Alleviating stress with massage
An occasional massage leaves you feeling great, but regular massage can do so much more because the work your therapist does in each session builds on itself.
Stress is universal, and it’s not always bad. Whenever you lunge to catch a falling glass, feel especially energetic before an important meeting, or swerve in time to avoid a car accident, stress is doing its job. The adrenaline and cortisol released boosts your heart rate and blood sugar, while diverting energy away from your digestive system and immune responses. These are prehistoric reactions that were an essential part of human survival. However, when there’s never any relief from stress, the sustained response can bring on or worsen mood, behavioral and body changes. This may result in physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, insomnia, anger, drug and alcohol abuse, and depression to name a few.
Nothing ages us faster, internally and externally than high levels of stress. An increased production of endorphins, your body’s natural “feel good” chemicals which occurs during a massage can help manage stress. Serotonin and dopamine are released, and the result is a feeling of calm relaxation that makes chronic or habitual as well as acute or short-term stress much easier to overcome. Stress relief alone can improve your vitality and state of mind!
The body can enter a relaxing rest-and-recovery state by decreasing the stress hormones of cortisol and adrenaline during a massage. The therapy actually triggers a host of brain chemistry responses that can result in lasting feelings of relaxation, lowered stress, mental alertness and improved mood.
One of the telltale signs of anxiety and stress can be constricted, shallow breathing. Massage plays an important role in training the body how to relax and help improve breathing. Respiratory issues, such as allergies, sinus problems, asthma and bronchitis, are one group of conditions that can benefit from massage therapy. Improved posture through massage also indirectly improves deep breathing by allowing better lung and rib cage expansion.
Massage therapy has always been a cornerstone of treatment for musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions, post-operative recovery and sports injuries. It improves circulation to the area bringing with it essential oxygen and nutrients for repair and healing whilst also flushing out toxins in the muscle that build up following injury.
Add massage therapy to your health and wellness regimen by booking an appointment with one of our experienced therapists here.