Top 10 Incredible Benefits of Massage Therapy
Getting a massage is more than just about relaxing. There are a plethora of health benefits associated with recieving regular massages. They also help to keep the body, mind and spirit in harmony.
Massage therapy is about taking a moment out of your busy daily life, being kind to yourself. It is also about connecting with how your body is feeling, acknowledging where you have pain, or are holding tension, and letting the massage therapist release that for you.
What are the top 10 benefits of having a massage?
- Manage anxiety and depression
- Improve sleep
- Pain relief
- Improved posture
- Ease pain post surgery/medical procedure
- Combat PMS
- Reduce headaches
- Ease pregnancy pains
- Digestive issues
- Ground you
The healing power of physical touch and connection
Clients often mention that they like coming for a massage for the chat and connection, as well as receiving the massage. As we resurrect from the pandemic – a period characterised by the huge lack of human connection and touch – massages are one of the best antitodes. Recognizing this, one of our therapists, Nikki, now offers catch-up chats in combination with a hand and arm massage.
Connection through touch is one of the most important parts of being human.
From the moment we are born, being held in another’s arms is our greatest comfort. That comfort through touch is an instinctive need, and it stays with us our whole lives.
When you go through periods where you are lacking that touch, it’s no wonder that the body starts to complain – hunched shoulders, stiff back, digestion problems.
That’s why massage therapy helps to relieve both the physical manifestations of stress – muscle pain – and the underlying emotional distress. Massage therapy helps to bring the body and soul back together.
Here are 10 benefits of massage therapy, including a few that may surprise you!
1. Manage anxiety and depression
Massage therapy does amazing things for stress relief, which in turn helps to reduce anxiety and depression. How? A one hour massage can lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol by up to 30%. This is because a massage stimulates the autonomic nervous system, triggering the release of positive hormones dopamine and serotonin around the body, and replacing the negative hormone cortisol. This is why when you get up from the massage bed you feel like you could float away on a cloud!
2. Improve sleep
If you have trouble sleeping then massage therapy can help. A massage treatment will help you get into a state of deep relaxation. The pressure helps slow down your nervous system allowing you to be fully relaxed. This state of relaxation can tasty with you for days and help you enter a healthy sleep rhythm. Massage therapy can even help increase your delta waves – the waves associated with deep sleep.
3. Pain relief
Too much time at the desk? Pulled something playing tennis? Or maybe you are at that stage where you start to feel niggling aches and pains.
Massage therapy is a great complimentary treatment to regular low-impact exercise like pilates. You should do them in combination help keep you subtle, flexible, and ward off any stiffness and pain.
4. Improved posture
Regular massages can increase your range of motion, and they also make you more aware of yourself in a physical sense. This has the effect that you will hold yourself better – and improved posture means decreased back pain.
5. Ease pain from medical conditions
If you experience chronic pain from an underlying health condition, then massage therapy can bring a great relief from surgical treatments. Massage is highly recommended for those with Parkinsons, Fibromyalgia and even for those looking for some relief from the symptoms of cancer treatments.
6. Combat PMS
Relieving the physical discomfort and emotional burdens associated with PMS is one of the lesser obvious, but most important benefits of massage. Not only can it help with bloating and muscle soreness, but also cravings, mood swings and fatigue. Why not try a Sacred Women Massage. This chakra balancing treatment is perfect if you are struggling with PMS, or menopause.
7. Reduce Headaches
Regular massages can help to reduce both the frequency and intensity of headaches. If you suffer from migraines, then massage may be a good solution for you.
8. Ease pregnancy pains
Pregnancy massages to help relieve the pain and stress associated with pregnancy. Getting a massage during pregnancy can also improve your circulation, and potentially encourage an easier labour.
9. Help with digestive issues
Massage can help with digestive issues like constipation and bloating as applying pressure in a clockwise motion can help things progress around the intestines. Doing regular massage of the abdominal tissues can greatly help with digestive issues following surgery, or due to medications.
10. Reduce fatigue and boost focus
A 2018 study into massage therapy found that “ breast cancer survivors who received weekly Swedish massages experienced a reduction in their fatigue.”
If your heart rate is up and your are anxious or have difficulty focussing on one task, then a massage could help too. A massage can help to slow down your heart rate improving your attention span.
