Stress reduction, energy rejuvenation and relief from intense muscular pain are just some of the reasons people are jumping on board floatation therapy. Across the world, a practice which is now about 70 years old, is getting attention from all age groups looking for different ways to find relief from their anxiety, PTSD, pain & muscle recovery.
The client spectrum is so broad it includes: students looking to improve their mental clarity, pregnant women looking for joint and back relief and individuals suffering from PTSD. NDIS clients are using flotation therapy to improve their mobility and professional athletes are using it for recovery and visualisation of their game plan. So why people float overnight:
1. Acclimation
The most obvious offering of overnight floats is acclimation, which is provided through the extended time in the pod. Being in the pod for up to 7-8 hours helps an individual to deeply familiarise themselves with the environment both mentally and physically. By deepening their floatation practice in this way, it noticeably assists with their wellness in an integrated way.
2. Zero Gravity
An experience like nothing else. You could say it’s the best night of your life not involving sex. Up to 8 hours of complete silence, no stimulation in a completely temperature controlled environment.
No sight, no smell, no sound, zero gravity and no tactical feeling. You would be unable to recreate this anywhere else, unless you were an astronaut of course. Completely weightless and weight free.
Whilst floating experience the feeling of an upward motion. It feels like I’m moving within an infinite space while simultaneously being grounded. I love the feeling of merging with the water; not being able to feel where the water ends and I begin. This is my most loved sensation.
It is a surreal experience made possible by the unique environment. The ultimate wind down and deep relaxation. You will wake feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.
3. Sleep Debt: Paid Back
Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get. As a nation we are increasingly sleep deprived which in turn impacts our health, increases anxiety and our inability to think clearly.
Each time I travel overseas the first thing I do is get into the pod for 2 hours. No matter how out of wack I have been in different time zones, that 2 hours sets me right again. No jet lag! The time in the pod resets my circadian rhythm or biological clock. I then get on with my day and return to my normal sleep patterns that same night.
Many floaters maintain that 1 hour in the pod is equivalent to 4 hours of normal sleep. Although science hasn’t quite figured out how to measure this yet, it is a shared perspective amongst thousands of floaters globally. Something that gives hope to the millions of sleep deprived individuals walking around every day.
The good news is, like all debt, sleep debt can also be repaid. One extended snooze marathon won’t completely fix it. Although a night in the tank does lend itself to break habits, a commitment to a regular sleep routine focused on adding an extra 1 – 2 hours of sleep a night to catch up is key. For the chronically sleep deprived, it may take a few months to achieve the full catch up. A deficit in sleep impacts your immune system, mental functioning and aging process. All the reasons why sleeping is important.
The science behind floating tells us that people who suffer from insomnia tend to have deeper sleep for many days following a float session. It is likely that the enhanced relaxation will persist for those without insomnia as well.
A client with severe PTSD reported relief and improvement from insomnia with each of her overnight floats. The effects lasting weeks post experience. Her first overnight float allowed her to sleep for 6 hours straight for the first time in 4 years.
4. Relief from chronic pain
From chronic back pain, arthritis and muscle fatigue, floatation is helping to ease the unbearable pain in a natural and non-invasive manner.
Floating decompresses the neck and spine and assists with extended pain relief. It is the only time when the cerebellum (brain stem sitting above the spine) is freed for uses other than balancing the body. Hence creating the opportunity for it to be available for higher functional activities.
Clients from overnight floats have reported:
Deep muscle relaxation that remains between one day to 10 days.
Tension release from neck and shoulders that massage and other modalities couldn’t achieve.
Relief in the form of deep sleep from chronic back pain that medication did not accomplish.
Catch up from sleep deprivation through relaxation.
Energised the day after which resulted in additional energy that equalled 2 days worth of effort as a result of increased mental clarity.
5. Managing Anxiety and Stress
According to scientific studies, every hour spent floating can help to reduce stress and anxiety by lowering blood pressure, reducing heart rate and cortisol levels. In turn this eliminates fatigue, increases focus and stimulates dopamine production. It does this by freeing the body of 90% of its neuro muscular activity.
Emotional and mental health issues are being shown to be treatable with floatation therapy. Effectively, the external stimuli are removed and the mind experiences intense satisfaction helping to reach a meditative state. Once the practice of floating is developed this allows the body and mind to self regulate it’s needs and move to a place where it can heal itself.
Due to the incredibly relaxed environment and state of being, the body experiences medicinal benefits to help it deal with problems. The human body is naturally wired to react with a fight-or-flight response, but flotation therapy takes the body into a deep sense of relaxation helping it relieve and combat stress.
So what are you waiting for? If you are an experienced floater who has evolved their practice to 1.5 - 3 hour floats, book your pod now!
Float for Life at Gravity Float
Toni Basile
