Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is the inhalation of 100% oxygen under elevated atmospheric pressure.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is gaining popularity in the sports world and is rapidly becoming a treatment that professional, collegiate, and amateur players routinely use to improve their overall athletic performance and speed up recovery.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been approved as a medical treatment by the FDA and the American Medical Association (AMA). By boosting the amount of oxygen that reaches the bloodstream and other body fluids, this therapeutic technique can enhance the health effects of oxygen on the body.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one of the most effective medical treatments for a variety of conditions, illnesses, and wounds. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) can be used to treat diabetic wounds that don’t heal, radiation-induced tissue damage, and other illnesses. It makes sense that players are beginning to employ the oxygen-rich healing treatment for more than just sports-related illnesses as they realize its benefits.
Do Athletes Actually Use Hyperbaric Chambers?
Yes, indeed! Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been successful in improving sports performance, injury recovery, and other issues for professional football, basketball, and baseball players. However, all kinds of athletes can benefit from HBOT. Along with these athletes, there are bodybuilders, swimmers, golfers, hockey players, and boxers! Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, and Lebron James are just a handful of the many athletes who have reported the advantages of using a hyperbaric chamber.
8 Reasons Why Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is Used by Athletes
Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an excellent treatment for sports injuries, athletes do not limit their use of HBOT to these conditions. In actuality, HBOT is frequently used by athletes as preventative medicine. There is evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve energy levels, minimize healing times, reduce swelling, improve physical performance, and improve mental clarity, among other benefits. These are the top 8 advantages of HBOT for sportsmen.
-
Enhanced Physical Performance
In order to boost the synthesis of red blood cells and the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen, athletes frequently exercise at greater elevations. The Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center is situated at an elevation of almost 6,000 feet precisely for this reason! Increased blood circulation and oxygenation can be achieved with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negating the need to go across the nation. In a study of 22 athletes competing in the Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan, the impact of HBOT on physical conditioning is discussed. More than 77% reported notable or moderate improvements.
-
Heightened Energy
Physical performance in sports demands high levels of effort, which leads to physiological exhaustion. The build-up of a fatigue material like lactic acid, disruption of metabolism regulation, and, crucially, the depletion of an energy source are indicators of physiological weariness. The body uses oxygen to fight weariness naturally. By improving oxygen absorption and raising oxygen levels in cells and tissues, HBOT can speed up this process.
-
Better Sleep
It’s likely that you have had nights when it’s hard to fall asleep, as well as nights when you’ve had fitful, insufficient sleep. It is crucial that we get deep, rejuvenating sleep for the health of our brains and for general brain function the next day. According to research, HBOT facilitates the brain’s transition from restorative, slow-wave sleep to active, high-wave sleep.
-
Heal Faster & Reduce Recovery Time
An athlete’s ability to recover is critical to their success; in fact, many individuals rank it as significant as training. Muscles deteriorate during workouts for an athlete. They recover by rebuilding their muscles larger, which gives them more strength. An effective way to speed up recovery is using hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which can cut time to recovery by up to 33%! The oxygen that HBOT drains from tissues encourages and speeds up the process of regeneration.
Sportsmen who are injured may not be able to return to their previous position on the squad or even their ranks. HBOT has been used as a recovery aid by numerous elite athletes. Stem cells are essential for healing damaged tissue, and HBOT promotes their release. Infection and sickness are also avoided since they reduce the body’s inflammatory response and boost the production of white blood cells.
-
Sharpened Mental Clarity
For an athlete to perform at their peak, both healthy and wounded need mental toughness, endurance, and focus in addition to physical strength and endurance. Significant oxygen requirements for the brain can be met via HBOT. The brain’s connection-building process is aided by oxygen infusion, which also awakens dormant neurons and increases energy production. Even after receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy, brain scans show how the brain becomes more active. Additionally, it has been shown to improve memory, concentration, and clarity of thought, thus lessening the often-relatable “brain fog.”
-
Decrease Post-Injury Swelling
Fluid and white blood cells are drawn to the injury site quickly by athletes, or anybody else for that matter. It’s the body’s defensive mechanism coming into play. One of its goals is to prevent an athlete from injuring oneself more during training. Still, there are instances when swelling goes too far and is more than what the body needs to recover. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment may also be useful in reducing swelling following sports injuries, as per a review of HBOT’s effects on post-surgical inflammation. The oxygen infusion from HBOT is observed to decrease proteins and other molecules that produce edema. To reduce scarring, HBOT also promotes the creation of collagen.
-
Concussion & TBI Treatment
Although preliminary evidence indicates that HBOT is helpful for both concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), the FDA has not approved treatment for this purpose. 10% of the 3 million traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that occur annually happen during sports, according to the CDC! Researchers found that HBOT significantly improved individuals’ memory, impulse control, and quality of life.
Athletes need to get good, deep sleep—nine hours a night is suggested for sports. Your body heals most effectively at night while you’re asleep. Additionally, sleep keeps people healthy. A good night’s sleep is linked to improved speed and accuracy in a variety of sports, including swimming, basketball, and tennis. Other athletes who get better sleep report feeling less exhausted and having quicker reactions.
-
Reduce Soreness
Although soreness can be a sign of improved strength and ability, it can also make future training difficult. Through the stimulation of an oxygen inflow to worn-out, aching muscles, hyperbaric oxygen therapy enables athletes to feel and perform at their peak during practice and competition. One of the main causes of muscular discomfort is lactic acid, which is lessened by the oxygen infusion from HBOT. This skill encourages speedy recovery following hard exercises and intense training.
