The Latest Weird Jet Lag Cure? FREEZING YOURSELF ALIVE!
Lauren Englisbe October 16, 2015
Jet lag can be rough, but it’s certainly preferable to becoming a frozen popsicle, right? Maybe not.
Travelers struggling with particularly bad bouts of jet lag may soon have cooler ways to find relief. Cryotherapy, the therapeutic use of low temperatures, is fast becoming the latest trend in jet lag recovery. Whole-body treatments are available where partakers can head into chambers as cold as –200 degrees Fahrenheit, staying there for up to three minutes.
Emilia Kuehne, who co-owns LA-based Cryohealthcare with her husband Jonas, recently told Yahoo! Travel, “We have a lot of people who travel between NYC and LA who come here straight from the airport. They feel exhausted and it rejuvenates your entire body, so it’s really beneficial for jet lag.”
Jonas adds, “You’re in a very hostile environment, your body thinks it’s going to die in there. Three minutes is a very safe time to be in there but your body still mounts a massive defense to survive as long as possible and one of the defenses is to regulate your metabolism to optimize cellular processes, speed up healing and be able to produce body heat faster.”
Though there is, unsurprisingly, a risk of frostbite, benefits purportedly include increased energy and regulated sleep patterns, as well as reduced stress and relief from acute or chronic pain. According to The New York Times, professional athletes have been turning to cryotherapy for years, claiming that it reduces soreness and improves performance.
In terms of relieving jet lag, however, there does not yet appear to be hard evidence that cryotherapy is effective. In the meantime, though, travelers like Refinery29‘s Phillip Picardi are greatly enjoying the extra stamina.
“[After arriving in Monte Carlo,] I was welcomed by an insane burst of energy that lasted throughout dinner and many rounds of cocktails, ultimately culminating in a jump-on-the-bed photo shoot and skyping with friends until 6 in the morning.”
[Photo: iStock]
A fool and his money are soon parted.
"I was welcomed by an insane burst of energy that lasted ... until 6 in the morning" And that's supposed to be a cure for jet lag? I feel lucky if I can sleep right after arrival and wake up at 6 in the morning to a fresh day... And he basically repeated the same pattern the next day by staying up until 4 am. To me that simply sounds like he stayed in his old time-zone and went to bad at "midnight". HTB.