hypothermia with a cryo chamber compared to an ice bath.

Your rest period is significantly reduced

Another fundamental advantage offered by cryotherapy that puts it ahead of an ice bath as a treatment option is that the rest period after treatment is considerably shorter.

When you have an ice bath treatment the recommended rest and recuperation period is usually somewhere between 12-12 hours. This presents a logistical challenge if you need to return to your activities as quickly as possible.

You can carry on with your schedule and routine almost immediately after a cryotherapy treatment. It is even feasible to have more than one treatment in a 24-hour period.

It has to be viewed as a considerable advantage to be able to enjoy all of the benefits associated with cryotherapy and then be able to carry on with your day straight away, after spending just a few minutes receiving the treatment.

All the compelling reasons outlined above, as to why cryotherapy is better than an ice bath, show why it is rapidly becoming the go-to solution for sports injuries and helping to alleviate symptoms for a number of physical and wellbeing issues.

When you consider that cryotherapy is such a quick, comfortable, and effective treatment when directly compared to an ice bath treatment, you can soon see why it is something that is becoming ever more people when you discover all of its benefits.

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