Relaxation isn’t only about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the effects of stress on your mind and body. Relaxation techniques can help you cope with everyday stress and with stress related to various health problems, such as heart disease and pain. And although massage is great for helping you relax, it has more therapeutic benefits, too.
Massage is the manipulation of the body’s soft tissues. The term “massage” it self actually encompasses a wide array of different types of massage, including but not limited to: Swedish, deep tissue, structural integration, trigger point, manual lymphatic drainage, sports massage or medical massage. Massage therapy may help boost focus, relieve anxiety, and even improve sleep.
No matter the type or modality, the benefits of massage really come down to one thing: pressure. The skin is moved during a moderate pressure massage, which results in a calming and slowing of the nervous system. The slowing of the nervous system leads to other physiological effects such as a decrease in heart rate, lowered blood pressure, and changes in electrical activity in your brain.
Here are six of the biggest benefits of Massage to know about:
1. Relieve anxiety: If you suffer with anxiety studies suggests that a massage can actually help significantly reduce your symptoms. During a massage your parasympathetic (or calming) response is increased, which results in a decrease in anxiety. Those effects of massage on decreased anxiety can actually be long-lasting.
2. Sleep more soundly: Massage can actually help you sleep more deeply. Sleep is all related to how much activity there is in the nervous system. When you get a massage, your nervous system itself actually slows down. Deeper, more restorative sleep reduces your levels of a neurotransmitter for pain, reducing overall pain. So if you have any aches, massage will do double-duty.
3. Fight fatigue: Some people get fatigued because they’re not sleeping enough, others because of some biological factors. It has long been suggested that massage therapy is good for us and that it can reduce our fatigue and increase our energy. While massage does not directly increase energy, it does reduce fatigue and often decreases the symptoms that sap our energy, resulting in our feeling better.
4. Aid autoimmune conditions: During massage, you’re slowing down stress hormones to help maintains balance. This can help make autoimmune conditions like asthma, type 1 diabetes, or dermatitis, more manageable through things like decreased pain or fatigue.
5. Massage improves Memory and Concentration: Not only can massage promote efficient thinking, but it can also improve memory. Tight neck and shoulder muscles often limit the circulation to the brain, which consequently does not support memory or concentration. When massage relaxes tense muscles, it eases stress, which also benefits thinking and efficient work. Positive emotions typically are related to better thinking and memory, whereas negative emotions are associated with pessimistic thinking and less concentration.
6. Heal injuries: If you experience an injury or joint pain it is most likely that the body has developed what are called soft-tissue restrictions, which cause knots or trigger points of pain. Those restrictions can, over time, lead to problems like joint decay or other ligament problems, so by actively massaging out those soft-tissue restrictions, you’re not only helping your current injury, but also helping prevent against other problems down the road.
Body & Soul Massage in Salem Ma offers a wide variety of Therapeutic Massage styles and techniques. Sessions range from 30, 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes. Pain Relief and Membership programs are available. Health Savings Plans Accepted.
For more information call 978-825-0040 or visit www.bodysoulsalem.com