Studies of float therapy show that cardiovascular health may be enhanced by inducing deep relaxation that reduces stress levels and improves sleep. Chronic stress and sleep deprivation are linked to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, both of which have been shown in clinical research to be improved through float therapy.
Research with Insomnia Relief
Research dating back decades now shows that float therapy can be very effective in treating sleep problems including insomnia. A study in 1989 found that 4 x 2-hour sessions over 2 weeks lead to improvements in the symptoms of insomnia.
The vast majority of the research concludes that ‘sleep latency’ is dramatically reduced, which means the people that floated were able to fall asleep more quickly. The improvements to sleep lasted up to 12 weeks after the float sessions, indicating that floating as a sleep therapy can have lasting effects beyond the short-term of 4 long sessions in 2 weeks.
Fast forward to a more recent study in 2014 with twelve x 45 min sessions over 7 weeks, which found significant improvements in both sleep amount and the quality of sleep. And this 2017 study found groundbreaking information on how float therapy alters brain activity in ways that mimic some aspects of sleep itself. They connected EEG tools to measure brainwaves during float sessions and found deeper levels of relaxed consciousness. The brain waves were similar to stage 1 in a sleep cycle, the light sleep stage, this stage is when blood pressure and heart rate drop.
Float therapy reduces cortisol levels and lowers brain wave frequency, while having higher frequency brain waves (beta) and high cortisol levels make falling asleep harder, so it’s no surprise how float therapy helps induce a deeper sleep.
Anxiety and Depression Impact your Sleep
Anxiety and depression are major sleep disruptors, and any improvements in these factors can provide major benefits for a deeper sleep. 30% of us will experience one of these conditions at one point in our lives.
Many studies showing a serious impact on anxiety and depression, as we show here, where float therapy can move people quickly and deeply into a psychological state of meditation without any effort.
Stress and Burnout
Chronic stress is a major debilitating obstacle to sleeping well. A review of 2 dozen studies investigating float therapy found the practice to be very effective at reducing stress, increasing a sense of well being and improving daily performance at work. There are a few studies now showing the impact float therapy has on burnout, where one long term study showed after a series of 12 sessions, participants showed improvements to stress and symptoms of burnout were still in place 4 months after the treatment had ended.
The Body Clock
Our circadian rhythm (aka body clock) is one important system as it’s the master clock controller of our nerve cells in the brain’s hypothalamus. The circadian rhythm has been linked to a key aspect of sleep. Dr John Lily (the creator of the tank) focused on how float therapy can have a positive effect in helping the body reset its internal body clock. Helping the brain rebalance and return to homeostasis in our autonomic nervous system, thus bringing us back to a harmonious and more productive state for the days ahead.
Magnesium
Another aspect of the Float Therapy experience that induces sleep is that you are floating with 600kg of magnesium-based Epsom salts, magnesium is absorbed more effectively through soaking in water. Magnesium helps release muscle tension and calm the nervous system. It has been widely recommended by naturopaths and GPs to aid sleep.
Overall the research shows that float therapy can be a very effective tool for stimulating the body’s relaxation response. Floating is a great way to curb the effects of fatigue with troubled sleep. And help break the cycle to get you back into a positive and restful sleep routine.
Book in for a float today to see how it can improve your sleep the nights following a session.
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