If you are ready to scream at the person in the car next to you just for being or want to loudly berate–for hours—the fast food personnel that got your order wrong, it may be time to start floating in Corona. A float tank or sensory deprivation tank, can help reduce the stress that built up enough to change you from Ned or Nancy Nice to the raging Incredible Hulk. It also has many other benefits, besides making you more pleasant to be with—even when you’re alone. Not only will you like your new relaxed self more, you will like the world better because of your relaxed state.
If making you feel good mentally isn’t enough of a benefit, there are physical benefits, too. For instance, studies show that spending time in a float tank can lower your blood pressure, with the benefits increasing each time you go. It also is good for pain relief, which is why many athletes use it after sporting events. It aids in the healing process and gets them back in action more quickly.
Of course, an improved mood is one of those, but the lowered stress levels you feel after a treatment is more than just emotional. Stress affects all parts of the body in a negative manner. It can cause digestive upsets and even exacerbate conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, traumatic injuries, osteoarthritis and other chronic degenerative conditions. The reduction of pain brings a reduction of stress, so you’re doubling the benefits.
Unlike some of the original machines created, the concept is far more simple and enjoyable. Water is heated to body temperature and enough Epsom salt is added to make your body float without effort. The room is quiet and dark—some tanks aren’t really tanks, but a whole room. With the water matching room temperature, the buoyancy, quiet and dark, you find it easier to relax without the sensory overload. That’s something it takes years to do with meditation.
