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According to our experts, a little deep freeze just might help you get some deep sleep! Crazy concept, I know, because when you imagine a comfy sleep, you imagine a warm and cozy bed with the softest of pillows and blankets.
We couldn't believe the information we were reading too! So we decided to see if it was studied, and it was! The University of Montreal and the University of Poitiers conducted the chilling study, which aimed to track the potential benefits of daily full-body “cryostimulation.”
The researchers studied 9 women and 11 men, all in their twenties, for five days straight! At 6 p.m., the volunteers disrobed and stayed inside a chamber chilled to -130 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers found that people’s duration and quality of sleep increased while they were undergoing the cold therapy.
As a control for comparison, the volunteers underwent the same tracking routine a second time, but without actually getting any cold therapy before their sleep. The volunteers seemed to sleep better after cryostimulation, though not at first, since the researchers only noticed an objective difference in outcomes after the fifth day of sessions.
It's safe to assume you can get better sleep after you've given your body a 5-minute cold shock before bed. Now we're not asking you to freeze all night, but if you want to get a few more minutes of good sleep, we suggest trying this hack!