A massage is a relaxing, fun way to spend an afternoon for many people – but it could also have a lot of additional benefits you weren’t aware of.
If you consider a massage to be little more than an occasional luxury, you could be missing out on far-reaching health and fitness advantages.
After all, massage is one of the oldest-known forms of human health service. Just like we’ve been using herbs and nutrition to help heal our bodies since records began, human beings have been using massage as a way to aid with circulation, recovery, and muscle development.
Today, we’re going to cover some of the benefits of massage you might not know to help you justify spending a little extra time in the spa.
It Tackles the Issues of a Desk Job
Lately, research has begun to reveal the dangers of spending more time sitting down. Hours spent in front of a desk, tapping away at a keyboard, simply isn’t good for our bodies. Pair that time at work with hours relaxing on the sofa, and you’ve got all the ingredients of a dangerous sedentary lifestyle.
Fortunately, massage can help. A great massage helps to improve circulation, and even helps with posture, which can be damaged by spending too much time sitting down.
It is also one of the best ways to improve your energy levels, so you can increase the amount of time you spend working out or exercising when you’re not sitting at your desk.
Massage therapy is regularly offered as part of therapeutic and rehabilitation sessions because it’s good at improving emotional health, as well as physical fitness.
A Massage Makes You Happy
The idea that a relaxing massage might bring a smile to your face probably isn’t the most shocking concept you’ve heard of. However, the happiness-boosting benefits of massage are more far-reaching than you’d think.
Massage therapy is regularly offered as part of therapeutic and rehabilitation sessions because it’s good at improving emotional health, as well as physical fitness.
Studies are gradually beginning to reveal more benefits from using massage for conditions like depression, anxiety, and general low mood. Massage can improve the number of endorphins rushing through your body, and it’s great for leveraging the benefits of human touch, too.
Massage Reduces Blood Pressure
Studies also show that massage significantly improves your blood pressure, reducing the amount of pressure on your heart. If you’re suffering from hypertension, at a higher risk of stroke, or you’re concerned about your cardiac health in general, massage could be a good idea.
Massage works by manipulating the flow of blood throughout the body, helping to keep your circulation working exactly as it should.
Some studies have even found that a massage can continue to reduce your blood pressure, and positively affect the central nervous system, even days after you’ve had your treatment.
It Helps Stop You From Getting Sick
Although additional research into the impact of massage on immunity is still needed, initial studies indicate that having regular massage therapy could reduce our chances of getting sick.
Why? Because massage doesn’t just improve the flow of blood in your body, but it can also significantly enhance the development of white blood cells too – which help to fight disease.
Massage also has a detoxifying effect. It can clear out the lymph nodes and get rid of toxins you might have had building in your body for some time.
This means that if disease does come your way, you’re more likely to be able to fight back.
It Improves Sleep
We could all do with a better night’s sleep, right? If you’ve ever wondered why you feel like you could just doze off on a massage table, there’s a good reason. Getting a relaxing massage helps to eliminate stress and pain throughout the body, putting you in a position where you’re ready for sleep. Think of it like taking a muscle relaxant – one of the main kinds of medication used to tackle insomnia.
Massage reduces the presence of factors that would otherwise keep you awake, like stress and general discomfort, so you can drift off more rapidly. Depending on the kind of massage you get, you can also see benefits from things like aromatherapy too.
Massage Makes You Beautiful
While you might not feel like you’re the most attractive at the end of a massage, with your flushed cheeks and your oil-covered body, massage can help you to become more beautiful in a multitude of ways.
Massage helps to improve circulation and the turnover of cells. This supports the growth of new skin cells, for fresher and younger looking skin.
You can even use certain kinds of massage to encourage the growth of new hair. Studies have proven that massaging the scalp improves the flow of nutrients and oxygen into the hair follicles, allowing for thicker and healthier hair.
With all these benefits, who wouldn’t want a massage more often?
