Stress Management: How can Remedial Massage Therapy Help?
Stress is something that can affect us all at various times and in large or small doses. While some stressful situations or periods in our life can pass with time, longer term and repeated stress can wreak havoc on both our mental and physical health.
Common causes of stress might be:
- Work related
- Associated with family/friends
- Health related e.g. chronic conditions or pain
- Related to big life changes or events
While stress can be a common part of life, periods of unmanaged stress can lead to physical effects such as:
- Lack of sleep
- Muscular tension
- Headaches
- Restlessness
How can remedial massage therapy help?
All the physical effects mentioned above can be treated or managed with remedial massage. It can be a great idea to look for various methods to help manage your stress but remedial massage can be a great addition or place to start!
- Sleep: As we all know, sleep is such an important part of our wellbeing and when we start missing out on valuable sleep due to feeling stressed we can experience some negative consequences. Brain fog, fatigue and a reduced ability to concentrate are all early signs of lack of sleep. Remedial massage has been shown to help reduce the stress hormone cortisol and place the body in a more relaxed state, making it easier to fall asleep and improving the quality of that sleep.
- Muscular tension and headaches: Our body can react to stress by tensing up areas of our body in a way of “gearing up” to face a threat (or a stressful situation!). We often don’t even notice this is happening until the sore shoulders, neck and tension headaches kick in! Massage can be a great way to help these muscles relax by reducing any tightness and increasing circulation to the area.
- Restlessness: As mentioned above, stress can place us in a state of “flight” where our heart rate is elevated and the body is ready for action. It can be hard to come down from this state, especially if the stress is ongoing, but this is where massage can come in. Massage can help place the body in a more relaxed or neutral state by bringing down that heart rate and producing “feel good” hormones.
*Please note that long term stress can have many negative effects not mentioned above. If you have been feeling stressed for a long period or are experiencing any negative effects from stress please don’t hesitate to contact your GP for some advice.
