Sleep problems have a myriad of solutions, but this one is sure to surprise you. It may even seem straight out of a sci-fi movie. But it’s effective in helping you catch up on your ever-elusive sleep.

A study from the University of Montreal and the University of Poitiers revealed that staying for 5 minutes in an icy chamber at -130 degrees Fahrenheit or -90 degrees Celsius is the secret to getting good quality and deep sleep.

So it's no wonder flipping the pillow to the cooler side helps ease your nightly tossing and turning, making you fall asleep in no time.

More about the experiment

For the research, the participants wore nothing but underwear, Crocs, and mittens while spending time in ice-cold chambers set to freezing, subzero temperatures. The cryostimulation sessions for the study participants were conducted for five consecutive days. The effects were surprising, and a sex difference in sleep behaviour was revealed.

Effects

The results showed that cooling down the body might be the key to getting restful and deep sleep. Women are more responsive to this, showing a clear advantage over men. Sleep becomes more restorative and rejuvenating. The slow-wave sleep is the deep sleep phase. It is the most essential sleep phase required. The cryostimulation sessions even increased the duration of this deep sleep. Olivier Dupuy, lead author said, “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].”

This opens up new treatment possibilities for several sleep disorders.

So, the next time sleep is being a ‘brat’ consider embracing the cold, whether by shedding a layer, sticking a leg out from under the blanket, or even taking a nice bath.

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