Stress - and how massage can benefit you

We all feel stress at certain times in our lives, some of us being able to deal with stress more easily than others. Many of us recognise the feeling of stress; say when a deadline is drawing near, exam time, death or illness of someone close in your life or having financial worries. Stress can come in many forms with the sufferer showing symptoms of some, or all of the following:

• Increased heart rate

• Increased blood pressure

• Headaches

• Stiff neck and shoulders

• Lower back pain

• Fast breathing

• Sweating

• Upset digestive system

The body is well equipped to deal with acute (short-term) stress but over time, when the stress becomes chronic, it can have detrimental effects on the immune system, the heart, the muscles, reproductive organs, lungs and the skin. Stress also affects your thoughts and emotions. Sufferers may feel cranky and unable to deal with even small problems, or frustrated, jumpy, tired and they may lose their temper more often.

Massage therapy can really help relieve the symptoms of stress but it is important to note that massage alone will not ‘cure’ chronic stress. Lifestyle choices all need to be looked at and the stressors dealt with. A healthy diet, exercise, laughter, nice deep breathing, drinking plenty of water, delegating and learning to say “no” are all small ways of being able relieve the body of stressful symptoms.

So how does massage work?

Part of managing stress is taking time to allow the mind to drift away from everyday worries .A regular time spent with a massage therapist can be used to focus on relaxing the whole body.

Stress increases muscle tension and when a muscle is continuously tightened the circulation is reduced so that the muscle is unable to absorb oxygen and nutrients, this leads to a build up of lactic acid. Massage works by loosening, stretching and lengthening the muscle fibres again, bringing oxygen and nutrients to the area, which in turn creates a sense of well-being.

Stress also affects the brain by releasing cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. This negatively impacts the whole of the body over a period of time with the symptoms described above. Regular massage has been seen to reduce the cortisol levels in the body significantly, as well as increase the levels of serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. Healthy balanced serotonin levels produce feelings of calm and contentment, dopamine helps the body with learning, sleep, mood and attention and oxytocin also produces feelings of calm and love.

While receiving a massage often provides immediate relief, self-massage techniques can also alleviate stress symptoms which I will cover in my next blog post.

Have a great week!

Timo Massage Therapy
Monday, 8 October 2012