Five minutes of extreme cold offers significant benefits for people: what are the advantages?

Sleep is a natural physiological process essential for our body's recovery and normal functioning. Stress and other factors can sometimes affect the quality of our sleep, but scientists are continuously exploring methods to help us fall asleep faster and more effectively. In a new study, researchers appear to have discovered an entirely new approach, as reported by Gizmodo.

An international team of researchers from Canada and France found evidence that regular exposure to extreme cold can positively impact the quality of our sleep. Notably, this involves spending just 5 minutes a day in extremely low temperatures.

The team from the University of Montreal and the University of Poitiers conducted a cooling study aimed at tracking the potential benefits of daily whole-body "cryostimulation." During the study, researchers examined healthy volunteers in a laboratory setting and discovered that the duration and quality of sleep improved for individuals undergoing cold therapy. The findings suggest that cryostimulation could be an effective treatment method for those experiencing sleep issues.

A total of 9 women and 11 men, all in their 20s, participated in the study. The experiment lasted for 5 days: each evening at 6 PM, volunteers undressed and spent 5 minutes in a chamber cooled to -90 degrees Celsius. It is important to note that outside of this, the volunteers maintained their usual lifestyle, although they were restricted from alcohol, caffeine, and other substances that could affect sleep quality.

The participants were also provided with devices to monitor heart rate, brain activity, and sleep patterns as they went to bed. Additionally, they filled out questionnaires assessing their sleep quality. As a control for comparison, volunteers underwent the same monitoring procedure a second time but did not receive any cold therapy before sleep.

The results indicate that volunteers experienced better sleep after cryostimulation, but not immediately. Researchers noted that the differences in outcomes were only observed after the fifth day of sessions. The most significant changes were found in slow-wave or deep sleep, the most restorative phase of sleep.

The study authors reported that, on average, the deep sleep duration for recipients increased by 7.3 minutes after cold therapy. Volunteers also reported improved sleep quality following cryostimulation, although a closer examination revealed that the change was significant only for women.

The study's findings were published in the journal Cryobiology. However, the authors caution against rushing to purchase a human-sized freezer. First, the sleep improvements are still quite modest. Second, the results are based on a small sample size and require further investigation.

According to co-author Olivier Dupuy, an assistant professor at the School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences at the University of Montreal, he and his colleagues believe that cryostimulation may be particularly beneficial for individuals with sleep problems. It is worth noting that the study was conducted on individuals who do not have such issues.

Additionally, this research is part of a larger project by Dupuy's team examining the health benefits of cryostimulation. Other studies have indicated that it may potentially alleviate certain types of pain and inflammation.

Important! This article is based on the latest scientific and medical research and does not contradict them. The text is for informational purposes only and does not contain medical advice. For diagnosis, please consult a physician.