Some people consider massage to be a luxury, but I believe it is vital to any injury prevention program or personal wellness program. A regular massage routine is essential if you want to experience a positive change in your quality of life with less stress, pain, better sleep and more energy.
Below are 7 reasons why you should start getting regular massage.
1. MANAGES ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION: A recent study published in the
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that participants who
received Swedish massage twice a week experienced decreases in their cortisol levels
(stress hormone).
2. REDUCES INFLAMMATION: A study published on February 2, 2012 in Science
Translational Medicine found that massage really does to ease those sore muscles after a
tough workout. Just 10 minutes can reduce inflammation, which can help your body
recover.
3. REDUCES PAIN: Eight out of 10 Americans will experience debilitating back pain,
according to Time.com, but a massage can help. According to a 2011 low back pain
study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, getting a Swedish or structural
massage was worth considering to help alleviate chronic low back pain. After receiving one massage a week for 10 weeks, 1 out of 3 patients improved and were pain free, compared to 1 in 25 given ‘usual care’.
4. IMPROVES SLEEP: If you’ve ever fallen asleep while getting a massage, you
probably don’t need to be coaxed into believing massage can promote healthy sleep.
Numerous studies have delved into this link, and accredit it to massage’s affect on delta waves, the kind of brain waves connected to deep sleep, according to Health magazine.
5. BOOSTS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: Multiple studies have linked the stress-busting massage to better functioning of the immune system. In one 2010 study, researchers found massage increased a person’s disease-fighting white blood cells.
6. INCREASES ALERTNESS: Want to boost your brainpower? Adults who were
given a 15-minute chair massage in a small 1996 Touch Research Institute study were
more alert and completed a series of math questions faster and more accurately.
7. ZAPS HEADACHES: A 2009 study found that a 30-minute massage decreased pain for people with tension headaches, and even curbed some of the stress and anger
associated with that pounding head.
There you have it 7 scientifically-proven health benefits of massage.
Check out this short clip from The Doctors television show about the benefits of massage.
Click here to get started with your regular massage routine.
