7 Reasons why you feel better after a Massage
Your Brain Releases Feel-Good Chemicals- In fact, you begin feeling better before the therapist even enters the room. Massage has been proven to release a rush of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin in the brain while decreasing the stress hormone cortisol, leading to overall relaxation. Massage also stimulates pressure receptors, which enhance vagal activity. The vagus nerve is one of the 12 cranial nerves in the brain. This nerve is responsible for certain tasks within your body, particularly your heart rate. When activated during massage, your heart rate slows, which lowers blood pressure and decreases stress hormones. Cortisol plays an important role in your overall health including:
Blood pressure
Glucose metabolism
Immune function
Inflammatory response
Insulin and blood sugar regulation
Massages are well known to reduce cortisol. And when cortisol levels decline, serotonin (a happy hormone) increases, boosting your ability to fight off pain, anxiety, and feelings of sadness.
Pain Diminishes- If you have real aches or pains, the morphine-like effect from the endorphins will help diminish them by blocking pain signals from the brain. And if your muscles are sore after a rigorous workout or active lifestyle, a good rubdown will actually help them heal faster. Researchers found that massage decreases the inflammation caused by exercise and increases the occurrence of cell repair.
Your Awareness Shifts- As you settle onto the massage table, remaining still, you can focus on the rhythm of your own breath, quieting your mind and letting your thoughts pass by. You’re truly engaging in the moment—otherwise known as mindfulness. Mindfulness is a state of awareness that brings your attention to the present situation and helps regulate emotions and boost body awareness. When you’re practicing mindfulness, the areas of your brain associated with emotions—particularly the insula and prefrontal cortex—become less active, causing you to become less reactive. You’re able to detach your feelings and just observe your thought process as you remain engaged in the current experience.
Your Body and Mind Are Able to Function Better- We often think we can feel the tension literally being worked out of our muscles, and that’s pretty close to what’s happening when we get a massage. The pressure from the therapist’s hand movements comes into play again, improving your circulation by moving blood more efficiently and releasing cell waste—like worn-out proteins—faster than your body does naturally.
And your mind gets a bit of a clean sweep as well. Researchers have found that just a 15-minute rubdown can help you to think more clearly and improve your alertness.
Massage Improves Sleep- Your body produces the hormone melatonin when it is time to fall asleep. One of the factors that prevent the release of melatonin in your body is stress. As anxiety is reduced, more melatonin is released. On the flip side of this, massage helps with the release of serotonin, which boosts your alert state during the day, and supports a healthy balance between wake and sleep cycles. Serotonin also chemically works alongside melatonin to produce a good night of sleep
Massage Boosts Energy- Massage therapy can improve your lymphatic health. This means your lymph system, which is responsible for moving blood throughout your body, and flushing out toxins and waste, is put into gear to detox tissues and ward off infection (boost your immune system), all of which improves your general health and helps you to not feel run-down. You not only feel healthier, but you are healthier.
Massage Improves Flexibility and Joint Mobility- Massage stimulates and releases tension in muscles, connective tissues, tendons, and ligaments. When muscle tension decreases, muscles stop contracting the blood vessels. It isn’t just about muscles, though, massage therapy stimulates the body to produce more lubricants in your joints which helps to improve and restore flexibility.
