Almost everyone experiences mental and emotional stress at one point of time or another during the day. Hours of analysing a report or writing code for software may leave you mentally exhausted. An upcoming presentation or examination can make you feel restless. At other times the Monday-morning syndrome may take over and you may not feel like going to work or participating in any activity for no particular reason.
However, massage therapy has been shown to to reduce mental stress and relax the mind in the following ways
Massages Increase Alertness
In 1996, Field, Ironson and other researchers observed that head-neck-shoulder massage therapy enhances alertness in a job stress situation which was measured by alpha wave activity reducing significantly after a massage, suggesting a pattern of heightened alterness1. They also found that massage therapy improved functioning during a test of mental performance.2
Massages Lower Depression
Findings of a research by Field, Sunshine and others published in 1997 showed that those who received massages experienced fewer symptoms of depression. Even Moyer and others found in their 2004 study that an average participant who received massage therapy experienced a reduction in depression that was greater than 73% of those who did not receive massage therapy. Massage therapy’s effects on depression may come about as it is linked to increased levels of serotonin which may inhibit the transmission of painful nerve signals to the brain.3,4 Manipulation involved in massage in the form of rubbing or applying pressure may stimulate a release of feel-good hormones known as endorphins into the blood stream.5,6
Massages Lower Blood Pressure & Heart Rate
According to 2 groups of researchers (Cady & Jones and Hernandez-Reif & others) massage therapy lowers blood pressure.7,8. Researchers Aourell and others found in 2005 that a single 30 min massage reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 4-8%.9According to researcher Ejindu, even a 20 min facial massage reduced blood pressure10. In 2008, Kaye and others found that a full body deep tissue massage resulted in lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate.11
Thanks to research by Rooij and others as well as Armario in 2006 it is now known that massage activates the parasympathetic nervous system of the body which facilitates the body and minds return to normalcy after an emergency by reversing some of the physiological systems activated by stress. Reduced heart rate and slow respiration, which induce relaxation, are a resut of this.12,13
Massage Lowers Anxiety
Even a single session of massage therapy reduces anxiety as per a study conducted by Moyer and others in 200414In that study it was found that the average massage therapy participant experienced a reduction in anxiety that was greater than 77% of comparison group participants15. MT’s effects on state anxiety and trait anxiety may come about as a result of MT’s influence on body chemistry.
Massage Promotes Better Sleep
In 1996 researchers Sunshine and others arrived at the conclusion that massages promote deeper, less disturbed sleep.16
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1Field, T, Ironson, G., Pickens, J., Nawrocki, T, Fox, N., Scafidi, E, Burman, I., & Schanberg, S. (1996). Massage therapy reduces anxiety and enhances EEG pattern of alertness and math computations. International Journal of Neuroscience, 86, 197-205.
2Field, T., Ironson, G., Scafidi, F., & Nawrocki, T., Gonclaves, A., & Burman, I. (1996). Massage therapy reduces anxiety and enhances EEG pattern of alertness and math computations. International Journal of Neuroscience, 86, 197–206.
3Field, T., Grizzle, N., Scafidi, F., & Schanberg, S. (1996). Massage and relaxation therapies’ effects on depressed adolescent mothers. Adolescence, 31, 903–911.
4Ironson, G., Field, T., Scafidi, F., Kumar, M., Patarca, R., Price, A., et al. (1996). Massage therapy is associated with enhancement of the immune system’s cytotoxic capacity. International Journal of Neuroscience, 84, 205–218.
5Andersson, S., & Lundeberg, T. (1995). Acupuncture—From empiricism to science: Functional background to acupuncture effects in pain and disease. Medical Hypotheses, 45, 271–281.
6Oumeish, O. Y. (1998). The philosophical, cultural, and historical aspects of complementary, alternative, unconventional, and integrative medicine in the Old World. Archives of Dermatology, 134, 1373–1386.
7Cady, S. H., & Jones, C.E. (1997). Massage therapy as a workplace intervention for reduction of stress. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 84, 157-158.
8 Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T, Krasnegor, J., Hossain, Z., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C., & Burman, I. (in press). Hypertension symptoms are reduced by massage therapy. Pain.
9Aourell M, Skoog M, Carleson J. Effects of Swedish massage on blood pressure. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2005;11:242–6.
10 Ejindu, A. (2007). The effects of foot and facial massage on sleep induction, blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rate: Crossover pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 13, 266-275
11 Kaye, A.D., Kaye, A.J., Swinford, J., Baluch, A., Bawcom, B.A., Lambert, T.J., et al. (2008). The effect of deep-tissue massage therapy on blood pressure and heart rate. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14(2), 125-128.
12de Rooij SR, Painter RC, Phillips DI, Osmond C, Tanck MW, Bossuyt PM, et al. Cortisol responses to psychological stress in adults after prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2006;31:1257–65.
13Armario A. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: what can it tell us about stressors? CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets 2006;5:485–501.
14Moyer, C.A., Rounds, J., & Hannum, J.W.. (2004). A Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy Research. Psychological Bulletin, 130(1), 3-18
15Moyer, C.A., Rounds, J., & Hannum, J.W.. (2004). A Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy Research. Psychological Bulletin, 130(1), 3-18
16Sunshine, W., Field, T. M., Quintino, O., Fierro, K., Kuhn, C., Burman, I., et al. (1996). Fibromyalgia benefits from massage therapy and transcutaneous electrical stimulation. Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, 2, 18–22.
