Massage Therapy relives stress and anxiety

 

Stress is a prevalent component in today's fast-paced world which can negatively impact on an individual's health and well-being. Massage therapy has been shown to be a means by which stress can be reduced significantly on physical and psychological levels. While massage therapists know from experience that massage reduces stress, there is considerable research that validates our experience.

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According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 40 million adult Americans suffer from anxiety disorders where the anxiety shapes the quality of life and the health of those individuals affected. 

 

Research indicates massage can:

• Reduce anxiety 

• Increase a sense of calm

• Reduce trait anxiety with a course of treatment providing benefits similar to psychotherapy

• Reduce the psychological and physiological anxiety levels

• Decrease hormones associated with increasing anxiety

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Reduce muscle tension and increase physical performance 

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Sports massage can be used to improve athletic performance, speed recovery, and can be utilized by all individuals who participate in any athletic and/or exercise program to help improve conditioning and maintain peak performance. Many professional and collegiate athletic programs employ or contract with massage therapists, and sports massage has been sought for many years by athletes of differing backgrounds for multiple reasons. 

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Research has shown that in relation to exercise and athletic participation massage can:

• Reduce muscle tension

• Promote relaxation

• Reduce muscle hypertonicity

• Increase range of motion

• Improve soft tissue function

• Support recovery 

• Decrease muscle stiffness and fatigue after exercise

• Improve exercise performance

• Decrease delayed muscle soreness

• Enhance athletic performance

• May help prevent injuries when massage is received regularly

 

Relieve tension headaches & migraine

 

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes a tension headache as a muscle contraction headache which is the most common type of headache. Its name indicates the role of stress and mental or emotional conflict in triggering the pain and contracting muscles in the neck, face, scalp, and jaw. Tension-type headaches may also be caused by jaw clenching, intense work, missed meals, depression, anxiety, or too little sleep. Sleep apnea may also cause tension-type headaches, especially in the morning. The pain is usually mild to moderate and feels as if constant pressure is being applied to the front of the face or to the head or neck. It also may feel as if a belt is being tightened around the head. Most often the pain is felt on both sides of the head. People who suffer tension-type headaches may also feel overly sensitive to light and sound but there is no pre-headache aura as with migraine. 

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Research has shown that in respect to tension headaches massage can:

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• reduce depression and/or anxiety

• decrease perceived pain

• decrease anger status

• decrease tension

• reduce frequency

• reduce intensity

• reduce duration

• decrease medication usage

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Improve cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure

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In a recent study in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers concluded massage therapy could serve as an effective intervention in controlling blood pressure in pre-hypertensive women. The study showed that the immediate results of lowered blood pressure lasted up to 72 hours after massage.

 

A separate study in the same publication had similar findings; those that received regular Swedish massage therapy over a period of four weeks had significantly lower blood pressure than those who did not have a massage.

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Promote relaxation and better sleep

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Quality sleep is vital to health and wellness.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC): "Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression—which threaten our nation’s health. Notably, insufficient sleep is associated with the onset of these diseases and also poses important implications for their management and outcome. Moreover, insufficient sleep is responsible for motor vehicle and machinery-related crashes, causing substantial injury and disability each year. In short, drowsy driving can be as dangerous—and preventable—as driving while intoxicated.

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The research has shown that massage therapy helps to promote relaxation, freeing from tension and anxiety hence calming the mind and the body.