The Use of Whole-Body Cryostimulation to Improve the Quality of Sleep in Athletes During High Level Standard Competitions

Abstract

BackgroundThis is a field study realized during basketball preparation tournaments for the European championship 2013 with men and women French team. During these competitions, athletes used Whole-Body Cryostimulation (WBC) exposures to enhance their recovery.ObjectiveThe aim of this work was to investigate the effects of WBC on the quality of sleep (QS) in athletes during the night following the exposure.DesignThe preparation took place during one week in a training camp followed by three international matches in three days (one per day).SettingThe study was performed with high standard level athletes men and women of the basketball French teams.Participants27 basketball players participated fully in the study (12 females, 11 males, age: 25.8±3.5 years; weight: 88.5±15.7 kg; height: 192.5±11.8 cm).Risk factor assessmentThe WBC treatment was 3-min exposure between −110°C and -150°C in the morning or/and in the evening after a training or match session.Main outcome measurementsThe QS was assessed every day before the exposure with a perceptual scale graduated from 1 “bad sleep” to 5 “restful sleep” adapted from Spiegel's questionnaire. The data were analyzed using paired t-test.ResultsAn improvement in the QS was observed in the night following WBC (3.7±0.7vs3.2±0.9, P<.05) compared with what was observed the night without previous WBC.ConclusionsAthletes experienced better sleep quality after WBC exposure. Even if the night duration was short during this period, they expressed they had a deeper, quieter and less disturbed sleep. The improvement of the QS during both competition and heavy training load periods appears of importance to enhance athletes' recovery. Such situation may lead to 1) a better standing of the training load, 2) less fatigue before the matches and 3) a decrease of the injury risks.

The use of whole-body cryotherapy: time- and dose-response investigation on circulating blood catecholamines and heart rate variability

“…Whole-body and partial-body cold air cryostimulation (WBC and PBC) are now presented as modern cryotherapy techniques with an ever-growing popularity in the sport and medical sphere (Bleakley et al 2014). The use of WBC is multiple, including post-exercise recovery for athletes (Dupuy et al 2018), pain soothing in inflammatory conditions (Banfi et al 2009;Guillot et al 2014;Dupuy et al 2018) as well as well-being and sleep management (Bouzigon et al 2014;Douzi et al 2019a, b). The physiological and psychological actions of WBC originate from a reduction in skin temperature which triggers a cascade of reactions starting with a peripheral vasoconstriction through sympathetic tuning (Westerlund et al 2003).…”

Thermal Sensations During a Partial-Body Cryostimulation Exposure in Elite Basketball Players

“…Muscle cooling during and after cold exposure may also lower enzyme activities, lower the metabolism and limit protein degradation after exercise-induced ischemia, which can be an important feature for recovery improvement ( Bleakley and Hopkins, 2010 ; Costello et al, 2012 ). Moreover, athletes using PBC during high-level international tournaments seem to have an enhanced quality of sleep ( Bouzigon et al, 2014 ). PBC has therefore been well accepted by many athletes and professional sport teams ( Banfi et al, 2009 ).…”

Differential scanning calorimetry reveals that whole-body cryostimulation in cross-country skiers can modify their response to physical effort

“…The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of WBC are the most searched for by athletes and patients. Recent studies have confirmed these and other beneficial effects of extremely low temperatures in athletes [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8].…”