What effect could a Sports Massage or Deep Tissue massage have on your Mental Health & Well-being? Find out in this latest Blog by Circle8Massage.
How beneficial is massage therapy on mental health?
It’s well-known that a massage is a great way to unwind, to alleviate muscle soreness and stiffness or for sports therapy. However, did you know that a Sports Massage or Deep Tissue Massage can be highly beneficial for your mental health? Here at Circle8massage, besides supplying high-quality massage therapy, we like to educate our clients on the benefits of certain massage therapies. So, we felt that we’d like to shed some light on the benefits of a massage with mental health.
Massage therapy for mental health
You may be surprised to learn that massage therapy has gained much-deserved recognition by modern medicine to help reduce the symptom of mental health. Moreover, massage therapy is now being widely incorporated into many mental health programs as a way to deal and reduce illnesses such as anxiety, depression, insomnia and to have a positive effect on wellness. Unfortunately, mental illnesses are not visible, so unlike a sports injury, for example, people tend to overlook the mental impacts.
The Guardian also shed some light on the recent mental health statistics. According to their survey, approximately 16 million people (over 16) have been (or still are) affected by mental illness. Nowadays, mental health is no longer a taboo subject, and there have been several studies to investigate non-medicative treatments, including massage therapy. Stress is undoubtedly a trigger for mental health, and it’s something that many of us (if not all) will experience in our life.
Moreover, a study was carried out in 2013, regarding work-related stress. The participants were ICU nurses, and they each received a bi-weekly, twenty-five-minute massage. Besides, feeling rejuvenated, the nurses demonstrated a substantial decrease in their stress and mental health symptoms. Whereas, the participants who did not receive the bi-weekly massage therapy, continue to show signs of stress, depression and anxiety.
The five benefits of massage therapy for mental health
As noted, stress and mental illness can have adverse effects on our lives, as well as the mind-body connection. Moreover, stress does not take a toll on us mentally, but physically. For instance, stress can result in fatigue, muscle tension, cramps, headaches and inflammations. Therefore, massage therapy, as it is an alternative way to relax, rejuvenate and realign the muscles in our bodies is highly beneficial.
Besides the obvious advantage of relaxing the muscles, fascia and joints in our bodies, it also has tremendous positive effects on our mind and well-being. Some of the main benefits include:
- Alleviate and reduce stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms
- Improve your sleep/sleeping patterns
- Promote positive awareness and well-being
- Improve the body-mind connect
- Release “happy” chemicals, aka endorphins, which are known to help with depression
Unfortunately, people still feel ashamed or prefer to hide their mental health. However, at Circle8massage, Leeds, we want you to know, it’s okay, not to be okay. Our well-trained, caring and knowledgable massage therapists, will discuss your issues to revitalise your body and mind completely. Take some breathing space, and discover the wonders of massage therapy for your mental health.
