Are those aches and pains starting to get you down? Maybe you’re having a difficult time relaxing and getting a full night’s sleep. Either way, the solution is as easy as lying face-down on a simple table.
6.9% of U.S. adults (15.4 million) used massage therapy in a single year. Those adults experience relaxation, a strong immunity, and more.
That’s just the start! Keep reading to learn the top 10 benefits of a professional therapeutic massage. After a calming massage, you can finally get the rest and relaxation you need to take on anything that comes your way!
1. Relaxes
A long stressful day at work, or being at home taking care of the kids, can stress you out. That stress can start putting pressure on your spine and shoulders, resulting in tension.
When you’re stressed, the stress hormone called cortisol rises to unhealthy levels.
Too much cortisol causes:
- Weight gain
- Digestive issues
- Headaches
- Sleeplessness
Instead of trying to live with the stress, schedule a professional therapeutic massage. One of the most-sought health benefits of massage is that it’s relaxing.
Massage therapy can help decrease your cortisol levels. During a massage, your body also goes into recovery mode, helping to soothe away any lingering tension.
A lack of sleep and stress can also cause headaches and migraines. Leaving the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back tight also contributes to tension headaches. By receiving a massage, you can ease your headaches before they impact your quality of life.
As a result, a massage will leave you feeling relaxed and less stressed, thereby improving your mood.
2. Reduces Depression & Anxiety
As your cortisol levels go down during a massage, your endorphins will start to rise. Endorphins are one of the body’s natural chemicals or neurotransmitters. They’re capable of relieving stress and pain.
When endorphin production increases, it can also reduce emotional stress, creating a sense of wellbeing.
Increased endorphins are also able to alleviate depression and anxiety. Instead of feeling anxious or depressed, you’ll start to feel happy and at ease following your massage.
3. Promotes Muscle Relaxation
Many athletes and gym buffs schedule a professional therapeutic massage after an intense workout.
Massages increase circulation throughout the body. This can help relieve your sore muscles and ease away pain.
Massage therapy targets specific sources of pain throughout the body. Then, a massage therapist is able to ease and eliminate tension in these areas. By improving circulation, massages also increase nutrients and oxygen to damaged tissue, which can help stiff and sore muscles heal.
4. Improves Circulation
Improving your circulation can improve several other functions throughout the body.
For example, improved blood flow will help repair stiff and damaged muscles. Massages also help blood travel through congested areas of the body. As a result, lymph fluid circulation increases, which helps the body carry metabolic waste away from muscles and essential organs.
As a result, your overall body function will improve.
5. Improves Posture
Sitting in a stiff desk chair all day can put a strain on your neck, back, and shoulders. In time, bad posture can lead to missed days at work, obesity, and disability.
Massages help keep your spine properly aligned. When your spine is aligned, it reduces pain while improving flexibility and your range of motion.
6. Boosts Immunity
When we’re stressed out, we leave our bodies vulnerable to bacteria, disease, and injury. Stress can lead to sleep issues, which further hurts our immune system.
By improving your stress levels and getting proper sleep, you’re also giving your immune system a boost. Experiencing the health benefits of massage can help you stay healthy by removing bacteria from the body. By getting regular massages, you can protect yourself from bacteria and pathogens before an infection sets in.
7. Lowers Blood Pressure
Receiving regular massages can also reduce your blood pressure. By reducing your blood pressure levels, you’re also reducing your risk of kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, and other health issues.
8. Improves Training
Regular massage therapy can benefit your overall health as well as your training.
For example, massages help relax tense muscles after a workout. By improving your recovery time, you don’t have to worry about taking breaks between intense sessions.
Sometimes, your joints tighten, which reduces your range of motion. This can also make gameplay or working out difficult. Massages keep your joints fluid, which improves your flexibility. It reduces your chances of getting injured, too.
If you are injured, receiving regular massages can help. The increased circulation will promote white blood cell to travel through your body. Those white blood cells will repair tissue damage.
Instead of letting an injury slow down your training, massages can speed up your recovery and get you back in the game.
9. Better Breathing
Bad posture can press all of our organs together, constricting blood flow and bodily function. This also occurs when we’re under a great deal of anxiety and stress.
Massage can help improve our posture and keep our spine aligned. When our organs are in the right place, we breathe easier. This can help relieve respiratory issues and help us avoid the risk of developing asthma.
When we breathe easier, it’s also easier for us to relax and focus on the tasks ahead.
10. Improves Sleep
30 to 35% of adults have brief symptoms of insomnia. 10%, on the other hand, have a chronic insomnia disorder.
How often do you toss and turn as you struggle to fall asleep? For some, insomnia is a brief problem that occurs one night every few months. For others, it’s an ongoing issue.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body reacts with:
- Fatigue
- Poor memory
- Mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating
- Errors and accidents at work
- Low motivation and energy
By helping you relax, massage therapy can help you receive the sleep you need.
Rest, Recharge, Relax: Top 10 Health Benefits of a Professional Therapeutic Massage
It’s time to recharge your body and mind! By experiencing these 10 health benefits of a professional therapeutic massage, you can recharge and improve function throughout your entire body.
Ready to relax and unwind? Explore our services before scheduling your healing session today!
