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Are you enjoying a long Spring Break to a great vacation locale? If so, you are likely to experience the phenomenon of jet lag, a condition resulting from an imbalance in your body's natural "biological clock" caused by traveling to different time zones.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, "simple behavioral adjustments before, during and after arrival at your destination can help minimize some of the side effects of jet lag:
Anticipate the time change for trips by getting up and going to bed earlier several days prior to an eastward trip and later for a westward trip.Upon boarding the plane, change your watch to the destination time zone.Avoid alcohol or caffeine at least three to four hours before bedtime.Avoid any heavy exercise close to bedtime. (Light exercise earlier in the day is fine.)Bring earplugs and blindfolds to help dampen noise and block out unwanted light while sleeping.Try to get outside in the sunlight whenever possible. Daylight is a powerful stimulant for regulating the biological clock.
Cryotherapy and Jet Lag
So, how does Whole Body Cryotherapy help relieve jet lag? When you undergo a 3-minute cryotherapy session, your body responds to the cold air by releasing a substantial amount of nor-epinephrine and acetylcholine, two endorphins vital to the activation of REM sleep. As you may know, REM sleep is the deeper, high-quality sleep state our bodies require to function optimally.
Web MD states: “Endorphins act as analgesics . . . and also act as sedatives. They are manufactured in your brain, spinal cord, and many other parts of your body and are released in response to brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neuron receptors endorphins bind to are the same ones that bind some pain medicines . . . Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body . . . the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as “euphoric.”
Thus, those endorphins help you relax to enter more--and more complete--sleep cycles. Wouldn't you like to sleep well again--to wake up fully rejuvenated? If so, consider trying cryotherapy!
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