We all suffer from stress, whether it is from work, life, relationship, or all of the above. According to the American Medical Association, 60 percent of all human illnesses can be linked to stress!It’s linked to the top five causes of death, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

So, how is society currently dealing with this? Over one-half of us use medication to cope with the effects of stress, leading to $300 billion being spent annually on prescription drugs.2 The good news is there is a natural alternative. Here’s how float therapy can help reduce your everyday to chronic stress.

It’s A Natural Prescription For Stress Relief

Floating has become the best-kept secret to safely and naturally relieve stress and anxiety. A float tank (ours are more of a pod) provides a weightless environment that when combined with pitch darkness and silence, creates sensory reduction. With the sensations of the outside world removed, your body and mind are allowed to completely relax and unplug.

A 2001 study in the Journal of the Canadian Pain Society found that spending time in a floatation tank effectively decreased anxiety and depression and  increased optimism. In summary, floating takes you to your happy place.3

It’s A Form Of Meditation

The practice of floating utilizes Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) to enhance point-to-point relaxation in the body. Water in the tank is heated to 35.5 degrees Celsius to create a comforting space where you can reach a new level of meditation that is typically experienced just before falling asleep or waking. Your mind is able to focus on rhythmic breathing and can fall into a deeper state of relaxation. 4

Floating Reduces Cortisol, The Stress Hormone

Floatation REST helps decrease cortisol levels, a hormone released in the bloodstream during stressful situations. Cortisol has negative effects on bodily functions, including altering immune system responses and suppressing the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes.

Frequent stress combined with overexposure to cortisol can put you at risk for numerous health problems such as anxiety, depression, heart disease, memory and concentration impairment and more. 5

Many studies have proven that floating regularly can reduce cortisol levels and decrease blood pressure, as well as improve overall mood.

Epsom Salt Is Replenishing

Not only is the practice of float therapy beneficial for stress relief, Epsom salt has its own benefits in itself. Stress naturally drains the body of magnesium. According to the National Academy of Sciences, most Americans are deficient in magnesium, which is one of the key components of Epsom salt.6

Over 500 kilograms of Epsom salt is dissolved in each of our float tanks to create a weightless environment. Epsom salt is absorbed through the skin while floating, replenishing magnesium levels in the body. The magnesium helps to improve the body’s production of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that combats depression or anxiety.7

Are You Ready To Float Stress Away?

Are you one of the many Americans combating anxiety, restlessness or exhaustion? Come float with us in South Perth, WA or head to a float spa near you to try out this peaceful practice for yourself. You never know what float therapy will do for you.

 

Citations:

1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heartmath-llc/how-stress-affects-the-body_b_2422522.html

2) http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your-body

3) Effects of flotation-REST on muscle tension pain, Journal of the Canadian Pain Society, Winter 2001, Volume 6 Issue 4: 181-189

4) http://www.pulsus.com/journals/abstract.jsp?jnlKy=7&atlKy=4294&isuKy=541&isArt=t&HCtype=Consumer

5) http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037

6) http://www.saltworks.us/salt_info/epsom-uses-benefits.asp

7) About Epsom Salts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2015.

 

Article courtesy of Just Float.