5 Ways Massage Makes You Feel Better
5 Ways Massage Makes You Feel Better
What if you felt less anxiety in your life today, or perhaps more energy? Doesn’t that sound great? We can all use some of that!
Massage can help you reduce anxiety and increase energy, but the benefits do not stop there. Let’s dig into five ways massage can make you feel better.
1. Massage Reduces Anxiety.
in multiple ways.
The science behind it is that massage changes the electrical activity in your brain and alters your body’s chemical processes.
During massage, the stress hormone cortisol is reduced, and several “feel good” chemicals are released (endorphins, oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin).
In addition to the chemistry, we naturally respond with a calming experience when our bodies and minds receive the human touch of massage.
So, when you feel a sense of peace and ease during a massage, as if you have floated away from the cares of the world (and we want you to feel exactly that), you are not imagining your uplifted state!
2. Massage Improves Sleep.
Stress can throw your body’s chemistry out of balance and, in turn, interfere with your ability to get a good night’s sleep.
Poor sleep can then play havoc with your stress perception and this increases the release of cortisol, leading to additional sleep disturbances.
Your body produces the hormone melatonin when it is time to fall asleep. One of the factors that prevent the release of melatonin in your body is stress. As anxiety is reduced, more melatonin is released.
On the flip side of this, massage helps with the release of serotonin, which boosts your alert state during the day, and supports a healthy balance between wake and sleep cycles. Serotonin also chemically works alongside melatonin to produce a good night of sleep.
The American Psychological Association reports that 40-45% of adults that do not get enough sleep feel irritable, overwhelmed, and experience increased stress.
We do not want you to be a part of these statistics. We want you to feel good. Massage is a natural choice to get those sleep-inducing and feel better hormones in check.
You may also be interested in: How Often Should You Get a Massage?
3. Massage Eases Muscle Pain.
Speaking of sleep, have you ever tried to fall asleep and found yourself wide awake due to muscle pain?
Do you experience chronic aches and pains, such as a stiff neck or upper back? These discomforts can wear us down both mentally and physically.
Specific areas of the body can be targeted with massage to release tension and reduce swelling and tightness.
Chronic pain, especially when it is caused by certain health conditions or injury, can be improved by deep tissue/corrective massage techniques.
Your massage therapist will not only determine your need for deep tissue massage but will also help you develop a massage schedule that builds one on top of the other, leaving less gap for pain and stress to return.
This ensures you not only feel better today, but you continue to feel better!
4. Massage Boosts Energy.
We just discussed how massage can improve sleep, and naturally, when sleep improves, our energy level goes up. So, how else can massage boost our energy?
Massage therapy can improve your lymphatic health. This means your lymph system, which is responsible for moving blood throughout your body, and flushing out toxins and waste, is put into gear to detox tissues and ward off infection (boost your immune system), all of which improves your general health and helps you to not feel run-down. You not only feel healthier, but you are healthier.
An improvement in energy can be felt after a single massage!
5. Massage Improves Flexibility and Joint Mobility.
Have you ever noticed how tension, pain, or stiffness in one area of your body seems to affect you from head to toe?
You stand up from a chair and your calves cry out to you with tightness and pain. As the day progresses, the aches and stiffness worsen. You simply do not feel so well.
Massage stimulates and releases tension in muscles, connective tissues, tendons, and ligaments. When muscle tension decreases, muscles stop contracting the blood vessels.
What had been causing you all that pain and stiffness has now been coaxed back to a normal state, which means relief for you.
It isn’t just about muscles, though, massage therapy stimulates the body to produce more lubricants in your joints which helps to improve and restore flexibility.
Less pain + more flexibility = more enjoyment and quality of life.
We cannot say this enough. We want you to experience and retain a sense of relaxation and well-being in your life. We want you to feel good!
Invest in yourself with a monthly massage in one of our Austin, Texas locations. Make it part of your regular self-care routine. You deserve it.
Learn more about our memberships or book a massage or service online here!
