If you are suffering from anxiety, one study suggests that a massage can help ease your symptoms. “What we think could be happening is decreasing the sympathetic tone we see with people with generalized anxiety disorder and increasing this sort of parasympathetic response,” says Dr. Rapaport who conducted the study.
The body has two distinct nervous systems: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. “Your sympathetic nervous system is one of fight or flight,” says Rudy Gehrman, DC, a sports medicine chiropractor and founder of Physio Logic in New York. “If you’re being pursued by a lion that’s your sympathetic nerve.”
In a massage, your parasympathetic (or the calming) response increases, which leads to a decrease in anxiety, says the doctor. Rapaport.
The other great thing is? Massage’s effects on decreased anxiety may be lasting. “We did an informal follow-up and a large percentage of the people who received massages remained free of anxiety for anywhere between six months and 18 months later,” says Dr. Rapaport.
Sleep better and more peacefully
Are you struggling to sleep or suffering with insomnia? Massage can actually help you to sleep better. “Sleep is all about the level of activity within the nerve system” says Field. When you receive massages, your nervous system decreases due to the pressure.
In addition, when you’re having a more restorative, deeper sleep, she says that it reduces your levels of substance P (a neurotransmitter that helps relieve pain), which reduces general pain. If you’re suffering from pain, massage can do double-duty.
Fighting fatigue
We’ve all been there. You’ve been tossing and turning throughout the night, your the work load has been exhausting and it’s like you don’t even have 5 minutes for taking a deep breath. “Some people get fatigued because they’re not getting enough sleep,” says Dr. Rapaport. “Other individuals are experiencing fatigue because of some biological factors.”
However, regardless of what causes your fatigue is, one simple remedy is (you guessed it) a massage. In fact, a recent study conducted by Dr. Rapaport found that breast cancer survivors who received weekly Swedish massages experienced a reduction in their fatigue. This is a very debilitating aspect of the disease. For the most effective results, based on Dr. Rapaport’s study, consider getting a massage once per week.
Aid certain health conditions
Your body has two different immune systems: Th1 as well as Th2, and both need to be in equilibrium to ensure that your immune system working optimally as per Field. “If the Th2 gets in excess of the Th1 system the result is that you are suffering from the condition of autoimmune disease,” she says.
While you massage, you’re decreasing stress hormones to maintain the balance, she says. In turn, this can aid in making autoimmune diseases, such as asthma or type 1 diabetes or dermatitis more manageable with things like less pain or fatigue.
Get focused
Do you have trouble staying during a meeting that lasts more than 10 minutes ? Or doing a book reading before bed? The benefits of massage can actually improve your ability to pay attention and concentrate.
In order for you to pay attention your heart rate has to be lower. “If you don’t pay attention to me, that’s because my heart rate’s elevated,” says Field. “And when I bring my heart rate down I’ll pay more attention.”
Because a massage slows your nervous system, the heart rate will be diminished, too. After a massage pressure receptors trigger vagal activity, which stems from the brain’s nerve that is responsible for a myriad of parts of your body, including the heart, Field says. Field. So when you’re undergoing the stress of a massage it could decrease the heart rate in turn, which increases your focus.
Heal injuries
If you experience joint pain or injury (especially when the problem is persistent or long-term) according to Gehrman it’s possible to have what are called soft-tissue restrictions that can lead to knots or trigger areas of pain. “Massage therapists are removing of soft-tissue restrictions and improving circulation,” Gehrman notes.
The restrictions may, over time, cause issues like joint decay and other ligament-related issues. So by regularly massaging those soft-tissue restrictions, you’re not only helping with your injury now, as well as helping to avoid further issues down the line. The most important thing to remember in getting a massage to treat your injury is to go to an experienced, licensed massage therapist who has extensive experience with injured patients.
“Because any kind of soft tissue massage, you’re basically damaging the science of it when you go too deeply, that patient won’t recover from the process,” says Gehrman. A qualified, licensed 서울홈타이 therapist will be in a position to determine which areas surrounding the injury require massage, and which areas should be avoided.
Are there any massage risks?
While there isn’t any evidence-based dangers to massage, if an underlying medical condition such as cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes, these are the things you should make the massage professional aware and consult someone who is experienced dealing with the particular issue.
Women who are pregnant are advised to seek out a therapist with pregnancy experience–“For pregnant women you need to be extremely cautious regarding your positioning,” says Gehrman.
People with osteoporosis should find an osteoporosis specialist who has expertise in that, as well. “You can easily potentially break bones or ribs when a person is truly seriously osteoporotic” Gehrman says. Gehrman.
