What’s the deal with floating and who should do it?
So it’s a few days out from Christmas and the only people left on my shopping list are people who are truly hard to buy for: my teenagers, a cricket-loving uncle and a friend who’s expecting.
Then it clicks: the gift of floating is perfect for all of them. In the beautiful world of floating there is no light, no smell, no touch and no sound (besides soft music at the beginning and the end of your float).
The water is saturated with 350kg of Epsom salt, making it so dense and buoyant that you float no matter what you weigh. The physical and mental health benefits are astounding. It’s a deep relaxation that restores your nervous system after the stress of a
busy year.
Here are the ‘hard to buy for’ people whom a float voucher is perfect for.
Teenagers
When was the last time your teen took an hour off from their phone, laptop, Netflix or PS5? Time immersed in a float tank will allow them to switch off, literally. Submerged in the tank they’ll disconnect from school, peers and parents.
The tank is also a fantastic way to introduce mindfulness to your teen, allowing them to take a break, come back to the present moment, come back to their breath and rediscover their inner strength and resilience.
People with anxiety
A regular floating routine can lower cortisol — the stress response hormone — levels and help you disconnect from the pressures of everyday life. The sensory deprivation qualities of floating also mean it’s a great meditation aid, and can significantly improve sleep quality too (many anxiety sufferers also experience insomnia).
Floating can help to decrease blood pressure, and lower stress hormones, creating an increase in endorphins. One hour in a float tank is equal to four hours of sleep, so you’ll leave feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Expecting mums
Being pregnant puts all sorts of extra pressure on your body, I mean you’re growing an extra human! Floating helps ease and alleviate the pressure on your joints (trust me that feeling alone is worth it).
Floating can alleviate swelling and help prevent edema. Time in the tank also helps promote vasodilation, which means that your blood vessels dilate to allow better blood flow as well as ease high blood pressure, both beneficial for you and the baby. The zero gravity environment of the float tank offers an hour of weightlessness for a pregnant mum, with the pressure taken off her limbs, lower back and abdomen.
Athletes
Professional athletes and even the fitter among us are always looking for new and innovative ways to increase their performance. Recovery has become just as important as the physical work itself. Floating assists with increased physical healing, a reduction in swelling and also aids in detoxifying and increasing endorphins. Mindset is crucial for achieving peak physical condition and a float tank has been linked to hemispheric and whole-brain integration.
Chronic pain sufferers
Many chronic illness and pain sufferers have reported welcome relief while using natural and holistic treatment methods like floating.
Floatation therapy can aid with relief of pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic osteo-arthritis, migraines, back and joint pain, fibromyalgia, tendonitis, bursitis and traumatic injuries. Pressure taken off the spine can also help to straighten bones and joints and alleviate discomfort for chronic back pain sufferers.
Floating increases circulation throughout the whole body as well as the distribution of oxygen and nutrients supporting healing. Enhanced muscle relaxation and an overall reduction in physical stress are also achieved through floatation.
Grab a Christmas float voucher here
A Q! News x Astral Float Studio article