Understanding the Physiological Benefits of Massage Therapy
We all know a massage feels great. When you leave a massage appointment, whether in your own location or in my studio in Sarasota, massage therapy will have given you a sense of relaxation, tension release, and overall wellness.
But did you know there are very real, physiological effects taking place during a massage?
When performed by a trained professional, the pressure and soft-tissue manipulation of a massage create positive and even lasting changes in many of your body’s systems.
Techniques and modalities I am trained in—deep tissue massage, myofascial release, neuromuscular massage therapy, stretching and range-of-motion to cupping and gua sha—offer a range of therapeutic benefits. Still, all massage techniques share a number of overall physiological benefits.
Circulation
Many massage techniques center on the application of hands-on pressure to the muscles and soft tissue. Massage strokes tend to be directed towards the heart and liver bringing blood back to the organs to clean up and recirculate, all while the heart is not working as hard to achieve this result.
This directly increases arteriolar circulation, causing blood to move more quickly and providing additional blood which carries oxygen and other healing agents to the area being treated and the surrounding areas. For many people, especially here in Sarasota, massage can provide much-needed improvements in circulation for healing and maintaining healthy tissue.
Stimulation of the Parasympathetic Nervous System
The parasympathetic nervous system controls the “rest and digest” response, making the body relax so that vital organs—including those in your digestive system—can do their jobs. Massage promotes this response by directly stimulating the vagus nerve, a major part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which runs from the brainstem down the neck through the chest and into a number of organs in your abdomen. It is a physiological trigger for your body to relax.
Reduced Cortisol
Not only does this parasympathetic response work in the moment, it also generates long-lasting benefits. When your body physically relaxes, it produces less cortisol. Cortisol typically slows down your healing responses and actually increases your blood sugar, so reducing high cortisol levels increases your immune system and benefits the long-term health of your organ systems and overall metabolic health on a cellular level.
The “Relaxation Response”
All of these cardiovascular, neural, and hormonal improvements combine for something called the “Relaxation Response.” Rather than relaxing through mental exercises, massage bypasses the brain entirely and essentially triggers relaxation directly. And it’s important to remember that not only do these techniques cause relaxation; relaxation in turn causes even more improvements in all of these systems. Massage puts you into a physiological wellness cycle.
Don’t Discount Your Mental/Emotional Responses
Of course, this is not to say that pleasure isn’t a benefit in and of itself. On the contrary, the enjoyment you get from a massage is an indicator of all these physical benefits and more—like increased dopamine and serotonin.
Better sleep is a great side effect of regular massage. This side effect in turn positively impacts serotonin production, improved recovery from workouts and naturally improving hormone production from improving sleep quality.
Nowadays, it’s widely accepted that your mental wellbeing and your physical health go hand-in-hand. Providing benefits for one can improve the health of the other, and vice versa.
So the next time you book an appointment with me your mobile Sarasota massage therapist, try thinking about all the great things that are happening in your body. I’ll bet you’ll enjoy your massage even more!
