Many of us are stressed and our mental health is affected badly. But now you don't have to worry about your mental health anymore. We offer a variety of massage therapies that can be useful for treating anxiety and depression.
A pandemic like no other, has been taking a toll on people's lives over the past couple of years. This includes severe panic attacks as well as feelings of hopelessness due to problems caused by the pandemic, such as anxiety and depression. This only adds to the pressure one feels on top of their daily life tasks! Luckily there is help available. Our professional staff will focus solely on providing with different types of relaxation sessions.
Anxiety and depression are common mental health issues that affect many people. If you suffer from either of these conditions, it can be difficult to enjoy your life. Fortunately, massage therapy is a great way to manage both! Massage Therapy for Anxiety and Depression will teach you how massage can help with anxiety and depression symptoms so that you can get back on the right track. Read along to find out.
Table of Contents:
What is Massage Therapy?
What is the Importance of Massage Therapy for Mental Health?
How can Massage Therapy relieve anxiety and depression?
What are the Types of Massage Therapy to relieve anxiety and depression?
What are the other benefits of Massage Therapy for Mental and Physical Health?
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, consisting primarily of manual (hands-on) techniques such as applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and moving muscles and body tissues.
During massage therapy, a therapist will manipulate your muscles and other soft tissues to enhance their function, promote relaxation, or both.
Massage therapy has been used in China for more than 3,000 years. Some practitioners believe it can help ease feelings of depression. They suggest that touch releases hormones in your body that create a sense of emotional connection. Massage may help calm your mind and improve your mood, as well as ease physical aches and pains.
While more research is needed, scientists have found evidence to support the idea that massage therapy can provide mental health benefits. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Trusted Source
Clinical trials suggest that massage therapy may help relieve depression. It may also be a helpful addition to your overall treatment plan.
What is the Importance of Massage Therapy for Mental Health?
Massage therapy has been known to lower stress, decrease anxiety, and reduce irritability. Along with increasing brain serotonin and dopamine, the combination of these effects leads to a happier individual.
But how can Massage Therapy relieve anxiety and depression?
When your muscles and connective tissues become stiff or rigid, it can cause pain and limit your movement. Massage therapy can help relieve this tension in your muscles and connective tissues. It also increases your blood flow and promotes relaxation.
If you have depression, massage therapy probably won’t cure your condition, but it may help relieve the physical symptoms associated with it. For example, massage may help alleviate sluggishness, back pain, joint pain, and muscle aches. It can also help relieve fatigue and sleeping problems.
What are the Types of Massage Therapy to relieve anxiety and depression?
During massage therapy, your therapist will rub, stretch, and apply pressure to muscles in your body. Some styles of massage involve over-the-clothes touching. Others involve direct contact with your skin, often with scented oils. Some involve acupuncture needles, warm stones, or complex twisting poses.
Here are some common types of massage used in the United States:
What are the other benefits of Massage Therapy for Mental and Physical Health?
The benefits of massage therapy are numerous and diverse, but one way it can make you feel better is by improving your mental health. Participate in this formative process with an expert who understands what they're doing!
Let’s take a look at some of the practical mental health benefits that come from participating in massage therapy.
1. Improve your relaxation skills:
When people become relaxed, their heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, and salivary cortisol levels decrease. This helps reduce stress and anxiety, which are the two leading causes of depression.
Great news! You don’t even need to schedule an hour-long Swedish massage to reap the short-term benefits of a quick massage. Studies have shown that physiological and psychological changes occurred even after 10-15-minute-long chair massages. No matter how busy your schedule is, you can easily make time for a short chair massage. For even more significant benefits, try combining massage therapy with aromatherapy.
2. Rest more efficiently:
Massages aren’t only useful for in-the-moment relaxation. Massages have been shown to improve sleep patterns in all types of people including children, adolescents and adults that suffer from insomnia, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, migraines, and more.
Research has demonstrated that those who have received a 30-minute massage twice a week for five weeks reported a significant decrease in pain, which led to fewer sleep disturbances.
Tip: If professional massages aren’t financially doable, recruiting your partner as your massage therapist can help! Even a light 3-minute massage before going to bed can make a difference.
3. Alleviate the symptoms of chronic illnesses and diseases:
People suffering from chronic illnesses and diseases also experience higher stress levels. Elevated stress can worsen the chronic condition which, in turn, can lead to even more stress, all creating a vicious cycle. While massage therapy hasn’t been proven to cure any disease, it has been found to improve the quality of life for many individuals.
For example, children with cancer who have regular massages were found to have reduced side effects from their cancer treatment such as reduced pain, anxiety, and depression. This has the added benefit of placing the child in a better psychological and physiological state to battle their illness.
4. Increase your overall happiness:
Massage therapy has been known to lower stress, decrease anxiety, and reduce irritability. Along with increasing brain serotonin and dopamine, the combination of these effects leads to a happier individual. Being a happier person can have an infinite number of effects on their personal life and the lives of those around them.
While scheduling regular messages isn’t financially plausible for everyone, it should be carefully considered for people looking for a holistic way of improving their mental health.
5. Neurotransmitter and Hormone Balance
Researchers have shown massage therapy activates neurotransmitters that can decrease anxiety and lower stress hormone levels. At the University of Miami School of Medicine, researchers found massage therapy had positive effects on people who were experiencing a range of mental health issues, including depression, eating disorders, and stress. The research team found about a 30% increase in serotonin and dopamine levels, in participants who underwent massage, as well as a reduction in the stress hormone cortisol. These findings suggest massage was responsible for an increase in feel-good neurotransmitters and a decrease in stress.
6. Blood Pressure and Circulatory Issues
A massage therapist can help lower your heart rate as well as your systolic (pumping) and diastolic (resting) high blood pressure.
At Iran’s Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, a researcher compared two groups of 25 women. One group received 10-15 minutes of Swedish massage three times a week for a total of 10 sessions; the women in the other group relaxed in the same environment but did not receive massages. The researchers found massage caused a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure that persisted for as many as three days after treatment.
7. Alleviating Symptoms of Illness or Disease
People with life-threatening illnesses or diseases often experience anxiety and depression that can exacerbate their condition. Massage therapy can greatly increase the quality of life, freeing up mental and physiological resources to fight off disease. Many physicians recommend massage as a complementary therapy to medical care for its healing power and low incidence of side effects.
At the Columbia University Medical Center, experts studied children with cancer and found massage therapy helped manage many side effects of cancer treatment, including pain, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and reduced immune function.
Wrap Up
You deserve to be taken care of. If you feel that therapeutic massage is right for your needs, don't hesitate to book an appointment with us today!
