Massage Therapy for Stress and Anxiety: What You Need to Know

Massage therapy is not only good for your body, but also for your mind. This is what you need to know about using massage therapy for stress and anxiety.

Did you know that more than 40 million people in the United States  suffer from anxiety? As people start to tackle more and more responsibilities in the modern world, anxiety levels seem to be increasing as well. When anxiety becomes severe enough, it can interfere with how people live their everyday lives. 

There is a solution, and it has to do with using massage therapy for stress. Many people tend to turn to psychiatrists and medication to treat their anxiety, not realizing that massage therapy can actually do a lot to calm anxiety. But what makes massage therapy a good option for stress management, and how do you know if it’s the right choice for you?

To start, let’s take a closer look at what massage therapy is and how it works to relieve stress throughout the mind and body.

What Is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapy involves a trained and certified massage therapist who can help you relax and relieve stress through the art of the massage. Many massage therapists are actually considered medical professionals, and their work surrounds their ability to make your body and mind feel better. 

A massage therapist does more than rub skin and muscles while you lay flat on a table. A massage therapist is trained to manipulate the soft tissues of your body in a particular way that will allow your body to release stress and tension. Beyond massaging skin and muscle, massage therapists can also manipulate other aspects of your connective tissue, such as your ligaments, fascia, and tendons. 

The Details

By manipulating the deep tissues of your body, your body can relax in a way it normally can’t. A massage therapist can make this happen by applying various degrees of pressure across your body as well as by employing certain movements. The entire experience of getting a massage is meant to be relaxing. 

Even the room where you will get your massage will most likely be decorated to help you relax Some massage therapists may have a device to play calming music or sounds like rain or wind. A single massage session may vary in length, but an average session tends to last between 30 minutes and an hour.

While many people think that going to get a massage is mainly a good idea for physical pain, a massage can also be a great way to treat psychological distress as well. But how can a physical practice like massage have any effect on the mind? It turns out that it has a lot to do with EEG activity.

How Massage Therapy for Stress Works

EEG activity has to do with the electrical activity of your brain. It seems that, by getting a massage, you can influence and even alter your brain’s electronic activity. Normally, when you feel stressed out, the sympathetic nervous system or SNS will activate. 

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the fight or flight response. When you are constantly in this fight or flight state of mind, you might have difficulty living a normal life. You may also not feel your best health-wise.

This is because when your body is stressed, it will have trouble digesting, sleeping, thinking, and relaxing. On the other hand, a different part of the body’s nervous system, known as the parasympathetic nervous system, is responsible for relaxing. The parasympathetic nervous system is also known as the rest and digest part of the nervous system. 

A Closer Look

If your body has difficulty employing this part of the nervous system, you may have digestive problems, pain, inflammation, and other problems that are difficult to handle. Massage therapy may be a great help for people dealing with anxiety and stress management. In fact, using massage therapy to manage anxiety is not new. 

Many cultures around the world have been using massages to calm down for hundreds of years. Even though there are not many scientific studies that have analyzed the benefits of massages, there is countless anecdotal evidence that enthuses over the benefits of massages for anxiety and stress. There are many reasons for this.. 

For example, a massage can stimulate blood flow. By improving blood flow, the body may deliver a better supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. 

The Benefits of Massages for Stress

Besides blood flow, strain may play a big part. Stressed people may not realize their body is stiff and strained. Stiff muscles are not ideal for the body. By digging deep into these muscles, a massage therapist can encourage them relax. 

Ultimately, you will feel that your body is looser and more limber. Along with the benefits of blood flow, this change in the body may stimulate a change in brain activity. Massages may also alter cortisol levels. 

Cortisol is a stress hormone. If you have chronically high cortisol levels due to stress, this can be harmful to your health. Massages help decrease cortisol levels.

Scientists are unsure why this seems to be the case. Even so, if massages really can decrease cortisol levels, they can be a great choice for people who suffer from anxiety. While massages can’t cure anxiety, they can be a good treatment in the moment. 

At some point, massages may help you to decrease your overall anxiety levels. 

All about Massage Therapy for Stress

If you find that you are more stressed than normal and don’t know what to do, why not try a massage? It may be much more beneficial than you would expect.

To learn more, call us at (402) 384-8400 today!