Benefits of a Professional Massage
Massage is one of the oldest healing traditions used by ancient people such as the Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, and Chinese. Most cultures in the ancient world were convinced that massage had therapeutic properties and could treat a wide range of illnesses.
Massage therapy is a common practice in today’s world. The process of manipulating and kneading an individual’s soft tissues, such as muscles, has proven beneficial in improving their general well-being and health. A professional massage is a manual therapy that involves applying pressure, holding, and moving ligaments, tendons, fascia, and muscles.
So what are the benefits of a massage? Read on below to find out.
1. A Professional Massage Can Be Used to Heal Injuries
Have you ever experienced joint pain or injury? If you have any long-term or chronic joint pain, you will have soft-tissue restriction. This could lead to knots forming in your joint that triggers the points of pain. Getting a professional massage could help you eliminate these soft tissue restrictions and improve your blood circulation, thus, relieving the pain.
Soft tissue restrictions could lead to other severe problems with time, such as ligament problems and joint decay. By opting for regular professional massages, you will handle the current problem and avoid future complications. However, remember to go to an experienced professional when getting a massage for your injuries.
You should always go to a licensed massage therapist with broad knowledge and experience in handling injured patients. Going to an inexperienced therapist could add to the damage instead of healing. That’s because soft tissue injuries are delicate and should be handled as such.
2. Will Improve Your Focus
Do you find it challenging to stay focused or concentrate for more than 10 minutes? Getting a massage could help you improve your ability to concentrate and focus.
Your heart rate should be lower to remain focused on the task at hand and your mind relaxed. If your heart rate is elevated, it will be challenging for you to pay attention. One of the major benefits of a massage is that it lowers your heart rate by slowing down the nervous system.
When getting a massage, your body’s pressure receptors fuel vagal activity stemming from a nerve in the brain. The nerve connects numerous branches of the body, one of which is the heart. The pressure from the massage decreases your heart rate, which results in improved focus.
If you have any underlying conditions, ensure you tell your massage therapist before the session starts. You should also contact your doctor or seek a therapist with experience in pregnant women if you are pregnant. When massaging a pregnant lady, the massage therapist must be very careful with the positioning.
3. Aid in Numerous Health Conditions
The body has two varying immune responses. These include Th1 and Th2. For an optimal immune system, your body must balance both responses.
If one is more than the other, then you will experience autoimmune issues. When getting a massage, your body will be relaxing the nervous system and slowing down the stress hormone. This helps balance out the two immune responses and manage autoimmune conditions including type 1 diabetes, dermatitis, and asthma.
4. Fighting Fatigue and General Body Tiredness
We have all been in a position where work or school is mentally and physically draining, and instead of sleeping, you keep tossing and turning in bed all night. You feel like you don’t even have a few minutes to take a breath and relax before another task is thrown on your lap.
In today’s world of strict deadlines, where everyone is trying to balance work, family, and social life, you may feel extremely tired. Most people experience fatigue due to a lack of enough sleep. Other people suffer from fatigue due to biological factors.
However, no matter the root cause of your fatigue, getting a massage often could help you get the situation under control. According to a study in 2018, breast cancer survivors experienced less fatigue after receiving a Swedish massage every once a week. Based on this study, experts recommend getting a massage every once per week will help reduce fatigue.
5. It Helps You Get Better Sleep
Do you have trouble sleeping, or do you have severe insomnia? A massage can help you get a good night’s rest. The quality of sleep you get depends on the activity present in your nervous system.
When you get a professional massage, the pressure helps slow down the nervous system. This helps you get deeper and more restorative sleep.
The massage will also help you reduce the level of substance P in your body. Substance P is a neurotransmitter for pain. Thus, a massage will reduce your body’s overall pain, especially if you have chronic aches or injuries.
6. Helps Relieve Anxiety
According to a study, a professional massage can help you significantly reduce the symptoms of anxiety. The study showed that a massage increases parasympathetic response and reduces sympathetic tone in people suffering from an anxiety disorder. The body has two different nervous systems; parasympathetic and sympathetic.
The sympathetic system enables the fight or flight response, while the parasympathetic enables a calming response. When a lion is chasing you, the sympathetic system takes over and allows you to flee.
During a massage, the body relaxes, and enables the parasympathetic system, allowing you to feel calm, reducing anxiety symptoms. The good news is that professional massage has long-lasting effects on the reduction of anxiety.
Are You Ready to Get a Professional Massage Today?
Are you wondering why you should get a massage? There are many reasons to get a massage. Some of these reasons include reduction of anxiety, alleviation of pain, and balancing the immune system.
Getting a professional massage is not only a feel-good way of pampering your body; it has numerous health benefits. Whether you are looking to relieve the stress of your everyday life or have an underlying health issue, take charge of your health today and get a professional massage.
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