How Massages Help You Sleep Better
Massages are relaxing, and if you regularly enjoy them, there’s no doubt you have dozed off more than once during a session of gentle kneading on your tense shoulder muscles. But, the question remains, can regular massage treatments help you sleep better at night? The answer is yes, so read on to find out more about how massages help you sleep better.
How Massages Help You Sleep Better
The American Massage Association (AMTA) [*https://www.amtamassage.org/about/position-statements/massage-therapy-can-help-improve-sleep/] cites heaps of studies that confirm the sleep benefits you will enjoy with regular massage treatments. Studies featuring cancer patients and people dealing with mental health issues have all shown improvements in sleep when receiving massage treatments. Here are a few reasons why a massage can help you enjoy a restful night of slumber.
Back Pain Relief- Back pain is often blamed for a bad night’s sleep. When you relax the muscles with massage, you can relieve some pain, which will help you enjoy a more restful sleep. Likewise, neck tension caused by stress at work can keep you up at night. Massage can relieve a lot of the muscle tension in this area, which helps a great deal with any sleep issues.
Anxiety – Many people experience the type of anxiety that keeps them up at night, and hormone balance has a lot of influence over your anxiety levels. For example, your serotonin levels are highest when you are relaxed and happy. However, when your serotonin levels are at a low point, you are more vulnerable to the type of depression and anxiety that can cause a restless night.
Without getting overly scientific, we know that a relaxing massage session can increase serotonin levels while also decreasing cortisol, the stress hormone. Keeping all these hormones in balance helps to maintain your circadian rhythm and improve your sleep.
There’s little agreement on the exact numbers of just how much massage is needed to enjoy better sleep, but they range from just a few minutes a day to around one or two 30-minute sessions every week.
What we know for sure that is that even one or two massages session per week can have great restorative power when it’s time to put your head to the pillow.
