Between the relaxing music and soothing oils, who doesn’t love a good massage? But despite the sensations, only 32% of adult Americans have received a massage in the past five years.
If you care about your body’s health, get into the routine of receiving regular massages. The benefits of body massage impact your health in a variety of ways. Massage therapy enhances your immune system, lowers blood pressure, and helps you sleep at night.
Let’s explore all of the amazing benefits body massage has to offer.
Body Massages Ease Muscle and Joint Pain
If you’re feeling sore, getting a massage can help. Massage therapy, especially a deep tissue massage, improves circulation, reduces tightness, and alleviates pain.
Exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, which causes inflammation and pain. Massages reduce cytokine production. These cells play a key role in swelling and inflammation. Fewer cytokine compounds equals less muscle pain.
If you’re not an athlete, you can still enjoy the full-body benefits of a massage. For those who work in the office and spend eight hours a day sitting, massage therapy eases tension in your joints and lower back. Hunching over a desk with poor posture happens, but regular massages combat the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Massages ease deep muscle and joint pain in arthritis patients. Regular massage help rheumatoid arthritis patients improve range of motion. They reduce chronic pain and enhance grip strength. Osteoarthritis patients use massage therapy to reduce body aches and get through their days.
Getting a Massage Boosts Your Immunity and Sleep
The physiological effects of massage therapy lead to better immune health and sleeping habits.
People with higher stress levels are more prone to illnesses and injuries. Stress leads to digestive problems, sleep trouble, and heart diseases. It causes weight gain, headaches, and a lowered immune system.
Getting a massage lowers widespread pain and enables you to relax. Full-body massages flush the toxins from your body. They stimulate circulation and white blood cell production. White blood cells allow our bodies to fight diseases.
Researchers have found massages build a strong immune system, enabling people to fend off cold and flu symptoms. Participants who received a 45-minute massage increased their white blood cell counts, which led to fewer symptoms.
Massages help you relax and control stress, making it easier to get a good night’s sleep. Regular massages decrease anxiety and trigger serotonin production. Serotonin helps us feel calm, leading to a sound slumber.
Benefits of Body Massage Impact Your Mind
There are many reasons to get a massage, but one of the most important is to boost your mental health. Massage therapy can effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, and anorexia nervosa.
The biggest benefit of a massage is its power to decrease cortisol. This stress hormone is responsible for tension, anxiety, and fear. Too much cortisol negatively affects how we feel and think.
Massages use deep strokes, compression, and wringing to decrease cortisol levels. Deep strokes apply firm pressure to the skin to decrease tension pain. Compression increases relaxation and circulation to replace cortisol hormones with positive ones. Wringing pulls soft tissues in opposite directions to eliminate tightness.
After a massage, people feel lighter, more relaxed, and in control. Less cortisol helps patients manage symptoms of depression and other mental health conditions.
Massages also alleviate physical head pain. The treatment stimulates blood flow to prevent tension and vascular headaches. Studies have found regular massages reduced the severity and frequency of chronic tension headaches.
Manual therapy relaxes tense muscles in your neck and reduces spasms. As muscle tension eases, there is less pressure on your body’s nerves and blood vessels. When circulation improves, oxygen-rich blood can reach areas of your head and neck to eliminate pain.
Body Massages Alleviate Medical Ailments
The benefits of body massage aid in the recovery of medical problems. Massage therapy helps patients lower blood pressure, recover from carpal tunnel syndrome, and reduce symptoms of cancer.
Body Massage and High Blood Pressure
Massage therapy lowers blood pressure in people with hypertension. Anyone with a blood pressure reading of 120/80 is considered abnormal.
Blood pressure is the force of blood against blood vessel walls as it’s pumped through the body. When arteries harden or narrow due to plaque buildup, blood has a smaller area to squeeze through. The blood forces itself against vessel walls, causing the blood pressure reading to increase.
Massages relax the body and stimulate endorphin production. The endorphins loosen blood vessels and prevent cortisol buildup. Deep tissue stimulation promotes circulation, so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood throughout your body. Regular massages result in healthier blood pressure levels.
Body Massage and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common nerve disorder and affects between 4 and 10 million Americans. One of the most effective ways to treat carpal tunnel is through massage therapy.
Massages pinpoint wrist inflammation and numbness. Tissue stimulation softens and lengthens the muscles in your elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, neck, and shoulders. The massage releases tension in trigger points to build mobility.
Many people experience relief after one massage. It’s encouraged to receive continued massages to keep the disorder away.
Body Massage and Cancer Patients
Massage therapists often work with cancer patients to alleviate pain and stress. The massage promotes endorphin releases to lower inflammation, aching, and anxiety.
Body massages can also help cancer patients combat nausea associated with chemotherapy. The massage may use less pressure in areas that are sensitive due to the cancer.
Massages combined with aromatherapy are used to improve mood and enhance sleep patterns. They can add a positive and hopeful touch to cancer treatments.
Explore More Ways to Boost Your Health
Whether you’re looking to lower your blood pressure or enhance your mental health, there are numerous benefits of body massage. Instead of treating yourself to a massage once in a while, get in the habit of receiving one regularly. Your whole body will thank you.
If you’re looking for more ways to boost your health, explore more on our blog.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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