Clinical research has shown that float therapy, or flotation, can rapidly reduce levels of anxiety and stress. Floating allows for deep relaxation and is characterized by the release of dopamine and serotonin.

Dr. Feinstein from The Laureate Institute for Brain Research is currently studying the effects of floating on both the brain and body, while also exploring its potential as a therapeutic treatment for promoting mental health in patients who suffer from anxiety and stress-related disorders, such as PTSD.

Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate and may help the body get rid of toxins responsible for exacerbating inflammation.

Magnesium is a natural substance that aids in a variety of bodily functions. Soaking in a tank filled with approximately 1,000 pounds of Epsom Salt often helps to reduce swelling in people living with certain inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, and psoriatic arthritis.

Whether it’s post-workout or injury related, muscle soreness is a common concern for many individuals. For centuries, Epsom salt soaks have been recommended to treat muscle aches and sprains.

Even though salt is in its name, Epsom salt is actually a pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate. Studies show that magnesium plays a number of roles in the body, including helping muscle and nerve function.

Simply by promoting a deep state of relaxation, floating has been shown to correlate with a reduction in blood pressure.

In addition, the weightless environment in a float tank allows your blood vessels to fully dilate (vasodilation), thereby reducing blood pressure and maximizing blow flow and oxygen throughout your body’s circulatory system.

Floating while pregnant allows you to escape the added weight and pressure of the baby by taking the strain off the body, spine, and feet. Some clients have also indicated that floating in our tanks while their baby is floating in the womb is a surreal experience that brings about feelings of deep connection.

Many of our pregnant clients were referred by their healthcare professional as a way to achieve improved physical comfort. As always, women should check with their doctors if they are high-risk.

Float therapy can increase blood flow, thereby helping to alleviate a headache or preventing one from starting. While many people associate floating with a reduction in mental stress, it can also reduce or eliminate some physical ailments as well.

Studies suggest that during deep states of relaxation, like those achieved during a float session, the body releases a higher concentration of endorphins (hormones that act like natural painkillers). The absence of light, noise, and movement also gives your brain a chance to withdraw from the stimuli that can trigger a migrane.

Float therapy helps to quiet activity in the central nervous system, relaxing the body and mind. As a result of this profound rest, a distinct series of physiological and psychological changes can occur that benefit sleep, health, and daily performance.

Floating is linked to significant cortisol reduction, which contributes to better sleep and stress management. Since high cortisol levels are also tied to diminished levels of melatonin, its easy to see why engaging in a consistent float practice can help to regulate sleep and combat insomnia.

By promoting the practice of mindfulness, floating can bring about the brain’s Theta waves, which have a frequency range of 3.5 to 7.5 Hz. This slow activity state has a strong connection to internal focus.

Individuals who work in professions that require a high degree of attention and concentration have found that building a regular float practice enables them to reduce distraction and be more fully be present on tasks at hand.

Floating can not only help protect our immune system from stress chemicals, it can also help to fortify it. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

When it comes to boosting your immune system, there are a number of ways to help ensure its functioning properly. While proper nutrition is always important, so is stress reduction. Research shows the interconnectedness between the immune system and relaxation and clearly indicates that overexposure to stress hormones can lead to a decrease in immune function.

Thankfully, we know floating can break the flight-or-fight response cycle and allow the brain to achieve a deep state of relaxation, where the “feel-good” hormone dopamine gets released.

Addiction can affect individuals and families from all walks of life. We are proud to offer floating as a viable resource for people struggling with recovery. Float therapy can increase energy (ATP), while simultaneously aiding in facilitated rest.

Recent studies from the National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBS) show that float therapy can be a “useful, flexible tool than can facilitate change in addictive variables at each level of complexity, from habitual acts through attitudes to self-concept and spirituality.”

By floating with minimal stimuli, you are able to be fully present. Although “doing nothing” may take some getting used to, this distraction free environment helps to reduce cortisol level and creates the ideal environment for meditation.

Clarity of thought can bring about a sense of peace and calm, allowing for a deeply personal and intimate journey into self.

The benefits of float therapy are well-documented and far-reaching. While some float for physical relief, others seek to enhance creativity, learning, and/or memory.

While floating, the brain is able to more readily enter a deep state of relaxation that allows for important mental processes to kick in. Part of the “default mode network”, these processes come to life and enable us to think, problem-solve, and just generally feel better. 

Research backs up the “Eureka moments” we sometime experience while floating or daydreaming in the shower can be attributed to giving the brain downtime.