Getting the right amount of restful sleep is crucial to your overall health and well being. Unfortunately, statistics show that nearly ⅓ of adults in the United States report not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. The cause for sleep deprivation can range from stress and anxiety to insomnia or other sleep disorders. A simple method that may help is massage to help sleep improvement.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at massage sleep benefits and how getting a massage may help increase the amount of restful sleep you’re able to get on a regular basis. Sleep deprivation can be dangerous, leading to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, body pains, or slower reflexes. Read on to learn how massage sleep benefits may help you.
Massage Sleep Benefits You Don’t Want to Miss Out On
We know how frustrating it can be to lie there in bed waiting for sleep to come when it just won’t. Finding ways to get better sleep (and better sleep quality) is crucial to your mental and physical health. Not only can sleep deprivation negatively impact your blood pressure, heart health, and other important parts of your body, but it also impacts your mood. Missing out on sleep can lead to an increased risk for depression symptoms, stress, and anxiety.
To help combat these issues and get you the sleep you need, the benefits of massage come center stage. Getting a regular massage can provide a host of benefits, but what can you do if making consistent appointments with a massage therapist doesn’t fit your schedule? Fortunately, the evolution of massage chairs has effectively removed any difference between using a massage chair vs human massage. This advancement in massage chair technology has created the opportunity to experience the benefits of massage therapy at home.
So how exactly can you use massage for sleep problems? Three of the biggest massage sleep benefits you may experience as part of the benefits of owning a massage chair at home are:
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Alleviating neck and back pain
- Deepening relaxation
Stress Relief Massage for Better Sleep
Starting our exploration of massage sleep benefits is how massage may help with anxiety, stress, and even symptoms of depression. Getting a massage for anxiety and stress is one of the best ways to use massage for better sleep because it has been shown as an effective method for how to lower cortisol levels naturally. Cortisol is your body’s natural stress hormone. When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, cortisol levels rise and can trigger your fight-or-flight instincts. Lower cortisol levels after getting a massage to help sleep helps your mind and body calm down to unwind for sleep.
Massage sleep benefits also include the potential for how to fight depression naturally. Sleep deprivation is widely recognized as a contributing factor to feelings of depression. This sleep deprivation is often the result of common sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or insomnia. These two have a negative bidirectional relationship because sleep disorders may cause depression while depression may also be the cause of some sleep disorders. In this way, massage sleep benefits may help correct sleep deprivation problems while simultaneously helping with feelings of depression.
Pain Relief Massage Sleep Benefits
The second largest benefit of massage for sleep problems typically comes from pain relief. Similar to the negative bidirectional relationship of sleep deprivation and depression, pain and sleeplessness may also go hand-in-hand. While neck pain, back pain, or other discomforts like recovering from a sports injury can stop you from sleeping, going without sleep can also exacerbate your pain levels.
It’s clear, then, that learning how to manage pain is one of the most important massage sleep benefits for better sleep. Potential massage chair health benefits may help with back pain relief, alleviating neck pain, or leg pain. Additional massage chair features like heat therapy, chromotherapy, and zero gravity reclining capability might also contribute to pain relief massage sleep benefits.
How Massage Deepens Relaxation
Last up in our exploration of the three major massage sleep benefits you may experience using a massage chair at home is how it deepens relaxation. Aside from letting go of the stress and anxiety you might’ve encountered during your day, massage also increases serotonin output. Serotonin is a naturally-occurring hormone in your body that helps regulate your mood. Sometimes referred to as the “happy hormone,” it’s also used in the production of melatonin.
Melatonin is the chemical your body produces as a response to darkness to alert your body that it is time to sleep. It’s what keeps your circadian rhythm and helps calm your mind and body before bed. The increased production of serotonin that leads to higher levels of melatonin in your body is why it makes our list of massage sleep benefits for better sleep.
We hope this article has given you a better understanding of massage sleep benefits you may be missing out on. Choosing a massage chair for regular home use can not only help improve sleep quality, but may also help your body heal faster, alleviate pain, boost energy levels, and have you ready to take on each day to the fullest! Massage sleep benefits could positively impact your overall health and well being but before beginning any massage routine, consult a medical professional to ensure it's safe for you to do so.
Want to learn more about the benefits of owning a massage chair and getting a massage for health and wellness? Check out these resources: