Olympic Training: Use of Cryotherapy and Hypoxic High Altitude Training

Olympic athletes have been known to try some pretty strange things to enhance their performance. Major Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps has been relying on a special device for the last year, a high-altitude sleep chamber that retails for $15,000. While therapies like high-altitude training and cryotherapy can be beneficial, they do have risks. Learn why you need an oxygen monitor for cryotherapy and high-altitude training chambers.

How High Altitude Training Benefits Athletes

A high-altitude chamber mimics the conditions of high altitude. Phelps keeps the air inside his chamber at 8,500 to 9,000 feet. High altitude environments have less oxygen than low altitude environments. As a result, your body has to work harder to breathe. For Phelps, this means that he can train his body to perform better even while getting a good night's sleep.

The high-altitude chamber Phelps used is made by Hypoxico. Their high altitude chambers can be adjusted to a maximum level of 12,500 feet. By sleeping in a low oxygen environment and living in an oxygen-rich environment, athletes can avoid the fatigue and dehydration associated with living in a high altitude environment. Since bodies produce more red blood cells at high altitude, the sleep chamber also promotes faster muscle recovery. This is essential for training.

Michael Phelps is far from the only athlete to try this type of sleep training. It's popular among endurance runners, who rely on breathing capacity to fuel their runs. Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Santonio Holmes also use the high altitude training. Pro golfer Tiger Woods reportedly relies on high altitude training too.

How Cryotherapy Benefits Athletes

In addition to sleeping at high altitudes, many top tier athletes also turn to cryotherapy. Whole body cryotherapy exposes the body to extreme temperatures of -240 Fahrenheit for a set period of time. Athletes can stop the treatment at any time using safety measures. The dry chilled air elicits a response from the circulatory system. As a result of spending a few minutes in a cryohealth chamber, athletes decrease inflammation and lactic acid. They also initiate self healing through the nervous system.

The San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, and TCU Horned Frogs all rely on services from Cryohealthcare. Floyd Mayweather Jr., LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant also depend on cryotherapy for their competitive edge.

Why You Need an Oxygen Monitor with High Altitude and Cryotherapy

Both high altitude sleep chambers and cryotherapy put athletes at the risk of exposure to levels of oxygen that are too low. When the air does not have enough oxygen to breathe, athletes can suffer respiratory complications and may die from asphyxiation.

High altitude chambers need an oxygen deficiency monitor to measure the levels of oxygen in the sleep chamber. If the settings on the machine malfunction, too much oxygen could be removed from the air. With just a couple of breaths of oxygen-deficient air, someone can become unconscious. Within minutes, they could die.

Cryotherapy chambers rely on nitrogen gas to keep the air chilled to -240 Fahrenheit. Nitrogen gas is known to deplete oxygen from the air. As long as the chamber has enough oxygen, nitrogen can be used to chill the air without posing a health hazard. Yet if there is too much nitrogen, the air will become oxygen-deficient. Thus, anyone taking a dip in the cryohealth chamber could become a victim of death by asphyxiation.

To safeguard users, cryohealth chambers rely on an installed oxygen monitor to continually check levels of oxygen in the air. Likewise, the sleep chamber uses an O2 monitor to track oxygen levels during use. With an O2 monitor installed, users can enjoy their form of training without worry that it will harm their health.

Hypoxico relies on PureAire's line of oxygen deficiency monitors as a safety feature in their high altitude sleep chambers. PureAire's O2 monitor contains a zirconium sensor, which can function properly for up to 10 years. The monitor will provide instant notification if oxygen falls below safe levels, so that athletes can escape in time.

To learn more about the line of oxygen deficiency monitors from PureAire, please visit www.pureairemonitoring.com.

Sources:

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/61392/20150618/cryotherapy-works-why-star-athletes-love.htm

Use of Oxygen Monitors for Nitrogen, Argon, or Cryogenics and Where They Are installed

An oxygen deficiency monitor or O₂ monitor is found in many settings where colorless, odorless gases -- including nitrogen, argon, CO₂, and cryogenic gases -- are used. Always monitoring, the oxygen detector can tell when gas levels rise above those deemed safe, and let off a timely alarm. Learn which settings commonly use an O₂ monitor, how the monitor works, and why it is beneficial. 

How Does an Oxygen Deficiency Monitor Work? 

With the name of oxygen monitor, you might wonder why these devices are used in the presence of other gases, such as nitrogen. Gases like nitrogen and argon deplete oxygen from the environment. If you introduce nitrogen into a lab setting, for example, oxygen levels start to drop. Since nitrogen does not have a color or scent, lab workers would be unable to perceive the leak. 

As oxygen levels fall, lab workers would become confused and experience respiratory difficulties and loss of coordination. In a matter of minutes, lab workers could die from asphyxiation. 

When an oxygen deficiency monitor is installed, it becomes easy to tell when a potentially hazardous gas has escaped into the room and is depleting levels of oxygen. Set to go off when oxygen falls below safe breathing levels, the O₂ monitor flashes an alert and sounds an alarm to provide immediate notification. This way, staff have enough time to safely clear the premises before experiencing negative health effects. These monitors offer a cost-effective way to protect staff and maintain a safe working environment, and are a best practice for working environments that use these gases.  

Where Oxygen Monitors Are Installed

Since oxygen monitors protect against a range of gases, they are used in many different industries and working environments. Some of the places that use oxygen monitors include: 

• Laboratory settings - As the example above indicates, lab workers often directly work with potentially dangerous gases in study, research, and teaching. An oxygen monitor in the lab setting operates as discussed in the example above, alerting workers if gases leak. Laboratories are required to install these devices by the 2008 NIH Design Requirements Manual as well as existing OSHA regulations. 
• Colleges and universities - Since universities have laboratories and work with these gases in teaching and research environments, it should come as no surprise that they have oxygen monitors. In the university setting, these monitors may be installed in classrooms, labs, research facilities, and storage areas to protect students, staff, and facilities workers. As this example illustrates, it is important to use a separate oxygen deficiency monitor in any area where these gases are used or stored. From a leaky pipe to a faulty storage tank, gas could escape in many ways - always posing a health risk. 
• Medical settings - Hospitals and medical centers need to keep blood, tissue samples, and other supplies properly chilled so they can be used for patients. The cryogenic gases are an easy, inexpensive solution to the storage issue. Yet, anywhere these gases are being used, there is the risk for a leak. In medical settings, an O₂ monitor may be used in hallways and individual rooms where nitrogen containers are held. 
• Food processing plants - It is common to use nitrogen gas in food processing plants as a safeguard against oxidation of food and beverage products. When oxygen enters the food packaging, it causes early ripening and spoilage. Thus, nitrogen gas helps to protect the food and allows for longer storage on the shelf. Since the gas is cheap, environmentally friendly, and easy to use, it is a common solution in the food processing industry. To protect food processing workers, it is critical to have an oxygen monitor evaluating levels of oxygen in the air in case of a nitrogen leak. 

PureAire's oxygen monitor contains a zirconium sensor, which performs reliably for up to 10 years. This long-lasting sensor makes our oxygen monitors a good investment for many industries. These O₂ monitors are easy to set up, work in a wide range of temperatures, and require no maintenance once they are installed. To learn more about oxygen deficiency monitors from PureAire, visit www.pureairemonitoring.com.

Source: http://www.gazcon.com/sw13799.asp