When it comes to relaxation, there are a couple of things all of us associate with that it: medical spa days, cozying up by the fire, remaining in bed until 2 p.m. and, obviously, getting a massage. And although massage is excellent for assisting you relax, it has more therapeutic benefits, too. The term "massage" itself really includes a broad selection of various kinds of massage, ranging from Swedish massage (the most common type), to massages that have a more targeted and specific function, like a sports massage, which is intended at assisting professional athletes recover.No matter the type, the advantages of massage actually boil down to something: pressure. "The skin is moved throughout a moderate pressure massage, which leads to a calming and slowing of the nerve system," says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. And that slowing of the nerve system results in other physiological impacts, too, like a reduction in heart rate, reduced high blood pressure, and modifications in EEG patterns (electrical activity in your brain), states Field.
Plus, in order to see those results, it takes less time than you may believe. "For research, we're able to record favorable impacts for massages that are only 20 minutes long," says Mark Hyman Rapaport, MD, chief of psychiatric services at Emory Healthcare, who has led multiple studies concentrated on the results of massage. That suggests when you go to get a massage (most of which are usually advertised for being around 50 minutes long, says Dr. Rapaport), you're under pressure for ample time to see optimum benefits.And if you can't manage to head to the medical spa down the street? "You do not need to go to a massage therapist all the time," says Field. "You can offer yourself a massage." Given that we have the ability to reach most areas on our body, you can do a 20-minute self-massage by using a massage brush in the shower or even rubbing a tennis ball versus your limbs, she describes.
So if you're thinking of reserving a time or investing Browse around this site in a self-massager, here are six of the therapy's biggest advantages to understand about. Ease anxietyIf you experience stress and anxiety, one study suggests that a massage can in fact assist substantially minimize your symptoms. "What we think is going on is it's decreasing the considerate tone that we see with people with generalized stress and anxiety disorder and increasing this sort of parasympathetic action," says Dr. Rapaport, who led the research study.
Your body actually has 2 different nerve systems: the supportive anxious system and the parasympathetic nerve system. "Your understanding is fight or flight," states Rudy Gehrman, DC, a sports medication chiropractic specialist and founder of Physio Logic in New York. "If you're getting gone after by a lion, that's your considerate nerve system.
And similarly fantastic news? Those results of massage on decreased stress and anxiety can actually be lasting. "We did an informal follow-up, and a substantial number of these individuals stayed anxiety-free anywhere from six months to 18 months later on,