How Does Float Therapy Effect Relaxation?
During floating levels of the stress hormone cortisol drop, while the feel-good hormones rise. With your mind at rest your body can focus on healing itself. As you counteract the harsh effects of gravity your muscles and connective tissues begin to rest and recover. Joints are supported and relaxed and your lower back begins to decompress and align.
Inside our float pods, therapeutic Epsom salts are dissolved in ten inches of water which is warmed to skin temperature. Like the dead sea, this extremely dense solution enables people of all body types to float effortlessly. The pod is dark (optional) and quiet (also optional) which reduces sensory stimulation. Eliminating your sensory overload allows your brain to drift into the half-awake, half dreaming state where meditation and creativity flourish.
Floating is freeing yourself from all sensation of gravity, temperature, touch, sight and sound (which together account for 90% of normal neuromuscular activity), you then conserve and can redirect vast amounts of natural physical and mental energy.
Floating and Relaxation
Zero Gravity in the pod – the return of muscles fibres to a low-tension state means your muscles and tendons will relax making motion easier and with a greater range of movement.
Pressure is taken off joints
As you relax, your autonomic nervous system (which controls your heart rate and breathing rate) slows. This lowers blood pressure. This change is also related to the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol is reduced through mental relaxation, blood pressure comes down significantly.
Blood circulation is increased
It improves digestion
It can help your immune system
Improves focus and thinking
Promoting that feel good feeling
Ease of pain
Improved sleep
Intense relaxation and stress relief
Some more science….
A benefit that is unique from using sensory deprivation therapy is that it helps to keep our flight and fight responses at bay. The sympathetic nervous system which causes these types of responses is kept at bay by the parasympathetic nervous system that is activated by a floatation session. When this nervous system is in use, that’s when healing, relaxation, and replenishment can begin.
When the body reaches a certain amount of relaxation, it is able to cause positive physical results like reduced muscle tension, decreased blood pressure, fewer stress hormones, and increased endorphins.
During a float session, the hemispheres of the brain are able to synchronize, which studies have shown helps the two different sides of the brain to talk to each other more smoothly. When this kind of communication happens between the left and right hemispheres, deeper realisations, stronger non-linear connections, and more creativity are just a few of the positive results.