Does Massage Help With Stress: Vital Details Know

By Steven

On June 3, 2021

How often have you asked yourself this question “does Massage help with stress? The answer is yes; massage therapy helps to ease tension. It’s a fact that the human body uses stress to respond to both emotional and physical demands. Hence the need for an effective and beneficial therapy such as Massage, which can reduce stress.

Furthermore, Massage helps to lower the feeling of stress by decreasing the heart. Consequently, there will be an increase in the release of feel-good hormones and the promotion of relaxation. Many athletes and trainers usually feel stressed out after a workout.

However, massage therapy can reduce emotions of stress usually associated with pre and post-sport events. This article provides tips on how massage helps with stress and other vital details you need to know about the topic mentioned above.

The Symptoms Of Stress You Shouldn’t Ignore

Although stress is crucial to the survival of humans, our response to stress-inducing environments can damage our nervous system. Additionally, these damages can cause various symptoms that may wreak havoc on our health. Here are a few symptoms of stress you shouldn’t ignore:

Increased heart rate

Shortness of breath
Depression

Knotted stomach
irritability
Heart palpitations

Increased sweating
Tightness in the chest
Insomnia

Headaches
anxiety

Also Read: Best Massage Gun For Cellulite In 2021: A Complete Review + Buyer’s Guide

5 Ways Massage Reduces Stress

Do you know that massaging appropriately can help you overcome stress and other related symptoms? Massaging doesn’t only reduce the human heart rate, but it also calms the central nervous system. As a result, it will enhance your focus and make you feel rejuvenated and relaxed. The paragraphs below shows you five ways Massage reduces stress:

#1. Massage Helps With Muscular Tension

You may have observed whenever you’re under stress; your body tightens up involuntarily. This action causes your muscles to contract. But with the help of massage therapy, the muscles can return to a relaxed state, which relieves you of chronic pain.

It’s noteworthy to mention that high levels of tension in your body shorten the muscles. And as such, there will be a restricted movement which would cause pain. Massage therapy alleviates stress by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and promoting tissue elasticity.

Techniques such as rubbing, stroking, and trigger point therapy can make muscle fibers warmer and looser. Some patients may require more than one Massage to restore muscle tension, but others only see significant results after one session.

#2. Massage Triggers A Relaxation Response

Massaging your body helps it “slow down” and brings it from a state of anxiousness to a calm state. The simple touch and methodical kneading invite the body to calm down and relax. Serotonin, the body’s happiness, and relaxation hormone ignite this emotional response. Also, this natural hormone stabilizes the human mood and helps with essential functions such as sleeping, eating, and digestion.

#3. Massage Helps With Mental Health

Massage therapy can enhance your psychological health by stimulating the nerves, receptors, and hormones responsible for regulating your mood. Besides, these receptors are triggered during a moderate pressure massage.

As a result, it can bring therapeutic relief and a general improvement in your mood and well-being. Massage promotes the activity of the vagal nerve, which is often rare in people with depression. When stimulation is applied to this nerve, cortisol drops, and our body enters a more relaxed and happy state.

Research also shows that after a massage, the brain’s right frontal lobe (the area that deals with negative emotions) is decreased and shifted to the left frontal lobe, responsible for regulating stress and mood.

#4. Massage Improves Sleep

Massage helps the body to produce serotonin which positively influences the production of the sleep hormones known as melatonin. Furthermore, direct pressure and the manipulation of your shoulders, back, neck, legs, and even feet activate melatonin production in the body.

Massage therapy equally lowers cortisol (the stress hormone). And this usually can influence your sleep patterns. On the other hand, it helps promote dopamine hormones which induce a relaxation state and stabilize your mood.

And this condition is vital for you to sleep well. You can use essential oils such as lavender in combination with massage therapy to improve the quality of your sleep.

#5. Massage Reduces Blood Pressure

Over the years, Massage has proven to boost blood flow. Excellent blood circulation will lower your blood pressure. Massage treatment aids the sympathetic nervous system to calm down. Nevertheless, it’s important to mention that the sympathetic nervous system increases blood pressure as a defense mechanism to stress.

Additionally, research indicates that aromatherapy massage or relaxation massage decreases the heart rate and blood pressure much better than sports or deep tissue massage.

Also Read: Can Massage Guns Help With Cellulite?

4 Best Massage Therapy For Stress

When your body is stressed out, it has to work even harder to supply oxygen and blood well. Also, chronic stress makes your body fight to keep up with a drastic increase in glucose levels. This could place you at a higher risk of digestive issues (constipation, acid reflux, etc.) and type 2 diabetes.

So, if you don’t look for solutions to your high-stress level, it could decrease your body’s immune system. And this will make you vulnerable to all kinds of dangerous ailments. That’s why in this article, we recommend the four best massage therapies that would help you alleviate your stress.

1). Aromatherapy Massage

This type of Massage is suitable when you need an emotional healing component to your therapy. It usually lasts between 60–90 minutes. And during that time, you will receive a full-body massage. And at the same time, you inhale essential oils via a diffuser while it’s absorbed through your skin.

More often than not, aromatherapy massage would focus on your head, back, and shoulders. Nonetheless, this massage can help you in the following ways:

Relieve muscle tension

Reduce stress and anxiety
Boost your mood
Relieve pain

Reduce symptoms of depression

Aromatherapy massages require soft or gentle pressure and essential oils to improve your experience. A massage therapist will choose the most appropriate essential oils to use during the massage session. Nevertheless, you can still tell your therapist your preference. Also, you are expected not to wear your clothes except underwear, and it’s optional.

Note: Ensure to dilute essential oils before it’s applied to your skin.

2). Swedish Massage

Swedish Massage doesn’t require as much pressure as other kinds of Massage like deep tissue massage. This makes it the perfect option when you want to relax fully. This type of Massage is suitable for persons who:

are sensitive to touch
are new to Massage

have a lot of tension

Just like most massage types, the Swedish Massage lasts between 60–90 minutes. And it’s necessary to remove your clothing. However, you can put on your underwear. During the Swedish massage session, your therapist will use a sheet to cover you while lying down.

Then your therapist can move the sheet when necessary to allow him to uncover the parts of your body they’re working on. Additionally, your massage therapist utilizes the following procedures below:

passive joint movement techniques
kneading

vibration and tapping
deep, circular motions
long, flowing strokes in the direction of the heart

3). Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage is an excellent alternative for chronic muscular issues such as imbalance, injury, or soreness. This type of Massage can help to alleviate anxiety, chronic muscle pains, and tight muscles. Deep tissue massage lasts for 60–90 minutes.

And during this session, your therapist utilizes deep finger pressure and slow strokes to help reduce tension in the deepest parts of your connective tissues and muscles. It’s optional to go naked or wear underwear during a deep tissue massage session.

4). Hot Stone Massage

The hot stone massage treatment is ideal for people who are under stress and want to relax. This massage therapy is almost the same as a Swedish massage, and it lasts up to 90 minutes. However, Hot Stone Massage involves the use of heated stones alongside their hands.

This type of therapeutic massage improves blood circulation, relieves pain, promotes relaxation, and alleviates muscle tension through heated stones.

It’s important to point out that heated stones are placed on various parts of your body during a hot stone massage session. In this massage type, you don’t wear your clothing except for your optional underwear. Moreover, your therapist will cover you in a sheet.

Conclusion

Most Americans find the effects of stress unpleasant in their daily life. Little wonder the number of people receiving massage therapy in the United States has increased. The American Massage Therapy Association claims that 1 in 6 Americans visited massage therapists in 2006.

And there is no denying that the numbers have increased in recent years. Nonetheless, it’s been proven that administering massage therapy to stress sufferers will ease their stress level.

In today’s busy and stressful world, most people lead a busy life without having enough time to consider visiting a massage therapist. Fortunately, you can purchase a percussion massager such as the Opove M3 Pro. And this is a portable device you can easily carry around.

Lastly, this message gun will help you get a soothing massage and relieve your stress. Click here to get more details about the Opove M3 Pro.

Disclaimer:The information contained in this article is a result of in-depth research on the subject matter. This article is only for informational and educational purposes, and it’s not intended as medical or health advice. Hence, I suggest you always ensure to seek the opinion of your doctor or other qualified health personnel regarding any questions that relate to health objectives or medical conditions.