12/26/2019 7:06:00 AM by North Toronto Health
Most of us today are already aware of the benefits associated with massage therapy. But it will surprise you to know that massage therapy is not just an alternative treatment for acute pain, body stiffness, and other diseases but it also performs wonders in terms of contributing to mental health. Various studies and medical researchers have found that people who go through mental illness or mental health issues like anxiety, stress or depression, tend to benefit from massage therapy.
Daily challenges often have a negative impact on your mind, and can further lead to anxiety and stress. This stress can build up several other health problems like headache, muscle pain, joint pain, cramps, etc where regular massage therapies that can restore the positive balance between mind and body and promote overall well being.
Let us see in what ways this alternative therapy can help alleviate these mental conditions and boost your mental health:
Helps to reduce anxiety: Many researchers and studies have found that massage therapy helps individuals dealing with anxiety issues and enhances your body’s ability to fight off anxiety and depression. Though massage therapy can noticeably work and deeply relax your body at a physical level, it also stirs neurochemical changes that promote psychological well-being. These neurochemical changes result in decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients.
Stress reduction: Taking a lot of stress can adversely affect the physical health as well as psychological health. Increment of cortisol levels also referred to as stress hormone in the body, can have a lot of adverse effects on the body including the weakened immune system, weight gain, anxiety, impair memory, depression, and others. In this situation, massage therapy is found to be effective in coping up with these conditions and reducing cortisol levels and bring your body back to hormonal equilibrium.
Relieves headaches & migraine: To cure stress-related headache and migraine, massage therapy can work wonders! When massage is done over the neck, head, and shoulders, it can put the pressure off and can give you a relaxing sensation. Quite often it is found in working professionals and individuals with heavy workload, that they tend to have stress that results in a severe headache. Having massage therapy lowers the level of stress hormone and ultimately cures headache and reduces migraine symptoms.
Improves sleep: For a body to function well, it is very important to take a night of restful sleep. The vicious insomnia cycle can have lead to several health problems including mental sickness. Improper sleep can also make you frustrated and irritated all through the day, which can be treated well with the help of massage therapy. Without any medications, pills, or alcohol you can doze off in deep sleep if you take a massage therapy before you sleep as it increases the blood circulation and releases tension to give you a restful sleep.
Increased concentration: Individuals who face problems in concentrating and focusing on tasks, massage therapy is sure to boost your ability to concentrate and increases body awareness. The muscle tension often diverts blood flow to that particular part of the body rather than diverting it to the brain, which is why causes people unable to concentrate. Through massage, this tension is released and the brain starts to get more blood flow that allows it to gain oxygen and nutrient flow thus enhancing your ability to focus.
How does the therapy works?
As per various studies and research, massage therapy is found to reduce the stress level in the body by reducing cortisol (stress hormone) that lowers the blood pressure and further increases serotonin and oxytocin levels. Oxytocin, also known as “love hormone” and serotonin, that actively plays a vital role in stabilizing the mood, together promote sleep, promotes relaxation, & restores overall psychological balance.
As a result of human touch, many researchers and practitioners also believe that massage treatment brings the feeling of comfort and connection due to caring physical contact. Also, the best part is, the overall therapy comes as a no-risk treatment when performed by experienced and trained practitioners. So the next time you book a massage, know that it will not just improve physical health and reduce pain but will also contribute highly to your mental health!