Massage therapy can help with many medical conditions and ailments. It can decrease anxiety and stress levels, increase pulmonary function in asthma patients, help with insomnia, improve cancer pain, and more.

Massage involves a relaxing, hands-on session that lasts up to an hour. You usually need to remove your clothes, but therapists can cover areas you prefer not to be exposed to with a towel. Visit their Website for more information.

Massage therapy reduces stress by lowering the heart rate, increasing relaxation, and releasing feel-good hormones. The calming effect of massage helps to relieve emotions like anxiety and depression which are often associated with high levels of stress.

Research has shown that regular massage can lower the overall level of cortisol (stress hormone) in the body, and increase serotonin and dopamine. These are neurotransmitters that offer many benefits including reducing anxiety, depression and boost your sense of well-being and self worth.

Studies have also shown that a massage can help to reduce blood pressure. This is thought to be because when the muscles relax, tension is released and circulation improves. It is important to note that when you are pregnant, you should only get a massage from a trained professional, especially during the first trimester. A poorly trained therapist may accidentally hit a pressure point that can induce contractions and premature labor.

Many people who have chronic illnesses and diseases, experience higher levels of stress due to the illness itself. This can lead to a vicious cycle, where the disease leads to more stress, which in turn can make the illness worse. Massage therapy has been proven to have a positive impact on both the physical and mental health of patients suffering from a variety of conditions, such as cancer.

Another way that massage helps to reduce stress is by releasing pain killers and feel good hormones. The pressure applied by the therapist during a massage can interrupt nerve signals that would normally communicate the presence of pain to the brain. This is why so many patients find that they have a better quality of life after receiving regular massages.

Although there are many different physiological effects of a massage, these are the most common and most recognized. If you are under a lot of stress, it is definitely worth the investment to schedule a therapeutic massage, even if it is only once every few weeks. You will see and feel the difference far into the future. It’s one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health.

Relieves Pain

A skilled massage therapist can manipulate your muscles, tendons and ligaments to reduce pain and improve function. Therapeutic massage can be a valuable tool in your healthcare regimen and may even be covered by insurance.

Massage can relieve pain by relaxing painful muscles, tendons and ligaments; decreasing stress, which can intensify the perception of pain; and stimulating the release of feel good hormones like endorphins. It also increases circulation to reduce inflammation and flushes out toxins that can cause pain.

One of the ways that massage reduces pain is by interrupting or overwhelming the nerves that report pain in injured tissue, called nociceptors. These nerves share their neurological pathway to the brain with a wide variety of other nerves that can send competing signals or block pain messages altogether. Many different techniques are used during a massage to stimulate competing nerve fibers, including rubbing or brushing the skin (which stimulates the cutaneous nerves), gentle movement and stretching (which stimulates the proprioceptors that report the position of your joints to your brain so you can balance), and pressure applied to the tissues (which stimulates mechanoreceptors that respond to pain and other stimuli).

In addition to relieving pain, massage can help decrease swelling by increasing blood flow. This is accomplished by mechanical pressure on the veins and by the release of vasodilators (substances that dilate blood vessels) during massage. The increased blood flow helps bring healing nutrients to the area and remove waste products, such as lactic acid.

Massage has also been shown to reduce pain by reducing the production of inflammatory chemicals in your body. This is beneficial because inflammatory chemicals are responsible for creating the sensation of pain and contributing to the progression of chronic pain.

Several research studies have been done on the effectiveness of massage in reducing pain. One study involved 65 inpatients who received 1 or more therapeutic massage sessions while they were staying in a hospital. They were asked to rate their pain on a visual analog scale before and after each session. They also completed a qualitative survey after they were discharged from the hospital. The results showed that patients experienced a significant reduction in their perceived pain level and in the amount of pain medication they took.

Reduces Anxiety

The physical touch and kneading of massage therapy reduces anxiety by naturally calming the body’s fight-or-flight response. Anxiety can cause your heart rate to increase and can lead to stress-related health problems such as digestive issues, insomnia, aches and pains and headaches. Massage is effective at lowering the stress hormone cortisol and triggering the release of feel good hormones such as serotonin, leaving you feeling calm and more relaxed.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Miami found that massage therapy can decrease state anxiety and discomfort in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Using the State Anxiety Inventory questionnaire, pain Visual Analogue Scale and saliva cortisol levels, participants who received back massage had lower state anxiety scores and reported less discomfort than a control group. Moreover, the benefits of massage therapy continued to be apparent with repeated sessions, even after 10 weeks.

Another study, conducted by researchers at the University of Miami, investigated the effects of massage on patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer. The research found that patients receiving a 10-session course of massage had lower anxiety than those who did not receive the treatment. The researchers also found that massage reduced the frequency and severity of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

The reason that massage reduces anxiety is that it slows down your heart rate, releases feel good hormones and interferes with pain signals from reaching the brain. In addition, it can help relieve stress that leads to feelings of anxiety and depression.

The research on the effects of massage and anxiety is compelling, but more research is needed to confirm these findings. Nevertheless, the results of several studies indicate that massage reduces the level of anxiety and increases the level of serotonin in the bloodstream. It is thought that these effects are due to changes in EEG activity, the reduction in cortisol and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which acts automatically to calm the body during stressful situations. This explains why so many people experience an immediate sense of well-being during and immediately after a massage.

Improves Sleep

Insomnia is a very common sleep disorder, and can often be caused by stress. Studies have shown that massage therapy helps to ease this stress, allowing you to get a better night’s rest. If you have a condition like RLS (restless leg syndrome), a regular massage may help with that as well. Research shows that massage can relieve the uncomfortable, tingling, creepy-crawly sensations in the legs, which is one of the most common symptoms of this disorder.

Another reason why massage improves sleep is because it decreases the amount of cortisol in the body. Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone, and when it’s high, it can cause problems with sleep. Studies have shown that when people receive massages on a regular basis, their cortisol levels are significantly lower than those of those who don’t.

One study found that massage can increase the production of serotonin, which is known to promote sleep. Serotonin also has a direct effect on the circadian rhythm, helping to reset your sleep-wake cycle. This is especially helpful for people who suffer from insomnia, since this condition can be caused by a variety of factors, including pain and stress.

A separate study found that massage therapy can help with Restless Leg Syndrome, which is a disorder in which the muscles of the legs become tense and uncontrollable. Researchers in this study found that a massage before bed can help to relax the leg muscles, which can reduce the unpleasant, tingling and crawling sensations associated with this condition.

Getting a good night’s rest can be difficult if you have a chronic health problem. Massage therapy is an excellent solution, as it can help to alleviate the many different symptoms that can contribute to sleep disorders, such as pain and stress.

If you are interested in receiving a regular massage, be sure to make an appointment with your local massage therapists. They can recommend the best type of massage for you, and help you set a regular schedule that will help you achieve your sleep goals. For the best results, you should aim to receive a massage once every two weeks, although you can adjust this depending on your needs and budget.