What is Cryosleep, Cryonics, Cryotherapy, and Cryoprotectants

What is Cryosleep
What is Cryosleep?

Cryosleep, also recognized as suspended animation, is a hypothetical method in which the body is chilled to extremely low temperatures, usually below -200 degrees Celsius, in order to slow or stop biological processes and stimulate a state of hibernation or suspended animation. The concept behind Cryosleep is that it might be utilized to put astronauts or space travelers in a state of suspended animation for deep space journeys, enabling them to cover greater distances without requiring food, water, or other resources.

Cryosleep has been popularized in science fiction, but there is presently no innovation to securely induce and maintain Cryosleep in living beings. While a few studies have been carried out on the impacts of cryopreservation on living tissue, significant medical and technological challenges must still be overcome before Cryosleep becomes a reality.
What is Cryonics?

The freezing of a dead person's body or head/brain in the optimism that when medical science progresses to the point of regenerating tissues and trying to cure the illness that led to the person's death, the person will be resurrected from a state of supposed suspended animation and resume his or her life. When a person dies, their brain tissue undergoes irreversible changes; there isn't any scientific proof to back up the assertion that rejuvenation is possible.
What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is a medical procedure that employs incredibly low temperatures to either freeze and destroy unusual tissue regeneration or numb a region of the human body to relieve inflammation and pain. The term "cryotherapy" is derived from the Greek words Cryo (cold) and Therapy (treatment).

Cryotherapy comes in several varieties, including:

A. Localized Cryotherapy: Using a cooler air gadget or a probe, a specific area of the body is subjected to extremely low temperatures. This is frequently employed for treating skin issues like warts or skin tags, as well as to lessen the swelling and inflammation in muscles and joints.

B. Whole-Body Cryotherapy: For a brief amount of time, the whole body is subjected to very low temperatures in a special chamber. This sort of cryotherapy may be utilized to decrease pain and inflammation, improve athletic performance, and even improve mood and sleep quality.

C. Cryosurgery: A medical procedure that makes use of a probe or liquid nitrogen spray to freeze and destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. Cryotherapy of this type is frequently used to eliminate skin lesions or malignant cells.

Cryotherapy can be beneficial for a variety of situations, but it is critical to discuss the dangers and advantages with a healthcare professional before beginning any cryotherapy treatment.
What are Cryoprotectants?

Cryoprotectants are components that shield biological tissues or cells from freezing-related destruction. When cells or tissues freeze, the water in them condenses and forms ice crystals, that can harm the cells' delicate formations. Cryoprotectants operate by bringing down the freezing point of water, preventing ice crystal formation and causing cell damage.

Sugars, polyols, amino acids, and other organic molecules are all examples of cryoprotectants. Cryoprotectants are utilized in a variety of applications, including medical cryopreservation of cells, tissues, and organs, as well as food and other biological materials preservation.
What are the Problems with Cryosleep?

The issue with Cryogenics and Cryosleep is simple physics: our cells contain water. And when water freezes, it expands and crystallizes, causing irreversible harm to the human body. Regardless, some folks remain optimistic. For instance, Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute's Anders Sandberg told The Guardian that he'll pay to have his head frozen in the optimism that the data inside of his brain will be "downloaded" into a robotic agent in the future. The freezing, thawing and reanimation process has "perhaps a 5% chance" of functioning, according to him.

Possibly cryotherapy's fame will disappear as the "next big thing" arrives, so we might never know regardless of whether cryopreservation works, but Cryosleep will undoubtedly develop further - which is the most ground-breaking technology for interplanetary travel.
How Cryosleep or Cryonics Works?

Cryonics is the procedure of preserving the human body in a suspended animation state at freezing temperatures of -196 Degree Celsius or -320.8 Degrees Celsius Fahrenheit by substituting the tissue and blood fluids with cryoprotectants and storing the body in a cryo-chamber for prospective reanimation. Cryonics entails a precise step-by-step operation that includes everything from choosing cryoprotectant materials to maintaining all conditions required to keep the body suspended until it can be reanimated.

Because the human body is composed of approximately 80% water, each cell, tissue, and organ contain this essential component of life. And this is the point where things get sketchy. Since cryonics' functionality is based on extreme freezing situations, in which case water will lose density, increase volume, and solidify. Without safety, the increase in volume caused by freezing water will end up causing human cells to break when they reach their elastic limit. Ice crystal formation will also cause permanent damage to cells, tissues, and organs.

To counterbalance the numerous negative consequences of freezing temperatures, an anticoagulant, Heparin, is given to avoid blood clotting, while a constant and plentiful supply of oxygen is delivered to the brain. Although a patient is declared legally dead (when the heart stops and the status required for cryonics), the administration of Heparin and Oxygen will help stabilize the body's rate of metabolism as the brain and certain cellular functions remain.

A Cryoprotectant, a glycerol-based chemical mixture, is then given to substitute the water in the cells and tissues, acting as a human anti-freeze. This liquid aids in the preservation of cellular integrity in the state of suspended animation at extremely low temperatures. The body is vitrified (deep cooling without ice crystallization due to cryoprotectants) and placed on a dry ice bed until it reaches -130°C or 202°F. The body is then placed in an independent container that is upside down in a large metal tank full of liquid Nitrogen at -196°C or -320.8°F.

Bodies protected in such conditions are referred to as cryopreserved or cryo-conserved, and there is no guarantee that they will be reanimated in the near future. Having said that, the current cryonics industry's success is entirely dependent on future technology's ability to heal any existing illnesses once a patient has been reanimated/thawed. And just maybe, the solution lies in nanorobotics.
Is Cryonics Legal? Or Can You Legally be Cryogenically Frozen?

Cryonics on living people is illegal in our today's society. However, this 'death' is not one we normally associate with. Patients are only permitted to undergo cryonics after they have been declared legally dead. This recognition occurs when a healthcare professional announces that your heart is no longer beating.
Is NASA Working on “Cryosleep for Astronauts”?

NASA has been working with SpaceWorks Enterprises to build a cryogenic sleep chamber for astronauts. The "Cryosleep" tech functions by reducing the astronaut's body temperature to 89-93°F (32-34°C), inducing a state of hibernation. In terms of nutrition and toileting, catheters would be used to deliver food and remove waste. However, the chambers are not designed to ensure astronauts get seven or more hours of sleep. The technology, on the other hand, will allow astronauts to sleep for at least two weeks.
Has Anyone or Any Celebrity been Put into Cryosleep?

It is illegal to put any living being into cryosleep. Here is a list of people who have been placed in cryosleep after death -

Dr. James Bedford, who died from kidney cancer in 1967, was the first human to be cryogenically preserved in a cryo-chamber.

Robert Ettinger, a writer and "the father of cryonics," also rests in metal flasks with his mother and two wives at the Cryonics Institute in Michigan.
 
  • Dick Clair Jones
  • Dora Kent
  • Fereidoun M. Esfandiary
  • Jerry Leaf
  • John-Henry Williams
  • Ted Williams
  • Thomas K. Donaldson
How Much Does Cryogenically Freezing Someone Cost? Or How Much Does it Cost to Put Someone into Cryosleep?

Cryogenic freezing and preservation of persons, pretty much the entire body cryopreservation typically costs between $150,000 and $200,000. Neuropreservation is slightly less expensive, ranging between $90,000 and $100,000.

Content Source:

medicalfuturist.com, vice.com, thecosmical.com, bedstar.co.uk, medium.com, buzzworthy.com, mentalfloss.com, Quora, and Wikipedia


What is Cryosleep   Cryosleep   What is Cryonics   Cryonics   What is Cryotherapy   Cryotherapy   What are Cryoprotectants   Cryoprotectants   Problems with Cryosleep   How Cryosleep or Cryonics Work   Is Cryonics Legal   Is NASA Working on Cryosleep  


Comments

0 Comments

Leave a comment

Search