16 Jun Float Therapy For Anxiety: What You Need to Know
Does Float Therapy Help Anxiety?
Float therapy is a form of alternative therapy that can be used to alleviate and treat both mental and physical health issues. Over the years, float therapy, along with other alternative forms of treatment, have become more and more popular across the United States and the entire world.
So, can float therapy help those struggling with anxiety? Float therapy can help people struggling with anxiety in many ways:
- The float pod is sound-proof and light-proof, eliminating the stresses and distractions that our senses can cause.
- The patient will experience a weightless environment by floating on saturated salt-water. This will relieve the body from the stress of gravitational pull and the tension the human body tends to carry when anxious.
- Magnesium minerals are mixed into the water for your body to absorb. Magnesium is a natural relaxant.
- Float therapy is proven to decrease blood pressure and lower the heart rate, helping the patient experience relaxation throughout their entire body.
Medications for stress and anxiety can have unknown chemicals and cause negative side effects to your body; float therapy is a natural way to eliminate the stressors of life and experience peace and relaxation not only in the mind but also in the body. To know more about how float therapy works and how it can help with anxiety, keep reading.
How Does Float Therapy For Anxiety Work?
When planning your float therapy session, you’ll want to pack a swimsuit. Most float therapy sessions last between 60 – 90 minutes, while some people choose to float for a few hours. If you choose to float at Longevity Effect, we provide you with a shower, towel, earplugs, and anything else you may need to do your float therapy session.
The key feature of float therapy is the float pod, or the sensory deprivation tank, where the actual therapy will take place. In this pod, water is saturated with over 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt and other minerals. When water is saturated with salt, it becomes incredibly easy to float on top of the water. You can float without straining your muscles or worrying that you will sink.
The water you float in and the air temperature in the pod are kept at the same temperature, so you can’t differentiate between the different elements within the pod. Once the sensory deprivation tank is shut, all sound and light are sealed off outside of the pod.
Anyone can do float therapy, from children and adults to seniors to pregnant women. Float therapy is a safe alternative therapy that can benefit anyone overwhelmed by the stresses of life.
To learn more about how float therapy works, visit our South Tulsa Float Therapy Service Page here.
How Does Float Therapy Treat Anxiety? 
If you’re someone who deals with anxiety, you may be struggling to understand the benefits of float therapy. Sitting in a claustrophobic sealed-off pod with nothing to distract you for over an hour may seem like the opposite of what you need; however, the effects of float therapy will help you to relieve stress both in your mind and your body.
Float Therapy Eliminates Sensory Input
From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep, we’re bombarded with different sounds, sights, tastes, smells, and anything else that can overwhelm your senses. As a part of life, we rarely take the time to notice the effects that overloaded senses can have on us. One prominent thing that float therapy does is it removes the distraction of the senses.
When you do a float therapy session, you float in a pod that seals out any sound or light. This is to eliminate the distractions and stresses that these things can cause. This will enable your mind to experience peace and quiet compared to the sensory overload it’s used to.
Relieves Your Body From the Effects of Gravity and Stress
Any medical professional will tell you that people tend to carry stress and anxiety in their bodies. If you deal with stress, you may feel like your neck and shoulders are always stiff. If you’re an anxious person, you can carry tension in your muscles. This along with the effects that gravity has on the human body means that your body is constantly under stress.
When you attend a float therapy session, you through densely saturated saltwater. The water is so dense, you can float on top of it without straining or working to stay above the surface. Since you’re floating, the stresses of gravity will be eliminated. This allows you to completely release the tension and the stress that you’ve held in your body for so long.
Float Therapy For Anxiety Provides You Natural Relaxants
Medications given for depression, stress, or anxiety can have unknown chemicals and negative side effects. During a float therapy session, Magnesium will be added to the water solution that you float in, allowing your body to absorb the mineral. Magnesium is known to be a natural relaxant and it will help your body relax and release any tension it may have been carrying.
Float Therapy Helps to Decrease Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
It is proven that many health issues can be the result of stress and anxiety. Heart diseases, asthma, headaches, diabetes, and gastrointestinal problems can all be brought on or worsened by stress. Great; just one more thing to stress out about! The great news is that float therapy can help alleviate this stress from your body and return it to normal levels.
Have you ever noticed that when you start to get anxious you can feel your heartbeat pounding in your chest? This is just one example of stress affecting your body. The great news is the opposite happens when you relax; when you start to relax and forget about your problems, your heart rate, and blood pressure will decrease. This can be tremendously beneficial for your health.
How to Make Your Float Therapy Session More Effective
If you’re someone who likes to be on the move and doesn’t like to sit still, you may think it difficult to attend an hour-long float therapy session. You can just see yourself sitting in the sensory deprivation tank planning what you have to do once your appointment is over.
Clear Your Mind
One secret to having a successful float therapy session is to use meditation techniques when you’re in the pod. One important aspect of meditation is clearing your mind. If you practice clearing your mind from all the distractions you normally face, you’ll be able to fully embrace the benefits of float therapy.
Relax Your Body
Meditation also focuses on relaxing your body to relax your mind. This goes right along with the concept of the saturated saltwater that you float on during your float therapy session. In the points mentioned above, we see how the health of your mind can affect your physical health, and vice versa. To experience healing and relief in these areas, you must be able to relax both your mind and your body.
Focus on Your Breathing
If you’re someone who’s easily distracted by the thoughts in your head, you may find it hard to experience the true benefits of float therapy. One technique you can try is focusing on your breathing. If you give yourself something to concentrate on, the thoughts in your head will soon disappear and allow you to experience relaxation.
Your breathing can play a role in getting your body to relax. If you take big, deep, and slow breaths, your body will find it easier to relax compared to if you take short quick breaths. Practice breathing deep and counting your breaths so you can stay focused on your float therapy session.
Other Alternative Therapies Used to Treat Anxiety
If you’re looking for natural ways to treat your anxiety, the good news is that many different alternative therapies can help relieve stress in your body and mind. Here is a list of the most common alternative therapies used to treat anxiety:
- Meditation
- Chiropractic Work
- Massage
- Yoga
- Acupuncture
- Float Therapy
At Longevity Effect, we offer many of these alternative therapies to treat stress and anxiety. The benefits of float therapy far outweigh the costs. If you’d like to schedule an appointment for chiropractic work, acupuncture, or float therapy, contact us here.
There are many great advantages to attending a float therapy session. If you’re someone who deals with stress and anxiety, float therapy can help you relax in both your body and mind. If you’d like to know more about our Midtown Tulsa float therapy sessions, read our article, Float Therapy Frequently Asked Questions: Complete Guide.