Five benefits of Floatation Therapy
If you are thinking why should I float? Then hopefully these 5 benefits will tickle your fancy. If they can’t seem to relate to you, there are an abundance of reasons and advantages to try floatation. If you’re wondering whether or not it will help you, please get in touch with your local centre and they will have all the answers for you.
The floatation experience has a place to benefit everyone.
01. Stress Relief:
Stress, is what I believe is one of our biggest health epidemics that most (if not all) of us are battling day-in day-out. It has multiple links to various health ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic diseases and heart conditions and can lead to further cases of stress induced anxiety and depression. We are constantly dealing with overstimulation from our environment, thus keeping us in this heightened state of our sympathetic nervous system (“fight or flight”) and not being able to disconnect from it.
Floating allows us to disconnect. Being in an environment of no sensory input it leaves us to be alone with our mind and our thoughts (a rare occurrence). From shutting out the outside world our bodies will naturally enter into the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering our cortisol levels and beginning to melt away the worries and stress’ of our everyday lives. That feeling of blissful, nothingness doesn’t only last for the 60 minutes in the tank but is proven to then have lasting effects when you return to the ‘real world’ to help you deal with everyday difficulties.
02. Magnesium:
Magnesium is the fourth most essential mineral in our bodies, yet most of us have magnesium deficiency. Not having enough magnesium in your body can lead to numerous health problems. Magnesium has over 235 enzymatic reactions in the body. It has connections to bone metabolism, cardiovascular health, neurological activity, temperature regulations, hormone balancing, muscle contraction/relaxation and nerve impulses. After just one hour in the float tank and soaking in 350 kg of epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), your magnesium levels are boosted well above your daily required amount and will stay regulated for long periods of time.
03. Muscle Recovery:
A lot of sports personalities are now leaning towards floatation therapy for their recovery. Steph Curry, Wayne Rooney, Tom Brady, Buddy Franklin and many others now are using the floatation experience to get the upper edge on their opponents. Being supported by the heavily salinated water creates that gravity free feeling,this takes a lot of stress and weight off the body and allows every single muscle to get the rest it needs.
Vasodilation happens when your muscles become so relaxed and allows blood to move more freely around the body, aiding in reducing swelling and inflammation and lowering blood pressure. The AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) sees floatation tank use as an integral part to the training regimes that their athletes follow. Reducing lactic acid levels, reducing inflammation, boosting recovery, increasing energy (ATP) levels and removing muscle soreness I understand why it’s hitting mainstream media so rapidly.
04. Mindfulness:
Have you never been able to meditate? Tried sitting still, not hearing the outside world carry on as you try to quiet the mind and reach an enlightened state. It can sometimes be difficult. With floatation, that is all entirely possible and with no experience in meditation. In the tank we can learn to refocus our attention and learn to stay truly in the moment by cutting out all distractions that would usually interfere with your practice. The state is reached much easier by the tank allowing us to lower naturally into the ‘Theta state’. A state that we are now disconnected from in our everyday lives, bar sleeping and a state where we are more efficient in creativity, memory retention and the ability to learn. The experience of mindfulness does not only last in the tank but will drape and flow over you for days or weeks following, showing you truly how to be present in life.
05. Improved Sleep:
A bad night’s sleep can be a precursor to many ailments and diseases. Not getting that good nights rest can make you cranky, unfocused and impede on other peoples days. With floatation you soak in a large amount of epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant, relaxed muscles lead to a non stressful sleep and can prevent insomnia for troubled sleepers. Even if you don’t experience sleep problems, after 1 hour in the tank (equivalent to 4 hours recuperative sleep) you will find yourself in a deeper realm of relaxation and comfort that night and feel much more rejuvenated the next morning.
The floatation experience has a place to benefit everyone. With it’s advantages growing more and more each year helping from the minor to the major problems in everyday life. It is something now I can’t go without and will have noticeable effects if I do begin to slack off and not float for a few weeks. As soon as I jump right back into the “womb of warm butter” my problems physical, mental and spiritual all seem to wash away leaving me walking out with the feeling of a full restart, a re-birthing.
