5 Physical Benefits Of Floatation

Floatation is a pretty amazing practice when you think about it. You’re floating around totally weightless in warm saltwater, in a manufactured pod which blocks out all sound and light… and it’s incredibly good for you; mind, body and soul.

The wide ranging benefits of floating come down to three of its main components which all have great ripple effects of holistic wellness:

• High concentration of magnesium
• Sensory deprivation
• Zero gravity

Thanks to this magical triad, after hour in a float tank you can leave feeling better than you went in, emotionally, mentally and physically.

In this article we’re going focus on the bodily benefits, breaking down of some of the main ways in which time in an isolation tank can improve physical health.

Aids with Sports Recovery

Elite athletes the world over are dipping into float tanks. Why?

One of the main obstacles when it comes to recovering from intensive fitness training is lactic acid. Also known as blood lactate, this is a natural chemical in the body which builds up during intensive exercise and causes the stiffness and aches which often becomes a hindrance to performance.

It has been proven that an hour spent in an isolation tank reduces lactate levels by 37% (as shown in this study), and also soothes lactate related aches and pains.

This decrease in lactate not only leads to a faster recovery. By floating regularly alongside training, the athlete also ensures that lactate levels are repeatedly reduced, increasing the body’s lactic threshold, and therefore improving performance and endurance.

This makes floatation the perfect complement to your fitness regime. Read more about how floatation can support intensive training here.

Effective Pain Relief

The principle cause for chronic pain is chronic stress, which over time perpetuates and can cause severe health conditions.

Floatation REST is a highly conducive therapy for alleviating pain, because of how it tackles stress. Here’s how:

• Sensory deprivation cases the brain to shift gears and start producing theta brainwaves. This brain state triggers a deep state of relaxation that is even more restful than sleep.
• The zero gravity experience of the pod allows the body to be completely weightless, which can be of great benefit to anyone dealing with chronic pain.
• Magnesium works both on your internal stress levels (regulating stress hormones) and on relaxing the muscles, easing physical pain.

Read more on the benefits of floatation for relieving pain and chronic conditions.

Improves Quality of Sleep

Thanks to hectic lifestyles and copious time spent on screens, many of us are quite used to getting by on not quite enough sleep, and not quite the best quality either. But good sleep is one of the absolute imperatives of good health.

A study in Sweden in 2010 showed that participants experienced deeper, uninterrupted sleep after float sessions.

The reason for this is really a combination of all three of floatation’s main aspects. Magnesium lowers the stress hormone levels making it easier to wind down when you go to bed, zero gravity means your physical body is well restored and relaxed which makes drifting off effortless, and the sensory deprivation gives the brain a chance to unwind.

An added bonus of the sensory deprivation in the pod environment is the lack of light in the tank. We are exposed to so much artificial blue light sources which stimulates cortisol production, keeping you awake. Being in the dark induces a release of melatonin, which sends you into a deep and peaceful sleep. Find out more about the impact of blue light on our health here.

Gives You Glorious Skin

The skin plays an important role in floatation, as transdermal (i.e through the skin) absorption is the most effective way to take in magnesium. This means, as you lay in the tank, you’re benefitting from magnesium intake in the best way possible.

Floatation can benefit your skin in a myriad of ways:

- Regenerative cellular processes are improved by the lowering of cortisol, leading to overall better skin appearance.
- The Epsom salt rich water in the tank is antimicrobial, antibacterial and gently exfoliating, making it great for detoxifying the skin and drawing out impurities. This reduces irritation and can be good for those with acne.
- Magnesium deficiency (which most of us have thanks to our industrialised food diets) causes higher production of histamines, which are responsible for skin rashes and blotchiness. Upping your magnesium intake therefore has a beneficial impact on inflammatory conditions like psoriasis and rosea.
- Floating regularly can also be beneficial for cellulite, as floatation improves circulation, and poor circulation is one of the main triggers for cellulite.

So the impact of this high absorption of the mineral is an all round win for your skin!

Effective Muscle Relaxant

Thanks to the zero gravity environment of the float pod facilitated by the high concentration of Epsom salts (which are a muscle relaxant even in small doses), your body has a unique opportunity to be completely weightless, which allows for a complete muscular relaxation.

Without the otherwise consistent impact of gravity, the body is able to pump blood around more freely, which is what flushes out lingering cortisol and adrenaline, which cause a lot of the physical tension we carry.

Another benefit for your workouts: while exercise stimulates muscle growth, the strengthening process itself occurs 30 to 40 hours after the work out. The deep physical relaxation achieved in the float tank can improve circulation and accelerate the growth and regeneration of muscle tissue.

Floatation as a form of restorative therapy has a whole wealth of benefits for body and soul, and researchers are still investigating exactly the extend of the beneficial qualities on our overall wellbeing. Whether you’re a float business owner or just an avid floater, stay in the loop on the latest float related facts by following us on Instagram or Facebook.