Cryotherapy vs Cold Plunge : What’s the Difference?

In the past few years, as more and more people pay attention to their health, many have begun searching for the best ways to restore their muscles and improve their well-being after exercise. Among all these recovery methods, Cryotherapy vs Cold Plunge has become a popular topic, as both treatments offer unique benefits and are increasingly favored by athletes and wellness enthusiasts alike.

 

So do you know what is cold plunge, and what is cryotherapy? What’s the common and differences between the cold plunge and cryotherapy? In this article, I will introduce you the details about the cold plunge and cryotherapy, and compare their similarities and major differences. And which method is more suitable for us or can benefit us the most.

Cryotherapy vs Cold Plunge and Cryotherapy:

Cold Plunge is a new and simple treatment, which means that we put the large part of our body into the ice water for a period of time. People will do ice bath usually after exercise. To take the ice bath, people only need to sit in a bathtub which is full of cold water.
The coldest temperature of the cold plunge usually is around 3 degrees Celsius, although it can not reach to 0 degrees, but if it’s too cold, it will cause harms to our body.
Cryotherapy means put your whole body or some specific areas to extremely cold air in a cryotherapy room. In order to have a better experience of the benefits of cryotherapy , it usually need to perform in a temperature range of -74 to -200 degrees Celsius, usually for 2-3 minutes. Especially to use this method in the medical purposes.

Temperature Comparison: How Cold Plunge and Cryotherapy Difference in Cooling Methods

Actually the principle of cold plunge is simple. After you exercise, when you go into the ice water, the blood vessels will tighten, and after you go out the ice water, the blood vessels will dilate again. And then it can speed up the blood flow in the body, discharge the waste generated by exercise and metabolism, and deliver the nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and other tissues to help the muscles recover after the intense exercises.

 

Especially in the 24 hours after exercise, the cold plunge can better help to reduce the delayed muscle soreness and exercise perceived intensity. All these will help the athletes return to the training intensity more quickly.

 

Cryotherapy is a form of treatment that uses low temperatures to treat diseased tissue. The principle is to use super freezing to rapidly remove heat from the body, thereby freezing diseased tissue and destroying it. Cryotherapy usually uses liquid nitrogen, and after repeated freezing and thawing cycles, the diseased tissue dies, crusts and falls off to achieve the therapeutic effect.

Experience time: Comparing the Time Required for Effective Recovery

Some experts suggest that the cold plunge does not mean to freeze yourself with ice. The water temperature of 12-14 degrees Celsius can bring the best effect. People can tolerate with this temperature range, and will not shiver and will not affect the storage of glycogen. For around 10-15 minutes, the impact on internal organization and core temperature is maximized. The benefits of cold plunge for us are: speed up the muscle recovery, prevent muscle soreness, improve sleep quality, enhance the immunity and so on.

In addition, the time of taking cold plunge depends on the temperature you set and your tolerance. If you are looking for the excitement, you cam set the temperature on 3 degrees Celsius, and usually 2-3 minutes in 3 degrees water is already a very long time.

Cryotherapy usually takes only a few minutes, depending on the size and number of the treated area. Whole body cryotherapy usually lasts about 2 minutes. Many people feedback that after cryotherapy, it can benefit to awake the spirit, improve the sleep quality, relax our body and so on.

Health and Safety Considerations: What You Need to Know Before Choosing a Method

Regarding the cold plunge, although there are many benefits, but also some risks that we must treat with our caution:

1. Hypothermia: The time of taking the cold plunge should be 10-15 minutes, to avoid the risk of hypothermia caused by long time exposure of cold water;
2. Skin damage: If the water is too cold, it may cause the frostbite. People should control the water temperature properly;
3. Heart stress: The sudden exposure to cold water can put stress on the heart, especailly for the people who with heart problems. Please consult your doctor before starting a cold plunge.

After knowing the risks of cold plunge, do you know is there any risk of cryotherapy?

The potential hazards include the suffocation, especially when the liquid nitrogen is used for cooling. Adding nitrogen vapor to a closed room will reduce the oxygen content in the room and may cause the hypoxia appearance. The more serious situation is causing the user to lose their consciousness. In addition, the extreme temperature will put subject at the risk for frostbite, burns, and eye injuries. You should consider about your health conditions, to if you are suitable for you to take the cryotherapy. Also you should control the time of cryotherapy.

Cost Comparison

Analyzing the Investment in Cold Plunge Chillers vs. Cryotherapy Actually the key of cold plunge is to have a chiller to cool the water and a bathtub. The cold plunge products on the market generally cost customers hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on the size of the bathtub, materials, and the functions of the different chillers.
By using a chiller can enjoy the cold plunge more convenient, it’s simply to prepare, without the hassle of preparing a lot of ice. Cold Plunge can be done at home anytime, which is more convenient and fast.

 

Cryotherapy equipment is usually relatively large, you need to go to the gym or recovery centre to proceed, which will take more time and energy. Going to a gym or recovery centre for cryotherapy is not cheap, normally it costs more than $100 each time. And cryotherapy is not something you can just go for once or twice to get result.

 

So in the long run, cold plunge will be a more favorable and convenient option.

Therapeutic Benefits: How Cold Plunge and Cryotherapy Support Recovery

The benefits of cold plunge:

 

1. Deliver nutrients and oxygen to muscles and other tissues through the quick contraction and expansion of blood vessels, can help the muscles recover after the intense exercise.
2. Cold Plunge can reduce delayed muscle soreness, just like the ice, can reduce the symptoms of muscle inflammation.
3. Some studies have found that cold plunge can produce good feeling chemicals which can lift your spirits and promote your mental health.
4. Taking cold plunge will have a positive impact on our central nervous system, make us feel comfortable, can help us fall asleep faster.
5. Also it can help to boost our immune system by increasing cytokine production and antioxidants.

The Benefits of Cryotherapy

The effect of cryotherapy can be shown in many ways. At the most basic level, low temperature can help relieve pain and inflammation, induce muscle contraction and subsequent relaxation, increase blood flow rates, and even can alter the physical properties of tissues temporarily. Cryotherapy also helps to preserve the area around the lesion and minimize scarring as much as possible.

 

1. Increase blood flow, also can increase and improve the flexibility.
2. Can help muscle recovery and other body tissue repair.
3. Reduce inflammation.
4. Recovery after accelerated exercise.
5. Help to control pain, which stems from the concept of using ice for local swelling management.

Maintenance and Upkeep: Cold Plunge Chillers vs. Cryotherapy Equipment

For cold plunge, actually you can do it at home. Just need to fill the tub with water, then add the ice, and lower the temperature to your required temperature. During this process, you can adjust the temperature at any time with a thermometer.

Another option is to buy a specialized chiller and a full set of cold plunge product. They chiller can be cheap inflatable tub, or high-end and durable wooden tub. And you don’t need to fill them with ice every day. Using a chiller to adjust the ideal water temperature is simple and convenient, just need to plug the chiller in, set the temperature you want, then you can enjoy the cold plunge. Daily maintenance only needs to clean the filter system of the chiller, to keep the filter system smooth.

If you want to take the cryotherapy, you need to go to a professional cryotherapy centre. For example, a gym, spa or health centre. Cryotherapy machines are generally large and complex in the structure, requiring a professional personnel to operate. Maintenance requirements can also be very complex.

Customer Experiences: Real-World Results from Cold Plunge and Cryotherapy Users

With all this talk about the cold plunge and cryotherapy, do you know what’s the feedback from the users?

The renowned motivational speaker and life coach Tony Robbins has been sticking with cold plunge for many years. He goes into the cold plunge every morning, which he claims this will help to boost his energy levels and focus. Basketball superstar Lebron James also shares his cold plunge experience on his social media frequently. He uses cold plunge to help with recovery, reduce inflammation and maintain optimal athletic performance.

 

Cryotherapy is a treatment that uses freezing or near-freezing temperature to treat conditions such as pain, cancerous and benigu tumors, tissue damage, skin or other lesions, also sports injuries.

 

From all the above details, we can learn that both the cold plunge and cryotherapy can help us to be healthier and help us recover from some injuries. These two methods require us to

 

adapt to step by step, usually need us to insist on the use, then it will have the effect. And it’s also a test of our willpower.

 

We can choose the right cold treatment method according to our actual situation and needs. If you want to proceed the cold treatment conveniently and quickly, you can try the cold plunge at home. Or if you have budget or time, or you have some healthy problem, you can consider to choose cryotherapy.

 

No matter which way, they will have a positive impact on your whole health and play an important role in recovery.