Massaging the human body has been done since time immemorial. The benefits of gently or vigorously rubbing the muscle or joints of the body have long been known.
Despite that, not many people regularly have a massage done. You can get a massage for relatively cheap prices anywhere on the planet.
However, a proper massage should be done by a licensed massage therapist. He/she will cost more than a regular masseuse at a massage parlor but you get more expertise and better results.
Everyone should get a massage at least once in their lives. There are many benefits to be gotten from doing so including:
1. To Relieve Anxiety
The primordial reason that people have gotten massages all through history is for purposes of relaxation. A massage is one of the best therapies that has ever existed to relieve anxiety.
I should be clear that a massage by itself will not completely eradicate anxiety. However, it will reduce the symptoms of anxiety to a significant degree.
The main way in which a massage relieves anxiety is how it affects your nervous system. There are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the body.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for your fight or flight response. Your parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for relaxation and other activities that help you calm down in any way.
When you get a massage, you increase the sensitivity of your parasympathetic nervous system which results in a calming and relaxing response. The effect is to reduce your anxiety levels.
The human touch has also been proven to have a therapeutic and relaxing effect. You will definitely feel so after a session on the massage table.
2. Better and More Sleep
Another reason why you should make a massage appointment is for better sleep. You should especially do so if you are having trouble sleeping with issues like insomnia.
The way in which massages promote better sleep is also related to how it affects the nervous system just as with reducing anxiety. Many people are unable to sleep due to restlessness caused by activity in the nervous system.
When you get a massage, you increase the calming or relaxation response in your nervous system. The pressure applied to your skin and body is what causes the effect on your nervous system.
When you are getting better and more sleep, restorative functions in the body are being performed optimally. Therefore, any damage that has to be repaired is corrected which is another reason why you sleep much more soundly.
The benefits of proper and sufficient sleep are well known and will affect your entire life. It will make you more active, boost your recovery, increase your productivity, and better your sex life among many others.
3. For Pain Relief
One of the most common reasons why people get massages is to address various pains and aches in the body. Considering that about ten percent of all human beings suffer from some kind of pain disorder, the benefits of a massage for pain relief cannot be understated.
The way massages function for pain relief is the same reason you rub your toe after stubbing it against the coffee table. However, the rubbing by a massage therapist is a much more advanced process for pain relief.
There are many great massage therapists focusing on pain relief. A great example is a Santa Monica massage therapy clinic. You should definitely pay them a visit if you suffer from chronic pain in the city.
A massage will increase the level of circulation in a specific body part or the entire body depending on where it is done. When you have increased blood flow, the body gets more nutrients which help relieve pain.
4. Helps Relieve Fatigue
In most cases, being tired should be a trigger that helps you sleep well at night. However, if you are too tired and are fatigued, it can impede your ability to fall asleep at all.
On the other hand, you may not be sleeping enough which is, in turn, causing you to be fatigued. There are many biological factors that cause you to be fatigued when you are getting insufficient sleep.
Regardless of the reason for your fatigue, if it is affecting your sleep quality, a massage is the best solution. The key in this regard is to get a massage regularly as a single session is not enough to address a month of fatigue no matter how good the massage therapist.
5. It Boosts Your Immunity
As it pertains to diseases, prevention is always better than cure. Your body’s immune system is responsible for protecting your body against any disease it may or does contract.
A massage can significantly boost your immunity if done properly. It has been proven to increase the number of white blood cells that are responsible for fighting off harmful cells in the body.
Regularly getting massages will also help balance your immune system. There are many chemicals and processes that constitute your immune system that have to be in sync for the entire system to work optimally.
6. It Will Counteract the Effects of Sitting
Sitting and being sedentary are the most potent hazards to human health known to man today. The human body was seemingly designed for movement but modern life is very sedentary and most of us sit down all day.
When you sit all day, you will definitely add the amount of postural stress on the body. The stress is often in the shoulders and the neck but it will also affect the rest of the body including the lower back and glutes.
Eventually sitting all day might lead to a whole host of health conditions that can be counteracted to a large degree by regular massage sessions. You should get a massage from a licensed therapist if you suffer from postural stress for a healthier life.
There are many benefits to getting a massage including better sleep, immunity, less muscle pain, and anxiety relief. There are many more benefits but the six above should be sufficient to convince you to make a massage appointment soon.
Remember to research the credentials of the person or facility where you get a massage. A massage could be detrimental to your health if done in the wrong way.