Exposure to this extreme condition for 5 minutes a day can improve sleep and boost mood, says new study

Intense cold can shock the body — but it might also be able to help you fall asleep and stay that way. A new study from researchers at the University of Montreal and the University of Poitiers found that spending just five minutes in a frigid chamber cooled to a bone-chilling negative 130 degrees Fahrenheit might be the key to achieving deeper, more restful sleep. In this cool experiment, 20 healthy young adults — nine women and 11 men, all averaging around 23 years old — stripped down to their underwear, socks, Croc-style shoes and mittens to brave cryostimulation sessions for five consecutive days. The results? “Slow-wave sleep, considered the most restorative phase of sleep, increased by an average of 7.3 minutes during the first two sleep cycles [following cryotherapy],” Olivier Dupuy, an associate professor at UdeM’s School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences who served as a lead author on the study, said in a statement. But it’s not a one-and-done deal.The study, published in the December issue of the Journal Cryobiology, found that just one frosty session wasn’t enough to improve sleep, with benefits only appearing after five back-to-back chills.

Researchers also identified a marked gender difference, with women seeming to enjoy a greater advantage from the icy than men. While the study involved participants without sleep issues, researchers said cryostimulation could be particularly helpful for those struggling to enough shut-eye.In 2020, the latest year for which federal data is available, 14.5% of U.S.

adults had difficulty falling asleep most days or every day in the previous month, and 17.8% of adults had trouble staying asleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Subscribe to our weekly Post Care newsletter! Please provide a valid email address.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

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