The day doesn’t stop there. After an intense nine-hour day in the office, you rush home, get dinner on the table and start your bedtime routine to do it all over again.
Now stop, take a deep breath and daydream yourself to a massage room, where there is true tranquility, stress evaporates and you have a full hour to unwind and relax.
When you see that nearly 60 to 90 percent of all doctor visits are stress related, this should hit home.
In fact, the five to six leading causes of death are linked to stress. The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Burden of Disease Survey estimates that by the year 2020, stress-related mental health conditions including anxiety and depression will be highly prevalent and will be second only to ischemic heart disease as it relates to disabilities experienced by sufferers.
Ask anyone who’s ever received a professional massage: A few good elbows in the back can work some serious magic. After a high-quality, professional massage, you leave feeling incredibly peaceful, yet somehow powerful. It’s like all you needed was to get a few kinks worked out.
A tough workout, whatever tough means to you, leaves you feeling like a regular flight of stairs is a 20-mile uphill backpacking trip. Therapeutic massage is one of the top recovery tools for sore muscles after workouts, especially in elite athletes.
In addition to soothing sore muscles, massage therapy can reduce bodily pain in people who struggle with chronic pain or any syndrome of which pain is a side effect. Studies show that therapeutic massage can relieve pain related to fibromyalgia and more.
Endless to-do lists, work deadlines, family obligations, attempting to keep up with the goings-on of all your friends — most adults today are slammed with duties and responsibilities, many with more than they can handle on any given day. While the world has become more attuned to the striking state of mental health, busyness still seems like a badge of honor.
Regular massages can help to reduce the levels of stress and anxiety you feel on a daily basis. Not only does taking some time for yourself feel good, but massage therapy is scientifically proven to help your mind and body relax.
Physically, massage allows your body to release tension and tames your fight or flight response (which is constantly turned on for many of us); mentally, massage induces a feeling of calmness and reduces anxious thoughts.
Just like stress and anxiety run rampant today, so does lack of sleep. If you need a little help unwinding, consider adding regular massages into your wellness routine. Scientists have found that therapeutic massage can help you stay asleep longer, and get better quality shut-eye. Massage therapy is even known to help people with insomnia catch more ZZZs.
If you feel like you often come down with a cold or other minor illness, you may benefit from therapeutic massage. Research suggests that massage therapy can — a type of white blood cell that defends your body from disease — in your blood. Science also shows that massage therapy can reduce markers of disease, such as inflammation and cortisol.
Can you touch your toes? If you just tried and realized that no, you can’t touch your toes, you can benefit from a massage (even if you can touch, you can still benefit). By manipulating the soft tissue throughout your body, massage therapy can improve your joint range of motion and flexibility.
Sports massage in particular, is known for its effects on movement functionality, but any manipulation of muscle and connective tissue can improve these parameters. Researchers believe this occurs because massage therapy encourages blood flow to the joints, promotes circulation of the lymph, and relaxes the muscles.
Ready to reap the benefits of massage? Schedule your appointment with us today.
