The Health Benefits of Massage Therapy - What You Need to Know

If you're searching for ways to reduce muscle pain or stress, massage therapy is a great solution. Here are some of the health advantages you can enjoy from receiving a massage treatment.

Top Benefits of Massage Therapy for Your Health

1. Stress Reduction

Stress can have a detrimental effect on your health and well-being. It has the potential to disrupt sleep patterns, appetite, immunity levels, and mood.

Massage therapy is an effective tool for managing stress. According to a recent study, 10 minutes of simple tactile contact activated your body's system for combatting stress.

2. Pain Relief

Massage has long been recognized as a valuable way to manage chronic pain, particularly for those suffering from it. Studies have demonstrated that massaging painful muscles increases blood flow and releases natural opioids from the brain, providing temporary relief.

A study of 65 inpatients undergoing various treatments discovered that participants experienced significantly lower pain levels after massage therapy compared to before. They also reported greater relaxation, emotional well-being, sleep improvement, and less need for pain medication following their massage sessions.

3. Muscle Relaxation

Massage has many beneficial effects on the body. It reduces muscle tone, promotes blood circulation, and eases muscle congestion.

Tight muscles can lead to discomfort, pain, and stiffness; they may even restrict movement.

Massage can reduce muscle tension by raising the temperature of soft tissues through friction. This results in capillarization and vasodilation - an increase in both the number and size of blood cells - which then transports more oxygen and nutrients to muscles for proper functioning.

4. Better Sleep

If you're searching for a drug-free way to promote better sleep, massage therapy is an ideal solution. It has been known to reduce pain, stress, and anxiety - all known as major causes of insomnia5.

Furthermore, it increases serotonin production - a precursor to melatonin - the hormone responsible for controlling sleep cycles.

Massage is becoming an integral part of integrative medicine, being offered alongside standard treatments for various medical conditions and situations. Not only can it improve your mood, boost immunity function, lower cortisol levels, and relieve muscle tension - but there are many more benefits as well.

5. Increased Flexibility

Flexibility is the capacity to move muscles and joints without restriction or discomfort. This is an integral component of overall health and wellness, as well as essential for athletic performance.

Massage therapy can promote flexibility in many ways. It improves blood circulation and flushes waste products out of muscles, leading to an improved range of motion.

Tight muscles can accumulate waste products, toxins, and lactic acid which may lead to tightness, fatigue, and pain. Massage helps increase flexibility and prevent tightness from occurring in the first place by decreasing muscle waste products, toxins, and lactic acid buildup.

6. Better Mental Health

Massage has long been used as a powerful and successful treatment for mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Studies have also demonstrated that massage helps lower cortisol levels in the body, which may have an uplifting effect on your mood.

Therapeutic massage is a holistic and empathetic practice that encourages body awareness, healing, and an intimate relationship with one's self. Furthermore, it may increase oxytocin (the "love") levels which have been known to promote feelings of comfort and relaxation.

There are many great health benefits of massage therapy. With a monthly massage membership, you can get regular massage therapy, which can provide these benefits and more.