The Modern-Day Fatigue Epidemic
If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I’m just tired all the time,” you’re not alone. According to the National Safety Council, nearly 43% of adults say they’re too tired to function well during the day — even when they’re getting enough sleep. For many, it’s more than tiredness. It’s brain fog, poor recovery, and the feeling that the body just isn’t bouncing back the way it used to.
While fatigue affects people of all ages, it tends to become more noticeable — and more accepted as “normal” — as we get older. But what if it’s not just a part of aging? What if it’s a sign that your body is asking for deeper support?
At Michigan Health and Wellness Center, we believe that thriving in your later years isn’t about chasing youth — it’s about understanding the science of aging and giving your body the support it needs to stay strong, energized, and resilient. One powerful therapy that helps with this? Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT.
Once known mostly for treating scuba divers or elite athletes, HBOT is now gaining recognition for its role in healthy aging, reducing inflammation, and enhancing recovery. It may not be a “fountain of youth,” but it could be one of the most overlooked tools for helping the body stay sharp, strong, and balanced.
In this blog, we’ll explore how HBOT works, what the science says about its impact on longevity and aging, and how it can be paired with biofeedback therapy to help you move from tired to thriving — naturally.
What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)?
So, what exactly is hyperbaric oxygen therapy — and what does it have to do with energy, healing, and aging?
At its core, HBOT is a natural therapy that uses pure oxygen and increased pressure to help your body heal and function better. During a session, you relax in a special chamber where the air pressure is higher than normal — kind of like diving deep underwater, but without getting wet. While you’re inside, you breathe 100% oxygen, which your lungs absorb more efficiently under pressure.
This extra oxygen doesn’t just stay in your lungs — it dissolves into your bloodstream and travels throughout your body, reaching areas that may not be getting enough oxygen due to poor circulation, inflammation, or aging tissues. That oxygen becomes fuel for healing, helping your cells repair damage, reduce inflammation, and generate more energy.
Think of it like this: if your body is a garden, oxygen is the water it needs to grow and repair. HBOT helps deliver that “water” to the areas that need it most — even the ones that are hard to reach.
For those dealing with fatigue, brain fog, slow recovery, or age-related decline, this extra oxygen can make a big difference. It supports your body’s natural ability to regenerate, which is key to feeling better and aging better.
HBOT and the Science of Aging
Aging isn’t just about getting older — it’s about how well your body keeps up over time. Under the surface, the aging process is driven by cellular changes: chronic inflammation, oxidative stress (cellular “rust”), and a decline in your cells’ ability to repair themselves.
One of the most fascinating discoveries in aging research is the role of telomeres — the protective caps on the ends of your chromosomes. Think of telomeres like the plastic tips on shoelaces: they prevent your DNA from fraying. Over time, telomeres naturally shorten, and when they become too short, cells can’t divide or repair as effectively. This is one of the key drivers of aging, fatigue, and slow healing.
Here’s where HBOT gets exciting.
Recent research has shown that HBOT may actually lengthen telomeres and reduce the number of senescent cells — the old, worn-out cells that stop working properly and trigger inflammation in the body. In a groundbreaking 2020 study published in Aging, researchers found that healthy older adults who completed a series of HBOT sessions showed a significant increase in telomere length — up to 20% — and a reduction in senescent cells by up to 37%.
That’s not just slowing down aging — that’s reversing some of its signs at the cellular level.
Other studies have shown improvements in cognitive function, memory, and attention in older adults following HBOT, suggesting it may help preserve brain health as we age.
In short, HBOT doesn’t just provide more oxygen — it taps into your body’s own healing intelligence, helping you repair, renew, and maintain vitality for the long haul.
Inflammation and the Root of Chronic Conditions
Most people think of inflammation as something that happens after an injury, like a sprained ankle. But there’s another kind — chronic inflammation — that can quietly build up in the body over time, damaging tissues and speeding up aging.
In fact, chronic inflammation is often called the “silent driver” of disease, linked to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and dementia. It’s also a major factor in how fast — or how well — we age.
So where does HBOT fit in?
Studies show that HBOT helps reduce inflammatory markers in the body by improving oxygen delivery to tissues and calming the immune response. When inflamed or damaged areas receive more oxygen, the body can heal from the inside out — rather than just suppressing symptoms.
A 2021 systematic review found that HBOT was effective in lowering inflammation, improving blood flow, and supporting tissue repair. Other research shows that in neurological cases — like brain injury or stroke — HBOT helps reduce neuroinflammation, which can support clearer thinking and faster brain recovery.
Reducing inflammation is essential for anyone dealing with:
- Persistent fatigue
- Joint pain or stiffness
- Brain fog or memory issues
- Slow recovery after illness or injury
And when inflammation is under control, the body is better able to heal, regenerate, and thrive — no matter your age.
Recovery, Regeneration, and Resilience
When your body is stuck in a state of stress or inflammation, it uses up a lot of energy just trying to stay balanced. That can leave you feeling tired, foggy, and slow to bounce back — even after minor illnesses or injuries.
One of the most powerful benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is that it doesn’t just help you feel better — it helps your body rebuild and restore itself.
HBOT supports:
- Tissue regeneration, helping muscles, joints, and even brain cells repair faster
- Mitochondrial function — giving your cells more energy to heal and stay strong
- Antioxidant activity, reducing oxidative stress, and clearing out cellular waste
Research has shown that HBOT improves recovery in everything from long-haul COVID and neurological conditions to sports injuries and post-surgical healing. In one study, patients experienced better energy levels, faster physical recovery, and improvements in how their cells produced energy.
And when HBOT is combined with other therapies — like nutrition, stress management, or biofeedback — it becomes a whole-body recovery strategy that helps you feel not just better, but more resilient overall.
HBOT + Biofeedback Therapy: A Holistic Longevity Duo
Healing isn’t just physical — it’s also neurological. Your nervous system plays a huge role in how your body heals, rests, and responds to stress.
That’s why we often combine hyperbaric oxygen therapy and biofeedback therapy here at Michigan Health and Wellness — to support both the body and the mind.
What is Biofeedback Therapy?
Biofeedback is a natural, non-invasive therapy that teaches you how to regulate your stress response. Small sensors track changes in things like:
- Heart rate variability
- Muscle tension (especially in the jaw, neck, or back)
- Skin temperature and sweat (linked to stress)
- Brainwave activity (in more advanced systems)
This real-time feedback helps you understand how your body reacts to stress—and how to bring it back into balance with tools like guided breathing, mindfulness, and focused relaxation.
Over time, your nervous system becomes more resilient, learning to shift out of “fight or flight” and into “rest and repair” mode more easily — the state where true healing happens.
Biofeedback has been shown to help with:
- Insomnia and sleep trouble
- Anxiety, overwhelm, or mood swings
- Headaches and muscle tension
- Brain fog or trouble concentrating
- High blood pressure or rapid heartbeat
- Stress-related digestive issues
Most importantly, it helps you build nervous system resilience — so you can bounce back from stress instead of getting stuck in it.
Why Combine It with HBOT?
HBOT supports your cells and tissues, while biofeedback supports your nervous system and stress response. Together, they help:
- Improve recovery and healing
- Boost oxygen delivery and usage
- Calm inflammation and tension
- Support deeper rest, clarity, and focus
It’s not just about treating symptoms — it’s about supporting your body’s natural ability to heal and thrive at every level.
For those dealing with fatigue, chronic stress, or age-related health concerns, this combination offers a gentle, holistic path to better energy, clearer thinking, and lasting resilience.
Aging Isn’t a Decline — It’s a Shift
Getting older doesn’t have to mean slowing down, feeling tired, or living with discomfort. Aging is natural — but how you support your body and mind through it makes all the difference.
What science is showing us is exciting: therapies like hyperbaric oxygen therapy and biofeedback don’t just manage symptoms — they help your body repair, regulate, and renew from the inside out.
By addressing inflammation, cellular stress, and nervous system imbalance, these therapies can help you:
- Recover faster
- Think more clearly
- Move with less pain
- And feel more like yourself — at any age
At Michigan Health and Wellness, we believe aging should be about possibility, not limitation. You deserve to feel vibrant, supported, and informed about what’s possible for your health — and that starts with understanding how your body works and what it needs to thrive.
If you’re curious whether HBOT or biofeedback therapy could be a good fit for your health journey, we invite you to schedule a free consultation with our team. It’s a no-pressure way to learn, ask questions, and explore your options — with guidance from people who care.
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Resources
Chen, L., Guo, Y., Wang, Y., & Zhang, J. (2024). The new insights of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Precision Clinical Medicine, 7(1), pbae001. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcmedi/pbae001
De Wolde, S. D., Hulskes, M. J. H., Weenink, J., et al. (2021). The effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on oxidative stress, inflammation and angiogenesis biomarkers in humans: A systematic review. Biomolecules, 11(8), 1210. https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/11/8/1210
Hadanny, A., Catalogna, M., Daphna-Tekoah, S., et al. (2020). Cognitive enhancement of healthy older adults using hyperbaric oxygen: A randomized controlled trial. Aging, 12(13), 13740–13761. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.103571
Hadanny, A., Maliar, I., Fishlev, G., et al. (2024). Physical enhancement of older adults using hyperbaric oxygen therapy: A prospective trial. BMC Geriatrics, 24, Article 5146-3. https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-024-04514-3
Hachmo, Y., Hadanny, A., et al. (2020). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases telomere length and decreases immunosenescent cells in isolated blood cells: A prospective trial. Aging, 12(22), 22445–22456. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.202188
Jiang, Y., Liu, Y., Wang, W., et al. (2021). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves neurological function in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage by reducing neuroinflammation. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 22(3), 1014. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8320307/
Lindenmann, J., Steininger, K. G., Gütl, P., et al. (2022). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and tissue regeneration: A review. Biomedicines, 10(12), 3145. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/12/3145
Marcinkowska, A. B., Szymańska, K., Dobrucki, L. W., & Dąbrowski, M. J. (2021). Impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on cognitive functions: A review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(16), 8833. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/16/8833
National Safety Council. (2017). Fatigue in the workplace: Causes & consequences.
https://www.nsc.org/getmedia/3f28912a-92ec-420f-a3e0-97321a75c6b4/fatigue-white-paper.pdf.aspx
Schottlender, N., Hadanny, A., Shapira, Y., et al. (2021). Effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(21), 11257. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/21/11257