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Why NBA star Steph Curry uses a sensory-deprivation tank to recharge every 2 weeks

steph curry
Stephen Curry. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

From behind the back passes to outrageous crossovers to obliterating three-point records, Steph Curry is magic. 

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Perhaps one of the reasons he's so amazing on court is his newfound love of sensory deprivation tanks.

Looking something like a space age bathtub, these tanks are filled with warm, mineral rich water. You get in, close the latch, and it's just you, pure darkness, and total relaxation. 

In an interview with Tech Insider on Monday, Curry explained why he gets 60 or 90 minutes in for a "float" every two weeks. 

"With the Epsom salts and magnesium that are in those tanks, they're helpful with recovery and relaxing your muscles and things like that," he says. "And also, the sensory-deprivation aspect of it. It's one of the only places where you can really get unplugged from all the noise and distractions that go on with daily life." 

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A floating tank. Jon Roig / Flickr

While sensory deprivation tanks have a certain New Age mysticism about them, studies indicate that they really are helpful.

Floating "helps you recharge and refresh and allows you to just be you and your thoughts for an hour, which is obviously hard to come by in our fast-paced society," he says.

Research indicates that floating can help with hypertension, muscle tension, and stress-related pain among other symptoms.  

For Curry, it's all about creating space for reflection and solitude. 

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In an earlier interview, he said floating — with its room for thought and lack of stimulation  — leaves him with lots of clarity. 

"It's refreshing to process what I thought about over an hour of floating, which are probably the most important things that are going on right now in your life," he says. "I have a very clear head when it's done, and it shows in the days after floating. It gives me a nice boost of focus and perspective. The more I do it, the more I get from it."

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