Cold Plunge V’s Cryotherapy – which is better for you?

Home > Cold Plunge V’s Cryotherapy – which is better for you?

What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is a form of cold therapy aimed at health benefits like muscle recovery and reduced inflammation.

Cryotherapy typically refers to a method of cold therapy where someone is exposed to extremely cold air (in our chamber -87 degrees Celsius), for a few minutes—typically 3 minutes. The chambers are temperature controlled and are usually effective at dropping body temperatures quickly.

What Is a Cold Plunge?

Cold plunging, or cold-water immersion, is another form of cold therapy where you sit or lay down in a tub filled with cold or icy water. They can be as simple as a DIY cold plunge using a tank filled with water and ice, or the more bespoke insulated containers with filtration systems and controlled temperatures.

Cold plunge tubs usually sit at a temperature around 5 degrees Celsius, which aren’t as cold as cryo-chambers, but are still quite chilly. Because these temperatures are higher, typically people will stay in an ice bath for longer periods of time—between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the temperature of the water and the tolerance of the user.

Benefits of both Cryotherapy and Cold Therapy

Can Help With Pain Relief

Lots of people suffer from chronic pain, in particular in the lower back. Whole-body cryotherapy has been shown to help with people’s perceived sense of pain.

Cold exposure has also been shown to help reduce our perception of muscle pain and soreness too, when used in conjunction with meditative breathing, like the Wim Hof method.

Can Reduce Inflammation

One of the most well-known benefits of all cold therapy is the anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Consistent cryotherapy can provide an anti-inflammatory response by decreasing pro-inflammatory proteins and increasing anti-inflammatory proteins.

Helps With Performance Recovery

Athletes may be able to see better recovery using cryotherapy. A clinical trial published in The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport had 14 athletes (10 men, 4 women) cycle for 30 minutes, use cooling therapy for 10 minutes, and then finish with another 30-minute cycling routine, where the last 10 minutes were at maximal effort. Cyclists who cooled halfway through their workout tended to perform better than the control group on the max-effort workout at the end.

Another finding in the trial was that the whole-body cryotherapy could induce vasoconstriction, which is a narrowing of blood vessels. This makes muscles oxygenate better, which can speed up recovery and relieve soreness faster.

Helps With Immune Support

Cold therapy has been shown to help with your immune system health, with consistent users seeing an increase in white blood cells.

Potentially Aids in Stress Relief

Cold therapy has been shown to have a hormonal response in the body, as well, which can help in relieving stress and improving mental health. Studies show an increase in Endorphins after cold exposure.

Help With Skin Aging

Not only does cold therapy help with muscle soreness, but the therapy can also promote collagen production, which is necessary for skin health. It’s also said that exposure to extreme cold can tighten your skin which will maintain your skin’s elasticity.

Can Aid Weight Loss

Cold exposure therapy has been linked to an increase in energy activity within brown adipose (fat) tissues. Reviews also show a correlation with increased metabolism, showing the potential to aid in weight loss.

Differences Between Cryo-Chamber Therapy and Cold Plunges

While both methods of cold exposure share similar benefits, there are some differences between cryo-chambers and cold plunges.

Exposure method: Cold plunges submerge the user in cold water to achieve whole-body cold exposure, but cryo-chambers chill the air in the chamber.
Temperatures: Cryo-chambers can get the temperatures down to as low as 200 degrees below freezing. Meanwhile, cold plunges approach, but never actually hit, freezing temperatures. They typically sit between 5-10 degrees Celcius.
Time: Cryo-chamber sessions are much faster than your typical ice bath, with the majority of them lasting no more than 3 minutes. However, cold plunges average about 10 or 12 minutes to have similar effects.
Prep: For a cold plunge, you’ll have to prepare the water for the right temperature first, either with a water chiller or ice bags. Afterward, you’ll also need to dry yourself and change clothes before going on about your day. With cryo-chambers, everything is prepared by the wellness clinic, and the experience is dry, meaning you won’t need a new change of clothes after.

Choosing Between Cryotherapy and Cold Plunging

Both can be helpful in your recovery, but deciding which one is ideal will depend on a few things. If you want the convenience of recovery at home, an at-home cold tub could be more ideal, with regular use building endurance and mental toughness.

However, if you want a shorter session or don’t like getting into cold water, Cryo-chambers are much more efficient for timing. For a quick session, you’ll get all the anti-inflammatory benefits with no hassle.

All of these treatments at Aqua-Tox can be booked via our online booking system or by contacting us. Please get in touch with any other questions that we may be able to help with.