Oftentimes, we think that getting a massage is a way to pamper ourselves and not much more than that, but did you know that there are health benefits to getting regular massages?
1 - Massage can help relieve stress.
Most of us encounter stress or stressful situations on a day-to-day basis. Massage can help lower cortisol levels, while increasing dopamine in our bodies to alleviate some of those stresses as well as aid in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
2 - Massage aids in releasing muscle tension.
Do you spend long days sitting in front of a computer screen, driving, or doing labor-intensive work? All of these things can cause pain in our bodies, from sore shoulders to lower back pain. Massage aids in releasing tension from these sore muscles through Deep Tissue Massage and stretching.
3 - Massage improves blood circulation.
According to Eileen Cahalane with Alive Magazine
, "Massage facilitates circulation because the pressure created by the massage technique actually moves blood through the congested areas. The release of this same pressure causes new blood to flow in. The squeezing and pulling also flushes lactic acid from the muscles and improves the circulation of the lymph fluid which carries metabolic waste away from muscles and internal organs."
4 - Massage can relieve headaches.
At some point or another most of us have suffered from a headache or migraine. The Mayo Clinic describes a headache as, "[a] pain in any region of the head. Headaches may occur on one or both sides of the head, be isolated to a certain location, radiate across the head from one point, or have a viselike quality." And while there are a great number of causes for these different types of headaches, massage therapists can work with you to help determine appropriate treatment for them.