(You don’t have to close the lid if you’re claustrophobic, but a teeny bit of light can sneak in then.) The room’s lights were equipped with motion sensors and would automatically go out after about 10 seconds or so of no movement. The salt would sting if it got into any scrapes.Īfter I did all of this, I could get in the water and, if I chose, close the pod’s lid. Lagos notes that the magnesium sulfate in Epsom salt also serves to help relax sore muscles and potentially aid in recovery. Float pods are full of Epsom salt-about 800 or more pounds for you to be completely buoyant-which allows for practitioners to effortlessly float in six to 12 inches of water without bumping their butt into the bottom. If I had any cuts or scrapes on my body, I was to cover them with petroleum jelly. (It’s apparently bad for the pod.) Then, I’d put in earplugs, which would eliminate any sound that made its way into the room and prevent water from getting into my ears. I would wash off in the shower, scrub my hair, but not put in conditioner. As cool as a cucumber, he walked me back to my private float room-equipped with a clam-looking float pod, shower, and shelf filled with toiletries-to explain to me how the whole thing worked. Fortunately, the man behind the reception desk didn’t seem to mind. When I arrived at Float Sixty in Chicago’s Loop back, I was already stressed and running late. Once I knew what I was getting myself into, I was ready to try it. “By quieting their minds, they can strengthen their focus while giving them much needed physiological and psychological.” “Runners may see, smell, hear, or feel aspects such as running free, overcoming fatigue, and crossing the finish line in their desired time,” she says. Some people, especially athletes, use their sessions as a mental “blank slate” for completing performance-boosting visualization exercises, explains clinical and sports psychologist Leah Lagos Wallach, Psy.D. But by depriving the senses of sight, sound, and touch, float pods may make it a lot easier to tame the an overly stimulated mind and get into that meditative state. Join Runner's World+ for unlimited access to the best training tips for runnersĪfter all, flotation is pretty similar to meditation. A small pilot study published in the journal Performance Enhancement and Health of 60 elite athletes found flotation therapy-when completed within one to three hours after a training session-can be an effective way for athletes to recover physically and mentally from exercise. What’s more, researchers have begun to explore how flotation therapy can aid with recovery in athletes. And more recently, a 2018 study published in PLoS Onefound a one hour session of flotation therapy helped reduce stress, muscle tension, pain, and depression in participants with stress-related disorders. A 2006 study in the International Journal of Stress Management went on to find that the association drop in stress and anxiety lasts for up to four months after being treated a dozen times. Having been available (albeit not exactly popular) for more than 50 years, this type of sensory deprivation therapy is actually decently researched.įor instance, back in 1983, research published in Biofeedback and Self-Regulation found that floating results in a significant reduction in levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Even Team USA gymnast Aly Raisman floated in preparation for the 2016 Rio Games. Many athletes use float therapy, like British 400-meter hurdler Tasha Danvers, who took home bronze at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Download Your Runner’s World+ Training Plansįlotation therapy is a process in which you float on water in a bed-sized container, called a pod, that’s devoid of all light and sound.
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