Psalehesost
The Living Force
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
Only moderately hard. (measured at 4.9-5.3 °dH)
Laura said:
Only moderately hard. (measured at 4.9-5.3 °dH)
Cryogenic Chamber Therapy / Cold Adaptation
- Thread starter Laura
- Start date
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
I was standing in cold water for 3 minutes after taking a cool shower. I stopped with the cold water because of fatigue, but still use only cool water for the shower. I found that during those 3 minutes, my body would adjust to the cold and it would not feel cold, or at last as cold, after having been in it for about 1 minute. And after the 3 minutes, upon turning off the water, the air temperature felt warm to me.
After I had been eating the low carb/high fat diet for several months, I noticed dry patches appeared on 3 parts of my body. One on each forearm, about the size of a nickel, and one on the side of my face, close to the hairline and about the size of a dime. After taking the cold showers for a couple of weeks, all signs of the dry skin had gone and they have never returned, even though I quit the cold shower part of my shower.
Maybe I should just reduce the time I’m in the cold shower and continue doing them? The added fatigue I was feeling was really starting to get to me so I'm reluctant to try again.
I was standing in cold water for 3 minutes after taking a cool shower. I stopped with the cold water because of fatigue, but still use only cool water for the shower. I found that during those 3 minutes, my body would adjust to the cold and it would not feel cold, or at last as cold, after having been in it for about 1 minute. And after the 3 minutes, upon turning off the water, the air temperature felt warm to me.
After I had been eating the low carb/high fat diet for several months, I noticed dry patches appeared on 3 parts of my body. One on each forearm, about the size of a nickel, and one on the side of my face, close to the hairline and about the size of a dime. After taking the cold showers for a couple of weeks, all signs of the dry skin had gone and they have never returned, even though I quit the cold shower part of my shower.
Maybe I should just reduce the time I’m in the cold shower and continue doing them? The added fatigue I was feeling was really starting to get to me so I'm reluctant to try again.
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
I've been doing the cold showers for ca 3 months now. In the beginning it was tough, especially showering on the back (my back is for some reason still the most sensitive part). But little by little I've become accustomed - now I can stay quite long in the coldest possible water, like 3-5min. Actually, the water from our shower at home doesn't feel cold enough! But sometimes, if I stay too long, like over 5min I tend to experience fatigue afterwards as others have reported.
Some effects I've noticed:
+ Excellent recovery from workout. I've recently started training with kettlebells, and I'm doing it almost every day. I got my first kettlebell (12kg) two weeks ago. Doing the cold showers immediately after the workout has an amazing effect: the muscles don't feel the tiniest bit tired or sore the next morning. Actually, after one week I had to purchase a 20kg kettlebell, because the first "wasn't enough" ;)
+ Produces calm alertness (I guess, for instance, by stimulating the vagus nerve)
+ Not nearly as sensitive to cold as I used to be
+ Better appetite in the morning
+ I require less sleep (I think this is a combination of the diet and the cold showers). I nowdays need only like 6 hours of sleep, instead of 8 hours like I used to. I also feel that I just have to go to sleep earlier, the tiredness in the evening comes upon me quite fast (usually at 10PM) and then I just know I have to go to bed. What's nice, when I get up at 5.30AM or 6.00AM at the latest, I have a whole hour and even more to eat my breakfast and do some reading before the kids wake up
I've been doing the cold showers for ca 3 months now. In the beginning it was tough, especially showering on the back (my back is for some reason still the most sensitive part). But little by little I've become accustomed - now I can stay quite long in the coldest possible water, like 3-5min. Actually, the water from our shower at home doesn't feel cold enough! But sometimes, if I stay too long, like over 5min I tend to experience fatigue afterwards as others have reported.
Some effects I've noticed:
+ Excellent recovery from workout. I've recently started training with kettlebells, and I'm doing it almost every day. I got my first kettlebell (12kg) two weeks ago. Doing the cold showers immediately after the workout has an amazing effect: the muscles don't feel the tiniest bit tired or sore the next morning. Actually, after one week I had to purchase a 20kg kettlebell, because the first "wasn't enough" ;)
+ Produces calm alertness (I guess, for instance, by stimulating the vagus nerve)
+ Not nearly as sensitive to cold as I used to be
+ Better appetite in the morning
+ I require less sleep (I think this is a combination of the diet and the cold showers). I nowdays need only like 6 hours of sleep, instead of 8 hours like I used to. I also feel that I just have to go to sleep earlier, the tiredness in the evening comes upon me quite fast (usually at 10PM) and then I just know I have to go to bed. What's nice, when I get up at 5.30AM or 6.00AM at the latest, I have a whole hour and even more to eat my breakfast and do some reading before the kids wake up
G
Gertrudes
Guest
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
Same here. In Traditional Chinese Medicine there is a meridian called the Triple heater that passes through the back of the arms, on of its functions is to regulate body temperature. When I feel cold I mainly feel it in my arms which makes me wonder whether that isn't related to the triple heater.
But if it is the chlorinated water, how would having it cold make a difference?
Have you also considered buying a shower filter like this one: _http://www.directive21.com/products/filter-shower-water/
Berkey (the brand) is known to be very good at eliminating toxins and basically all the nasty stuff you don't want to have in your water, that's why I posted a link for a product coming from the states. They also ship to Europe though.
That's what I think. The more one is sensitive to cold, the more the body will have to work to warm up the body again.
Yes, although in that case you are warm, if not hot, and there is no need for the body to try to heat itself up, if anything it would need the opposite, wouldn't it?
I can definitely relate Nienna, as I said in my previous post. It really IS an art of fine tuning for me. It also took me a long time until I felt something, anything. For about 2 months the only difference was better skin, and that's it. I persisted because I really, really wanted to get over this sensitivity to cold that has been with me for many years.
With some things I often feel like I'm banging my head against the wall over, and over, and over for nothing, and the cold showers felt a bit like that. But if I keep at it I'm often positively surprised later on, so I hoped this would be one of such cases, and apparently it is.
Prodigal Son said:
Same here. In Traditional Chinese Medicine there is a meridian called the Triple heater that passes through the back of the arms, on of its functions is to regulate body temperature. When I feel cold I mainly feel it in my arms which makes me wonder whether that isn't related to the triple heater.
Psalehesost said:
But if it is the chlorinated water, how would having it cold make a difference?
Have you also considered buying a shower filter like this one: _http://www.directive21.com/products/filter-shower-water/
Berkey (the brand) is known to be very good at eliminating toxins and basically all the nasty stuff you don't want to have in your water, that's why I posted a link for a product coming from the states. They also ship to Europe though.
Laura said:
That's what I think. The more one is sensitive to cold, the more the body will have to work to warm up the body again.
Laura said:
Yes, although in that case you are warm, if not hot, and there is no need for the body to try to heat itself up, if anything it would need the opposite, wouldn't it?
Nienna Eluch said:
I can definitely relate Nienna, as I said in my previous post. It really IS an art of fine tuning for me. It also took me a long time until I felt something, anything. For about 2 months the only difference was better skin, and that's it. I persisted because I really, really wanted to get over this sensitivity to cold that has been with me for many years.
With some things I often feel like I'm banging my head against the wall over, and over, and over for nothing, and the cold showers felt a bit like that. But if I keep at it I'm often positively surprised later on, so I hoped this would be one of such cases, and apparently it is.
bngenoh
The Living Force
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
Just wanted to say that slow and steady really is a true guiding principle more so with this practice.
The fatigue has vanished and I can stay under the cold water for what seems to be an indefinite period. I will time how long I stay under but just want to say that it is a great exercise in controlling the body. For example when I notice that my muscles are contracted, I relax them and do pipe breathing, holding that state and coming back to it whenever I notice that I have dropped out of it.
Aragorn, yeah it is an excellent treatment for muscle recovery from my experience so far, it is also good for being in the body. I do an exercise while standing afterwards for 300 sec that is just flexing all my muscles simultaneously for ~10 sec bursts.
It's a very interesting experiment because heat is infrared radiation, ie light. So, question, is this an exercise to output more light?
Just wanted to say that slow and steady really is a true guiding principle more so with this practice.
The fatigue has vanished and I can stay under the cold water for what seems to be an indefinite period. I will time how long I stay under but just want to say that it is a great exercise in controlling the body. For example when I notice that my muscles are contracted, I relax them and do pipe breathing, holding that state and coming back to it whenever I notice that I have dropped out of it.
Aragorn, yeah it is an excellent treatment for muscle recovery from my experience so far, it is also good for being in the body. I do an exercise while standing afterwards for 300 sec that is just flexing all my muscles simultaneously for ~10 sec bursts.
It's a very interesting experiment because heat is infrared radiation, ie light. So, question, is this an exercise to output more light?
Psalehesost
The Living Force
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
I don't know if it does; I've never had the habit of (for a while twice-)daily showers before - nor after - trying out the cold showers. And when going elsewhere over a weekend, where the water comes from the nearby seawater, I had the impression - though too short a time to tell for sure - that cold showers there were not having any adverse effect.
If my guess turns out right, could perhaps solve the issue; simply reluctant when it comes to making any investment not critical at this time - that might change given some income, which is possible in the future. Will keep it in mind and think of it.
Gertrudes said:
I don't know if it does; I've never had the habit of (for a while twice-)daily showers before - nor after - trying out the cold showers. And when going elsewhere over a weekend, where the water comes from the nearby seawater, I had the impression - though too short a time to tell for sure - that cold showers there were not having any adverse effect.
Gertrudes said:
If my guess turns out right, could perhaps solve the issue; simply reluctant when it comes to making any investment not critical at this time - that might change given some income, which is possible in the future. Will keep it in mind and think of it.
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
Having been away for a few days, and used a shower (not a normal occurrence) - the water is colder in the mountains :) - I'd forgotten that Kruse recommends getting your face adapted to cold water immersion before doing anything else. Boy, was it a shock getting cold water on my face - even for a few minutes only :O. A reminder that when using cold baths to occasionally redo face immersions to keep up the cold adaption.
Having been away for a few days, and used a shower (not a normal occurrence) - the water is colder in the mountains :) - I'd forgotten that Kruse recommends getting your face adapted to cold water immersion before doing anything else. Boy, was it a shock getting cold water on my face - even for a few minutes only :O. A reminder that when using cold baths to occasionally redo face immersions to keep up the cold adaption.
doublea1535
Jedi Council Member
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
I have been doing cold showers for a few months now, off and on. My first attempt was 2-3 minutes. I have always been cold sensitive and it was freezing. I could feel something "explode" in my brain/nervous system in a positive way, like more neural circuitry was being brought on-line. Afterwards I felt great, invigorated and craving animal fat. The next day I was a little sick, feeling under the weather without any specific symptoms. It passed completely by the next day, and I took a few days off. Then I started up again, still doing 2-3 minutes once or more a day for about a week or so. Then I was sick for a week, with lots of sinus congestion. The ill feeling passed within a week, but the congestion took 2 more to finally clear. Abnormal for me as I don't usually get sick, and usually rebound better than that. However, when I do get sick, a sinus/throat problem is typical.
After that I took a couple of weeks off before starting back up again. I increased the temperature a little bit and decreased the time to about 30 seconds or so to ease back into it. Didn't get sick, but I did start having serious fatigue problems that lasted for about two to three weeks. A couple of weeks ago this started to clear up.
The positive effects I have noticed have been nothing short of amazing :
Lately I have been feeling dissatisfied with the showers, as if it's not enough. I can feel that I need to be immersed in it for about 2-3 minutes. Ice in the bathtub won't work because I need to move around. That leaves jumping in a mountain lake, which is doable but not practical, or trying a cryo sauna.
When I first read this post I was very excited about the idea of cold therapy, but nervous to try the sauna. I think given what I went through initially I was right to hold off. But I feel ready now and am eager to set an appointment for this week.
I have been doing cold showers for a few months now, off and on. My first attempt was 2-3 minutes. I have always been cold sensitive and it was freezing. I could feel something "explode" in my brain/nervous system in a positive way, like more neural circuitry was being brought on-line. Afterwards I felt great, invigorated and craving animal fat. The next day I was a little sick, feeling under the weather without any specific symptoms. It passed completely by the next day, and I took a few days off. Then I started up again, still doing 2-3 minutes once or more a day for about a week or so. Then I was sick for a week, with lots of sinus congestion. The ill feeling passed within a week, but the congestion took 2 more to finally clear. Abnormal for me as I don't usually get sick, and usually rebound better than that. However, when I do get sick, a sinus/throat problem is typical.
After that I took a couple of weeks off before starting back up again. I increased the temperature a little bit and decreased the time to about 30 seconds or so to ease back into it. Didn't get sick, but I did start having serious fatigue problems that lasted for about two to three weeks. A couple of weeks ago this started to clear up.
The positive effects I have noticed have been nothing short of amazing :
- Sugar cravings are way down. This started right after I started taking cold showers. Now my sugar cravings only hit when I am asking for it, by making a poor diet choice or staying up too late, etc. I would guess I am around 20g of carbs a day on average now.
- Spasm/twitching has gone way down. It took about a month before I noticed the difference, and that it had started almost immediately after my first shower. The change is I have much fewer minor twitches/spasms. These were ones that were more spontaneous as in not related to me extending my awareness into parts of my body, doing breathwork, etc. They also felt unproductive, a discharge of nervous energy that lacked the force to affect alignment.
- Cold sensitivity is not so sensitive anymore. This didn't really take hold until after my fatigue issues started clearing. For example, I have been camping a few times recently in the mountains, and was able to wear much less clothes than I usually do. At night typically I would be wearing full-body wool underwear, thick wool socks and hat, and a jacket before I felt comfortable. These times, I had to add a wool undershirt to my t-shirt and jeans combo to stay warm several hours after the sun went down. And this was without a campfire, due to recent fire bans.
- Nervousness / social anxiety is waning. I was happy to notice recently that the panic attacks I used to feel many times when arriving at the office are gone. I still feel uneasy, but a marked difference from before. I can also tune out background noise and other people's conversations better, and don't feel so compelled to look up whenever someone walks near me.
Lately I have been feeling dissatisfied with the showers, as if it's not enough. I can feel that I need to be immersed in it for about 2-3 minutes. Ice in the bathtub won't work because I need to move around. That leaves jumping in a mountain lake, which is doable but not practical, or trying a cryo sauna.
When I first read this post I was very excited about the idea of cold therapy, but nervous to try the sauna. I think given what I went through initially I was right to hold off. But I feel ready now and am eager to set an appointment for this week.
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
I'm still using cold showers, but since it is getting colder and as well the water I made a compromis with washing my hair. Cause I avoided showering in connection with washing (long) hair, so that I now wash it in an extra session with luke-warm water.
Still I'm very sensitive to cold, but it could be simply a body issue of being very skinny and will likely never change. Also after cold showers it takes a long time until I'm fit again or have kind of pressure behind my eyes and difficulties to see in a way, whatever it is.
I'm still using cold showers, but since it is getting colder and as well the water I made a compromis with washing my hair. Cause I avoided showering in connection with washing (long) hair, so that I now wash it in an extra session with luke-warm water.
Still I'm very sensitive to cold, but it could be simply a body issue of being very skinny and will likely never change. Also after cold showers it takes a long time until I'm fit again or have kind of pressure behind my eyes and difficulties to see in a way, whatever it is.
G
Gertrudes
Guest
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
I'm posting an excerpt from another post of mine as an update of my overall results with cold showers:
Last year in July I got a "strange illness" that caused an inflamed throat and left ear, and what felt like a disabling fatigue with a constant head pressure. This lasted throughout August until the mid September. Several possibilities were mentioned, all of which were discussed elsewhere.
Well, last night I had an experience that I think may finally explain what went wrong with me. In two words: Cold showers.
I stopped doing cold showers in mid September which was shortly followed by recovering my health back. The penny only dropped yesterday though. Not having done a cold shower since then, last night I got home and decided to start with a hot shower and slowly decrease the temperature to almost cold.
Right after the shower I felt pretty good, but about 40m after a sudden bout of fatigue with a bad headache hit me. My throat suddenly felt sore and my left ear started to ache again. The most striking though was that all of those symptoms felt immediately familiar, it was precisely what I had been feeling throughout the Summer, the same type of disabling fatigue with a heavy head, the same sensation of having to drag my body around. I went to bed and woke up fine today, but have been thinking about this and a picture began to emerge. I started with the cold showers in March/April, although it took me a while to actually reach full cold. At the time I only noticed negative symptoms, the ones I described above, when and if putting my head under cold water or jumping into cold water instead of lowering the temperature gradually. This should have been a clear warning sign for me, but it passed me by...
I gradually began to feel worse, and because the condition turned into a constant instead of something that would only manifest after any specific action, I didn't connect the two. I also remembered that the last time I took a cold shower in September I felt so bad that I (finally) decided to simply stop. My health returned to normal from that point on. It has taken me a lot of time to realize something that should have probably been very obvious, but alas, if what I'm perceiving now is correct I did get it in the end even if I'm slapping my forehead and saying "doh!"
I have always been VERY sensitive to cold, and the cold showers helped me in becoming more resistant. However, I now realize that my body isn't at all prepared for that intensity.
Has any of you experienced anything similar?
I'm posting an excerpt from another post of mine as an update of my overall results with cold showers:
Last year in July I got a "strange illness" that caused an inflamed throat and left ear, and what felt like a disabling fatigue with a constant head pressure. This lasted throughout August until the mid September. Several possibilities were mentioned, all of which were discussed elsewhere.
Well, last night I had an experience that I think may finally explain what went wrong with me. In two words: Cold showers.
I stopped doing cold showers in mid September which was shortly followed by recovering my health back. The penny only dropped yesterday though. Not having done a cold shower since then, last night I got home and decided to start with a hot shower and slowly decrease the temperature to almost cold.
Right after the shower I felt pretty good, but about 40m after a sudden bout of fatigue with a bad headache hit me. My throat suddenly felt sore and my left ear started to ache again. The most striking though was that all of those symptoms felt immediately familiar, it was precisely what I had been feeling throughout the Summer, the same type of disabling fatigue with a heavy head, the same sensation of having to drag my body around. I went to bed and woke up fine today, but have been thinking about this and a picture began to emerge. I started with the cold showers in March/April, although it took me a while to actually reach full cold. At the time I only noticed negative symptoms, the ones I described above, when and if putting my head under cold water or jumping into cold water instead of lowering the temperature gradually. This should have been a clear warning sign for me, but it passed me by...
I gradually began to feel worse, and because the condition turned into a constant instead of something that would only manifest after any specific action, I didn't connect the two. I also remembered that the last time I took a cold shower in September I felt so bad that I (finally) decided to simply stop. My health returned to normal from that point on. It has taken me a lot of time to realize something that should have probably been very obvious, but alas, if what I'm perceiving now is correct I did get it in the end even if I'm slapping my forehead and saying "doh!"
I have always been VERY sensitive to cold, and the cold showers helped me in becoming more resistant. However, I now realize that my body isn't at all prepared for that intensity.
Has any of you experienced anything similar?
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
Well, I've noticed that I can't take cold showers too often. Like you, during summer I took cold showers and baths frequently, sometimes couple of times a day. Gradually I noticed that this made me have trouble sleeping, I suddenly turned into a 'bi-phase' sleeper, waking up at 2-3AM not being able to sleep. First, I couldn't connect these two - I was too determined to throttle on full speed with the cold adaption - but at one point I stopped the cold showers, and wouldn't you know, my sleeping pattern normalized.
I still do cold showers maybe once a week, but if I do like two days in a row I get dizzy and foggy having trouble concentrating.
Gertrudes said:
Well, I've noticed that I can't take cold showers too often. Like you, during summer I took cold showers and baths frequently, sometimes couple of times a day. Gradually I noticed that this made me have trouble sleeping, I suddenly turned into a 'bi-phase' sleeper, waking up at 2-3AM not being able to sleep. First, I couldn't connect these two - I was too determined to throttle on full speed with the cold adaption - but at one point I stopped the cold showers, and wouldn't you know, my sleeping pattern normalized.
I still do cold showers maybe once a week, but if I do like two days in a row I get dizzy and foggy having trouble concentrating.
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
As I wrote in October I'm experiencing something similar afterwards I have weak legs, pressure feeling and so on and it never subsided no matter how long I'm doing it. Also as I wrote earlier in this topic, maybe some bodies are not used to it or can't stand the coldness, need heat instead of coldness to heal (cause in physiotherapy some people need fango packs and it helps while other need ice packs to be able to heal)? That means it is more helpful for some doing saunas, instead of cold showers etc.?
Aragorn said:
As I wrote in October I'm experiencing something similar afterwards I have weak legs, pressure feeling and so on and it never subsided no matter how long I'm doing it. Also as I wrote earlier in this topic, maybe some bodies are not used to it or can't stand the coldness, need heat instead of coldness to heal (cause in physiotherapy some people need fango packs and it helps while other need ice packs to be able to heal)? That means it is more helpful for some doing saunas, instead of cold showers etc.?
G
Gertrudes
Guest
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
Interesting Aragorn, thanks for sharing.
Yeah, I think that with me the occasional dizziness and fogginess just gradually became constant.
That makes sense to me Gawan.
Currently I'm doing acupuncture to help correct some hormonal unbalances, and on our first session the practitioner said that he would apply what he called the "hot method" with me since, in his assessment, my body needs the heat to heal.
Aragorn said:
Interesting Aragorn, thanks for sharing.
Yeah, I think that with me the occasional dizziness and fogginess just gradually became constant.
Gawan said:
That makes sense to me Gawan.
Currently I'm doing acupuncture to help correct some hormonal unbalances, and on our first session the practitioner said that he would apply what he called the "hot method" with me since, in his assessment, my body needs the heat to heal.
Nancy2feathers
The Living Force
Re: Cryogenic Chamber Therapy
I`v only done cold therapy for a short period of time. It`s really hard to mentally prepare myself, but I`v been trying to let the shower get a little colder each time. I`m working on it. I love the heat so much more. How bad is it for your body when you use heat instead of cold?
The Infrared sauna blanket is great for healing my body on a cellular level. The heat from the blanket ,for me, is very comforting. It has been a big factor in healing many issues I`v had in the past.
I`v only done cold therapy for a short period of time. It`s really hard to mentally prepare myself, but I`v been trying to let the shower get a little colder each time. I`m working on it. I love the heat so much more. How bad is it for your body when you use heat instead of cold?
The Infrared sauna blanket is great for healing my body on a cellular level. The heat from the blanket ,for me, is very comforting. It has been a big factor in healing many issues I`v had in the past.
