My experience in the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber (HBOT)

[MJ DeMarco]

So this last Tuesday I spent 1 hour in a hyperbaric chamber as an added proactive, and preventive health measure in my life.

HBOT therapy, while an element of danger involved, has been around for 30 years. And it has been instrumental in helping people recover from various injuries as well as a treatment for Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Here's a video that's worthwhile to watch.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TEYTNI9UEo


What brought me to the chamber was a combination of things:

#1) My father was diagnosed with Alzheimers at a young age, just 62 before he lost his mind. I'm 52. So let's just say, I have a fear of losing my mind, but living to 100.

#2) I haven't had "quality" slept in years. In reviewing my health records, I saw as far back as 20 years ago complaining about poor sleep quality. I fall asleep FAST, but according to my wearable devices, I don't get a lot of REM or Deep Sleep. So I do a lot of tossing and turning. BTW, I've been always plagued by nightmares, which I fixed by reducing my sugar intake, especially around bedtime. Now I rarely have nightmares.

#3) I had some memory declines in the last 2 years (which I hear is supposedly normal as you get older) -- like forgetting when a concert was, who I was with, etc.

Anyhow, my first treatment was Tuesday.

I wasn't sure how I'd react to being locked up in a pressurized tube for an hour while wearing an oxygen mask. The procedure is equivalent to deep sea diving about 30 or 40 feet below the water. "Going down" only took about 2 minutes and your ears pop every 10 seconds. Once down at pressurization, you put on your mask and breathe pure oxygen.

I'm happy to say, I found it quite therapeutic, and a nice impetus to meditate and focus on healing.

Afterward, I definitely felt a bit better. However I'm not sure this was because I basically took a small nap in the tube. You always feel better after naps!

Anyhow, what is really interesting is this...

For the next 3 days, I've had the best sleep of my life. I subjectively noticed that I was dreaming a lot more, and much more vividly. So I took a dive into my sleep data which I've accumulated for the last 3 years.

Sure enough, in the last 3 days, I've had the best REM scores (duration) than I had in the last 3 years. On average, I was only getting about 1 hour of REM sleep per night. Since my HBOT session, I've more than doubled that... 2 hours 10m, 2 hours 35m, and 2 hours, 2hrs, 12m.

In the last three years, I've only had a few nights of REM that exceeded 2 hours. And never one that reached 2hrs, 35m.

No other variables have changed in my last 3 sleep nights.

Cognitively speaking, I also noticed a change there too, but still feel like I need more experience/data to truly ascertain if there is a correlation, or simply a placebo.

That said, I'm impressed and I booked 5 more sessions in the tube.

I will report on my experience further.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I've channeled my inner Brian Johnson.

On Friday I will be combining two potent methodologies designed to stimulate autophagy and cellular repair; I will undergo HBOT while in a fasted state.

I will report back.

On hour 67 of my fast... detoxing, autophagy, dopamine reset, in heavy ketosis all in high gear.

Feel pretty damn good, and I have a pretty high baseline for "feeling good."

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I've channeled my inner Brian Johnson.

On Friday I will be combining two potent methodologies designed to stimulate autophagy and cellular repair; I will undergo HBOT while in a fasted state.

I will report back.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

My next session will be my 11th...

Just had the best sleep in my life (data wise) and minimally since I started tracking the data. That's about 800+ days of data points. This can't be a coincidence. Overall, the quality of sleep baseline has improved... so instead of getting an average sleep score of 80, it is now a 84.

Cognitively things have improved too... words aren't as hard to find as they used to, and as a writer, this is important.

 

[heavy_industry]

I've learned about hyperbaric chambers just a few weeks ago, and the therapeutic effects seem to be miraculous.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhympAfm0TY&ab_channel=JREClips

Definitely something to put on your todo list, if you want to improve your neurological and overall health.

Good luck MJ!

 

[Antifragile]

I track my sleep, and typically sleep well. This is from last night.

Never tried hyperbolic chamber, but is it reasonable to assume it’ll have similar to Wim Hoff effects? It seems very “medical treatment” to do it frequently. But will look into it.

Health is important to me, I’m always trying to learn. @MJ DeMarco is there any medical reason you slept so poorly before? Have you tried any other methods to improve sleep?

Only two things ruin my sleep:

1. Anxiety from stress (typically if I have a large business deal …)
2. My kid waking us up (sick or whatever)

Exercise daily helps control the 1st. and I sometimes take CBD oil.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Have 3 sessions in the next 10 days. Had one yesterday and once again slept far above my average baseline.

Looks like I can buy my own personal Hyperbaric system for my home for about $20k. I'll drop that in a second if I continue to experience positive effects.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

My next session will be the 7th dive. Interestingly, my sleep has definitely improved. Last night I had the best numbers since I started tracking 3 years ago. When you sleep well, it certainly makes the day much more productive.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

On hour 67 of my fast

Now at the 86th hour...

Hunger is gone. Mental clarity through the roof. Massive ketosis and autophagy in progress.

Have you ever considered trying vegan keto?

Never heard of it, do tell?

I've been significantly cognitively impaired due to mold exposure/post-covid which has basically put my life on pause for the past 2.5 years. I'm 24 years old.

I'd ask your doctor and see if they will allow you to do a 72 hour fast which *should* stimulate autophagy and stem cell production. Then look into HBOT- both these modalities can work synergistically. The fasting is the easiest, because it is cheap and free but it will reset so many systems in your body, almost like "starting new."

Check out this channel if you want to learn more, this video alone can likely put years on your life.

View: https://youtu.be/wD8reCw3Kls?si=dzq-diPCbrbMbsQj


And BTW, the author has a PhD and has studied longevity for 25 years at Harvard and MIT— he's not some uneducated dumb kid on YouTube who looks great, but has the worst nutrition and longevity advice ever aired. Every actionable item in here mentioned is backed up by science, and rigorous studies; not "Gee, I'm 22 and ripped! Here's what you need to do!"

The guy is also my age, but looks 37.

 

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[Runum]

On one hand, I do have really bad sleep in last 2 years.
On other hand, just thinking about going into this chamber(closed space) puts shivers down my spine. Maybe one day...

I completed three 1 hour sessions of HBOT last week along with some stem cell therapy. It was tough to physically get me in the tube and then put me together to get me up an out. The increasing pressure was tough on my inner ears. Chewing gum didn't help. Once the pressure stabilized it was very relaxing and I napped during all 3 sessions. I had the chance to play some online chess after the second session and I felt like a genius. I could see things I had not seen before. The sessions didn't improve my sleep at all.

However, the intense pain in both of my wrists has decreased a lot. I also had stem cell injections in both wrists and those injections are brutal. I do feel more relaxed and cognizant following my treatments, anxiety levels are down. I also got the stem cell IV to hopefully help with aging/mitochondrial decline.. My extended hospital vacation did cause me to age more rapidly. They also did in depth blood tests and I learned some things I need to adjust. I also found out I have no blood markers for any kind of cancer. A close relative died of leukemia a few years ago in her mid 50's and I have had a steady but elevated PSA for several years. I do have an excessive blood coagulation problem probably due to Covid.

going to try some grounding sheets on the bed and copper fo my wrists. My wrists are vital to my ongoing mobility so I have to take care of them.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Do they recommend a specific frequency for treatment?

Yes, several times per week. I can't do that though because my facility is short-staffed. Right now I'm doing 1 per week, which based on my research, seriously erodes the effects. So I might put it on pause, until I can go at least 2X per week.

Do you have to equalize your ears yourself or it is so slow that it happens naturally?



Any resources/thoughts on the risk of your body getting used to breathing pure oxygen and then performing worse in everyday life? Not sure how it works, just curious if it can lead to a kind of an "addiction."

Yes, I have to swallow to pop the ears. It also equalized on its own without doing so.

As for resources, I didn't see anything that indicated it was addictive, or ruined performance after.

 

[Mikkel]

Pilots often chew gum for this reason, but I guess you can't do that lying down. Maybe pilots have some other tricks.

I do scuba diving. Close your mouth and hold your nose, then try and breath out. Best trick to equalize your ears.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

is there any medical reason you slept so poorly before? Have you tried any other methods to improve sleep?

I have no idea, but in looking at my medical records, I've been complaining about it for decades.

I've tried many methods...

CBD, Weed, Magnesium, Benadryl, Ambien, lymphatic message, infared sauna, caffeine abstinence, hot tub, a lot of things.

To be honest, in the last few years my sleep has dramatically improved (less nightmares, easy to fall asleep), but I still don't get a lot of REM or Deep.

Several days after HBOT was incredibly eye opening, not for the scores, but how I felt after.

What device do you use to track sleep ?

I’m using a FITBIT, but I suspect it isn’t as accurate as it needs the be.

This is from last night.

Wow, in all the years I've been tracking, I never had a score like that.

Unrelated to the chamber but did you ever try weighted blankets?

No, but I will. I like the sound of it.

 

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[biophase]

I tried this last night and didn't really like it, however, I did get a better than average sleep score. So I will continue onward with it...



I already do most of this minus the siesta. Thanks for sharing.

Interestingly, I sleep like shit in Colorado where I’m at 10,000 ft. A lot of people sleep poorly at high altitude, presumably due to less oxygen in the air.

It does get better throughout the summer. I’m wondering if that’s because my body acclimatizes after a month or two.

Then I go back to Phoenix and sleep really well. I’ll have to notice if that lasts only until my red blood cells go back to normal.

Is your place in SLC at a higher altitude than Phx?

Update: just pulled my Oura ring data from last year and I sleep pretty much the same in Phx and Colorado. ‍

Dark blue is deep sleep
Blue is light sleep
Light blue is rem
White is awake (the ring thinks I’m awake but I move around a lot but am not awake during this time)

 

[Antifragile]

Have 3 sessions in the next 10 days. Had one yesterday and once again slept far above my average baseline.

Looks like I can buy my own personal Hyperbaric system for my home for about $20k. I'll drop that in a second if I continue to experience positive effects.

Careful, that’s how pro cyclists started doping … look where it got Lance!

 

[NewManRising]

You sold me on it, MJ. I am going to research it more. Also, good luck with your health.

 

[heavy_industry]

Hey @MJ DeMarco , how are you feeling?

What's your final conclusion on the hyperbaric chamber?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Hey @MJ DeMarco , how are you feeling?

What's your final conclusion on the hyperbaric chamber?

I am looking into getting a private one for my home.

I had 24 sessions total and thought it had a great impact on mental clarity.

It might have helped other areas as well but I cannot confirm it was HBOT, or something else. I'm pretty active with my therapeutics. But it's been years since I was at HealthCon5 and stayed there for any duration.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

My shoulder joints and knees are pretty rough, especially after hard training sessions... I remember Eddie Hall(one of the strongest ppl in the world) mentioning how much Hyperbaric chamber helped him recover, so thought about giving it a try...
Here's Vid btw, Eddie is a huge fan of those!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpC50jgmJ5Y

I'm thinking about buying one for my home.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

how does your deep sleep data look?

I posted my experience, did you not see it?

I barely average 2 hours of cumulative DEEP sleep and REM, since using a device to track sleep.

 

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[Mikkel]

I have been seriously considering this, I have had post-covid symptoms for the last 6 months. I've seen multiple people reporting benifits from this. Thanks for posting, I'll give it a try.

I wonder if health insurance will cover this.

Do they recommend a specific frequency for treatment?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Is your place in SLC at a higher altitude than Phx?

Yes, I think we're at 4000 elevation. However this sleep thing has been going on long before I moved here.

 

[Antifragile]

Not familiar with his doping backstory, is that what he claimed? He was doing HBOT treatments?

I was just going for the humor of it, MJ. I have no idea how he was actually doping.

 

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[RicardoGrande]

HBOT therapy looks very promising and has also come up in treatment for people with cancer.

Unfortunately, it's also expensive. I ended up looking into but had to choose on starting on buteyko breathing instead (breathing lightly and slowly enough to simulate air deprivation- replicates the effects of living at high altitude) and it greatly helped my energy and exercise capacity and oxygen saturation.

 

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[Kirby73]

Stacking HBOT x3 a week (1hr) with x3 Ice Bath (3mins) with Full Spectrum infra Sauna x3 (40-60mins) is a health span game changer.

I used a HBOT last year to speed up the recovery from a stress fracture which took the time to recover from 6 weeks to 2 weeks

 

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[Kevin88660]

So this last Tuesday I spent 1 hour in a hyperbaric chamber as an added proactive, and preventive health measure in my life.

HBOT therapy, while an element of danger involved, has been around for 30 years. And it has been instrumental in helping people recover from various injuries as well as a treatment for Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Here's a video that's worthwhile to watch.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TEYTNI9UEo


What brought me to the chamber was a combination of things:

#1) My father was diagnosed with Alzheimers at a young age, just 62 before he lost his mind. I'm 52. So let's just say, I have a fear of losing my mind, but living to 100.

#2) I haven't had "quality" slept in years. In reviewing my health records, I saw as far back as 20 years ago complaining about poor sleep quality. I fall asleep FAST, but according to my wearable devices, I don't get a lot of REM or Deep Sleep. So I do a lot of tossing and turning. BTW, I've been always plagued by nightmares, which I fixed by reducing my sugar intake, especially around bedtime. Now I rarely have nightmares.

#3) I had some memory declines in the last 2 years (which I hear is supposedly normal as you get older) -- like forgetting when a concert was, who I was with, etc.

Anyhow, my first treatment was Tuesday.

I wasn't sure how I'd react to being locked up in a pressurized tube for an hour while wearing an oxygen mask. The procedure is equivalent to deep sea diving about 30 or 40 feet below the water. "Going down" only took about 2 minutes and your ears pop every 10 seconds. Once down at pressurization, you put on your mask and breathe pure oxygen.

I'm happy to say, I found it quite therapeutic, and a nice impetus to meditate and focus on healing.

Afterward, I definitely felt a bit better. However I'm not sure this was because I basically took a small nap in the tube. You always feel better after naps!

Anyhow, what is really interesting is this...

For the next 3 days, I've had the best sleep of my life. I subjectively noticed that I was dreaming a lot more, and much more vividly. So I took a dive into my sleep data which I've accumulated for the last 3 years.

Sure enough, in the last 3 days, I've had the best REM scores (duration) than I had in the last 3 years. On average, I was only getting about 1 hour of REM sleep per night. Since my HBOT session, I've more than doubled that... 2 hours 10m, 2 hours 35m, and 2 hours, 2hrs, 12m.

In the last three years, I've only had a few nights of REM that exceeded 2 hours. And never one that reached 2hrs, 35m.

No other variables have changed in my last 3 sleep nights.

Cognitively speaking, I also noticed a change there too, but still feel like I need more experience/data to truly ascertain if there is a correlation, or simply a placebo.

That said, I'm impressed and I booked 5 more sessions in the tube.

I will report on my experience further.

Picking on some games of chess will help in memory.

I know a few 70 year olds who can remember all the sequence of an entire just finished game.

 

[DoTheWork]

I've been significantly cognitively impaired due to mold exposure/post-covid which has basically put my life on pause for the past 2.5 years. I'm 24 years old.

I'm very curious if this will help me. My only concern is that my body is highly sensitive so it doesn't take much to send me crashing down.

I'll look into it. I think a local place offers a free session.

 

[DoTheWork]

I'd ask your doctor and see if they will allow you to do a 72 hour fast which *should* stimulate autophagy and stem cell production. Then look into HBOT- both these modalities can work synergistically. The fasting is the easiest, because it is cheap and free but it will reset so many systems in your body, almost like "starting new."

Check out this channel if you want to learn more, this video alone can likely put years on your life.

View: https://youtu.be/wD8reCw3Kls?si=dzq-diPCbrbMbsQj


And BTW, the author has a PhD and has studied longevity for 25 years at Harvard and MIT— he's not some uneducated dumb kid on YouTube who looks great, but has the worst nutrition and longevity advice ever aired. Every actionable item in here mentioned is backed up by science, and rigorous studies; not "Gee, I'm 22 and ripped! Here's what you need to do!"

The guy is also my age, but looks 37.

Thanks for sharing.

I've done a few 60-72 hours fasts and did weekend fasting for a couple months straight. It helped temporarily for sure but eventually stopped helping (probably because most of the cleanup was done during the first few rounds of fasting). I'm probably due for another fast now.

Unfortunately my doctor recommended holding off on multi-day fasting because my nervous system is extremely sensitive and it seems that it's been making some things worse for me. Anxiety has been an issue after 24 hours (supplementing electrolytes appropriately too). I do daily 20hr fasts now but that definitely doesn't have the same benefits like at the 3 day mark.

 

[Brookzo]

However, the intense pain in both of my wrists has decreased a lot. I also had stem cell injections in both wrists and those injections are brutal. I do feel more relaxed and cognizant following my treatments, anxiety levels are down. I also got the stem cell IV to hopefully help with aging/mitochondrial decline.. My extended hospital vacation did cause me to age more rapidly. They also did in depth blood tests and I learned some things I need to adjust. I also found out I have no blood markers for any kind of cancer. A close relative died of leukemia a few years ago in her mid 50's and I have had a steady but elevated PSA for several years. I do have an excessive blood coagulation problem probably due to Covid.

My shoulder joints and knees are pretty rough, especially after hard training sessions... I remember Eddie Hall(one of the strongest ppl in the world) mentioning how much Hyperbaric chamber helped him recover, so thought about giving it a try...
Here's Vid btw, Eddie is a huge fan of those!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpC50jgmJ5Y

 

[MTF]

"Going down" only took about 2 minutes and your ears pop every 10 seconds.

Do you have to equalize your ears yourself or it is so slow that it happens naturally?

Once down at pressurization, you put on your mask and breathe pure oxygen.

Any resources/thoughts on the risk of your body getting used to breathing pure oxygen and then performing worse in everyday life? Not sure how it works, just curious if it can lead to a kind of an "addiction."