Massage in the Fall -

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« Back	Post Date: Saturday, August 31, 2019
Massage in the Fall

Massage Helps to Relieve Stress
When you’re stressed, your body triggers its natural “fight-or-flight” response, elevating your heart rate and causing your muscles to tense up. Massage therapy counteracts these effects. During treatment, a massage therapist activates pressure points linked to the vagus nerve, which regulates blood pressure. This stimulation helps lower your body’s blood pressure and an increase in production of endorphins (your brain’s “feel-good” chemical).

Decrease Anxiety and Depression
If you’ve ever experienced anxiety or Depression, you know what a toll they can take. But something as easy as a massage can boost your mood and relieve anxious feelings. When you receive a massage, your body releases serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin is responsible for stabilizing your mood and balancing any excessive stimulating neurotransmitters that cause anxiety and stress. Dopamine, on the other hand, battles depression and helps you focus.

Massage Can Help Boost Immunity
If you never seem to get away from those nasty winter colds, perhaps a massage could help. A study published in the “Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine” found that massage therapy increased the presence of the body’s natural killer cells. These cells act as the immune system’s first line of defense, destroying cells that contain tumors and viruses.

Sleep Better After a Massage
When you don’t get enough sleep, you get cranky. But did you also know it can open you up to chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and depression? Sleep plays a vital role in our overall health, but it’s not always easy to get in the recommended eight hours per night. If you find yourself tossing and turning, try massage therapy. Research has shown that massage therapy can improve sleep for just about everyone, including:

insomniacs
people who suffer from migraines
people in physical pain

Thanks to the increase in serotonin from your massage, your body has an easier time producing melatonin, a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle. A massage can help you spend more time in the deeper stages of sleep responsible for restoring your body.