As a first responder, you are designated and trained to prioritize the needs of others in emergency situations. Unfortunately, the busy life of a first responder or shift worker doesn’t always provide free time to visit a float spa, a massage therapist or your favorite yoga class. However, scheduling appointments for your own self-care is critical to your work performance, as well as your mental and physical health. Learn how booking floatation sessions can help you relax, recover and reset, so you can ensure you are always ready and alert for your important work.
Types of First Responders Who Use Floating Tanks
At Float8 Wellness Lounge in South Florida, our two float center locations in both Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale cater to all first responders. Our mission is to provide you with the wide range of therapies offered by the sensory deprivation tank experience, whether you’re an active employee of emergency service clocking long hours or a retired first responder seeking rest and relief. Our most common first responders who take advantage of floatation therapy as a wellness ritual include:
- Firefighters: Floatation therapy may help with muscle recovery from heavy lifting by helping to reduce lactic acid. The benefits of Epsom salt – which is comprised of magnesium sulfate – are numerous, and can also include decreased inflammation.
- Paramedics: Emergency medical jobs can be emotionally and mentally taxing. By working to lower your cortisol levels, salt therapy floatation can possibly reduce stress and lower anxiety, as well as combat depression, which will help you process your work in the field.
- Law enforcement officers: From police officers to state troopers, floating tanks are gaining in popularity. Law enforcement community members who float seek weightless relaxation with goals to unplug and relieve stress. Still, the meditation provided in the isolation tank or pod can improve concentration, which can boost your focus while in the line duty.
Shift Workers Who Visit Float Centers
In addition to our brave first responders, float centers also benefit various, dedicated shift workers. Some of these workers provide services along the frontlines, while others spend time serving patrons or working endless hours in factories. Some examples of shift workers who can enjoy the benefits of floatation therapy include the below:
- Doctors and nurses
- Bartenders and baristas
- Chefs, waitstaff and dishwashers
- Customer service and call center representatives
- Stock clerks and cashiers
- Security guards
- Factory and warehouse workers
- Housekeepers
- Bus drivers
Float Therapy Benefits for Shift Workers
So, what, exactly, does float pod therapy entail for all of the shift workers out there seeking relief in different formats? Long, hard workers who float regularly report both physical and psychological benefits of float therapy, including:
- Pain relief. From acute to chronic pain relief, shift workers float to take a load off. Standing on your feet all day can take a toll on your health, from muscle fatigue to joint pain to long-term back problems. By removing pressure from the body, the zero gravity float experience can provide deep relaxation, while the release of endorphins can act as an organically produced pain reliever.
- Decreased blood pressure. High blood pressure is a catalyst for many other negative medical conditions that can impact your heart, brain, kidney, artery and eye health. The act of floatation can naturally lower your blood pressure as you enter a state of weightless relaxation.
- Mental clarity. If you’re struggling with brain fog due to being overworked and underslept, a salt therapy float, which offers a form of natural meditation, can help you refocus, reprioritize and clear out thought clutter.
- Digital detoxing: For shift workers who operate in front of blue light (computers, tablets and smartphones) all day, the benefits of float tank therapy can allow you to unplug. Sensory deprivation therapy is a way to disconnect and remove yourself from technological stimuli.
- Mood improvement. Once you are floating and are deeply relaxed, your brain can decrease the output of your stress hormones, while simultaneously increasing the production of your happy hormones, like serotonin and dopamine. In turn, you can anticipate a more positive outlook on life and work.
- Better sleep quality. If you struggle with falling asleep or insomnia, especially if you work the night shift, visiting a float clinic may be able to help you regulate your sleep schedule and improve sleep quality.
What to Expect in a Float Tank
If you’re a first responder or a shift worker who lives in South Florida and are currently searching “float therapy near me,” make the trip to either of our two facilities that specialize in Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy, or floatation REST. Our salt float therapy pods await your arrival. Visiting Float8 for the first time? Here’s what you can expect from our floatation therapy experience:
- A safe, quiet and meditative ambiance upon check-in, as well as in our common areas.
- A private space, where you can store your belongings, shower and fully prepare for your float.
- Your choice of float vessel, as we offer floatation in traditional pods, roomy orbs and bath-like cabins.
- A sensory-deprived experience, which will allow the same effects as an isolation tank void of light, sound and other distractions.
- A welcoming staff, who is happy to talk about Epsom salt benefits, our daily cleaning protocols and other advantages of our wellness center.
Set aside the time from work to book your first float session today. Give our floatation lounge the chance to deliver full mind-body relief, so you can get back on your feet – and feeling lighter in every way.
