Massage may seem like a luxurious indulgence or athletic recovery tool, but therapeutic massage has actual health benefits for everyone, including pregnant women and those living with fibromyalgia.
Enhancing the parasympathetic nervous system helps decrease feelings of anxiety, while simultaneously decreasing cortisol levels and increasing serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that help balance your mood.
Stress Reduction
Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of massage in lowering heart rate, blood pressure, tissue elasticity and endorphin levels; it serves to increase endorphins like serotonin and dopamine while simultaneously decreasing cortisol – otherwise known as the stress hormone.
This may help ease a variety of symptoms, such as tension headaches (the kind that feel like there’s a tight band around your head) and fatigue. You can visit this helpful site to learn more about headaches. Furthermore, research suggests it helps decrease immune system cells that promote inflammation while simultaneously increasing those that protect against infections.
Though more research needs to be conducted, massage can definitely assist in psychological relaxation. This is because stimulation of the autonomic nervous system causes an increase in positive hormones which provide a sense of well-being by combatting depression while giving people a boost in mood; this ultimately helps reduce stress and anxiety.
Furthermore, massage provides pain relief from both physical and mental strain.
Better Sleep
Massage has long been proven to soothe sore muscles, increase circulation, and ease tension; now it has also been shown to promote better sleep.
This may be the result of several factors; for instance, massage stimulates serotonin production which can then be converted to melatonin to aid your relaxation before a night of restful slumber. Furthermore, massage has been linked with hormonal balance regulation that can also aid in helping you get a good night’s sleep.
Studies have also demonstrated that when receiving a massage, your white blood cells increase, helping your body fight sickness and remain healthy.
Furthermore, massage may help overcome insomnia or other sleep disorders and improve its quality; one such study examined postmenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer who received massage to enhance sleep and well-being. Massage was able to improve their quality of life.
In combination with other practices aimed at good sleep hygiene practices, massage can serve as an effective solution for people experiencing chronic insomnia or difficulty falling and staying asleep. You can learn more about how to develop good sleep hygiene.
Increased Endorphins
Massage stimulates nerve cells of the skin to respond by sending signals to the brain and producing feel-good chemicals – neurotransmitters which increase blood flow while simultaneously strengthening immune system functioning.
These hormones produce a morphine-like effect in your brain to block pain signals and decrease discomfort, while simultaneously decreasing levels of cortisol and adrenaline stress hormones and helping you relax.
Tense and knotted muscles store toxins that block oxygen-rich blood from reaching essential organs. It is helpful to know that massage can increase circulation to rid your body of these toxins, helping your muscles heal more effectively while preventing further strain on them. Furthermore, increased blood flow helps promote recovery post workout and can reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Reduced Pain
Massage can ease pain by relaxing muscles, tendons, and ligaments and stimulating natural painkillers like endorphins and enkephalins to be released by soft tissues manipulation.
Massage also stimulates competing nerve fibers that block pain signals sent directly to the brain while simultaneously decreasing levels of proinflammatory cytokines. This works to help ease even chronic pain.
Myofascial massage, which uses specialized pressure to release tightness in your connective tissue (fascia), may help with chronic back and neck pain as well as menstrual cramps. Your fascia forms a web that connects all of the muscles, bones, organs and cellular bodies within your body – think of it like protective armor covering them!
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Studies show that massage has many health benefits. It increases white blood cell counts and lymph flow while stimulating production of infection-fighting cytokines; improves joint and tendon function by increasing flexibility, decreasing scar tissue formation and pain relief; it may even help you sleep better!
Massage has proven its worth in various clinical situations including insomnia and chronic pain management.
