The Amazing Health Benefits of Floating in a Float Tank

What do you think of when you think of floating in a sensory-deprivation tank? Science fiction? Or celebrities and athletes? Maybe even some of your fears? Whatever you think of now, what you should be thinking of is all the health benefits that floating provides. Floating has been scientifically proven to reduce pain, anxiety, depression, and stress. It is an amazing way to take care of your body and your mind (and it is not as scary as you think!) Here are the basics of floating and 5 major health benefits that it can produce for you.

What is Floating?
Floating in a sensory deprivation tank, also known as a float tank, traces its most basic routes all the back to ancient times and the Dead Sea. People have traveled to this Middle Eastern Sea for thousands of years to float in its incredibly salty water and experience the healing benefits.

In more modern times, floating started garnering interest in the 1950s when scientists began to see the benefits of floating for people with afflictions such as anxiety disorders, addiction, and PTSD. The popularity of floating had its ups and downs over the next few decades, but scientists continued studying all the benefits floating provides.

Fast-forward to the early 2000s and floating began trending in a way that has continued to grow over the last two decades. Small businesses offering float sessions began popping up in major cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Today, you can find a place, or maybe even multiple places, to float in and around most major cities around the world.

How It Works
Floating in a float pod works because the water is saturated with Epsom salt. This allows your body to be almost weightless and effortlessly float in the pod. The water’s temperature is set to match your skin temperature and the pod is closed to block out light and sound. While some pods do have controllable lights and music options, the idea is that you create a state where you are using none of your 5 senses, touch, taste, smell, hearing, or sight. This puts you in a meditative state that allows you to relax and heal both physically and mentally.

5 Health Benefits of Floating

1. Relieves Stress
There are two main ways that floating relieves stress. One is physical and one is mental. Physically, the magnesium sulphate (Epsom salt) in the water inhibits a specific hormone (cortisol) that your body produces naturally which causes the chemical reaction in your brain that leads to stress. The sensory deprivation of floating relaxes you and puts your mind at ease which also reduces stress. Dozens of studies have been done on the effects of floating and they all conclude floating leads to positive results for people’s moods, relaxation, and recovery from fatigue and burnout.

2. Improves Mental Health and Sleep
In addition to general stress relief, studies have also shown that floating can lead to positive outcomes in the treatment of more serious mental disorders, many of which are brought on by chronic or intense stress. Depression and anxiety have been shown to be greatly reduced as the result of multiple floating sessions and it has also been effectively used in individual cases of treating PTSD. Just like the stress reduction results, there is a body chemistry component and a mental component. The same is true for improved sleep quality which is known to be improved by exposure to magnesium and floating.

3. Reduces Pain
Floating oxygenates your body which leads to improved blood flow. Better blood flow leads to pain reduction and because of this, floating has been used to treat many physical issues such as disc pain in people’s backs, fibromyalgia, and pain associated with stress and muscle tension. Floating is easy on your joints and is known to increase energy and ease of movement in people who do it.

4. Increases Athletic Performance
One group that has been floating for years is athletes. This is because floating helps to reduce lactic acid which is the chemical that builds up in your muscles after working out. Reducing this allows you to recover quicker, avoid stiffness and muscle fatigue, and avoid injury. The calmness and relaxation floating provide have also been shown to aid in focus with athletes.

5. Boosts Creativity
Creatives have also known and enjoyed the benefits of floating for a long time. Being in a float pod lets you be alone with your thoughts with no other senses to consume your mind. This opens your mind’s creative potential and allows you to thin kin ways you are rarely able to in most situations. Writers, musicians, and performers have long believed floating opens their creative minds.

Conclusion
Floating is an amazing experience and one that comes with a wide range of benefits. To find out more about floating, float pods, how to float, and what you can gain from it, feel free to send us a message here