How float therapy is helping some improve sleep and reduce anxiety

PORTLAND, Ore. (InvestigateTV) - A type of therapy can improve people’s health by allowing anxiety and tension to float away. Studies show that float therapy can improve sleep and reduce pain.

Float therapy involves lying in a tub filled with nearly a thousand pounds of magnesium dissolved in skin-temperature water. The solution is dense enough that the body cannot sink.

Sessions typically last an hour or more, with the option to turn off all lights and block out all sound.

Nia Linbravo referees women’s basketball games four to five nights a week. She has also worked as a juvenile probation officer and now works in project management. She said the physical and mental demands of her schedule made it difficult to slow down.

“It was hard to relax,” Linbravo said.

A herniated disk and trouble sleeping led her to try float therapy. She said the experience has also helped her manage a diagnosis of depression and anxiety.

“I talked to my doctor about doing this. I wanted to talk about different strategies and they were saying it would be helpful for me, and it has been,” Linbravo said.

She described the sensation of floating as a form of release.

“I think it’s the weightlessness and the feeling of the water supporting me, and I’m literally just letting go,” Linbravo said. “Being in the floating tank, it is a space for me to just talk to myself and reflect on what’s happening — calm my mind and be in the moment.”

Dana Highfill has worked as a massage therapist for 17 years and operates Float North in Northeast Portland. She said most clients come in seeking relief of some kind.

“There’s that physical component — you’re getting relief because it feels like you’re turning off gravity. You’re laying there fully supported, your joints open up, and it helps reduce inflammation,” Highfill said.

She said float therapy can also support mental health care routines.

“You have reduced stimulation to your nervous system. You can go from fight or flight, which most of us live in, to a rest and repair state,” Highfill said.

Highfill also addressed a common concern about the experience, noting that the tanks are not as confining as some expect. A single tank measures eight feet long, four feet wide, with a seven-foot ceiling. The water is approximately 10 inches deep.