Why (And How) People Are Freezing Themselves To Fight Jet Lag

Travelers who struggle with jet lag have tried everything to get rid of it or prevent it: not arriving at night, taking melatonin, exercising, avoiding alcohol and caffeine — the list is practically endless. However, people are using a new method to fight the annoying symptoms of jet lag: cryotherapy. 

Cryotherapy is when cold temperatures are used for health treatments. Athletes have used this method to improve muscle recovery, spasms, and pains for years by doing things like taking ice baths. Well, now people are using the same idea to battle jet lag. Walk into a cryotherapy chamber (which can reach temperatures as low as minus 240 degrees Fahrenheit, mind you) for three minutes and you'll supposedly walk out with more energy and, apparently, a regulated sleep pattern.

At such a low temperature there is risk of frostbite, but that's not stopping people from testing out this method. So how does it work? According to the owners of Cryohealthcare in Los Angeles: "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."