Can You Float Your Way to Health and Relaxation?

| 2 min read

Swimming
It looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie: people floating in giant pods that hold over a 100 gallons of water and 900 pounds of Epsom salt. But floatation tanks aren’t from a science fiction film—they are actually the latest health trend to hit Michigan.
Each tank is filled with skin-temperature water and so much salt that your body will float perfectly. Once inside, you start to lose track that there is water at all (you actually feel like you’re floating in mid-air), and the sensory deprivation helps your mind drift away. Adding earplugs and complete darkness to the equation removes even more senses so that your mind can drift into a deep dream-like state.
It sounds trippy, but floatation therapy offers many of the same mental and physical benefits you’d experience from yoga or meditation, including helping with stress, sleep disorders, chronic pain and muscle soreness. Floating also improves blood flow to all the parts of the body, including the brain, and appears to decrease lactic acid and adrenaline while increasing endorphins. Floatation can also help eliminate fatigue, increase energy, and even boost your immune system!
There are already a few places in Michigan where you can give it a try, including:
If you can’t make it to a floatation tank, there are a lot of other things you can do to feel less stressed and more relaxed. Check out these blogs for ideas:
This blog post is part of #HealthyMe, a personalized web experience based on your health and wellness goals. To sign up today, visit https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/healthyme.
Photo credit: David~O

A Healthier Michigan is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
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