The daily work routine has made most of the peoples’ lives stressed? Do you feel the same?
Having a full-body massage is good to help you get away from the stress and the daily tensions. No matter, if it is because of the job, relationship, failure or because of poor health, the regular body massage is enough to help you get away from the stressful life.
The most common benefit of massage is that it relaxes your nerves and make you feel fresh to do the thing with peace of mind. An hour massage is the best remedy to keep your skin young and your mind at ease. This, in turn, will make you feel physically fit and give your mental health a boost.
What are Different Types of Massage?
There are different types of massage treatments – each will give you a new and different experience.
Let’s discuss some common types of massage and what effects do they bring.
Hot Stone Massage
In hot stone massage, heated stones are used at different points of your body. The type of stone that is used is basalt – it is a type of volcanic rock which allows it to hold in heat well.
The heated stones are kept at different points in your body that provides heat to the body’s muscles.
The necessary heat recovers the muscle pains and injuries. The heated stones improve the blood flow to the area and, in turn, reduce muscle tension and stiffness in the body.
Overall, hot stone massage has great benefits to improve mental and physical wellbeing for almost everyone.
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep Tissue Massage aims to reach deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue.
At the time of deep tissue massage, the massage therapist will use his fingers and press a little into the skin with pressure. They will use slow, firm strokes to target deep tissues.
The therapist may specifically target knots in the muscles. Myofascial trigger points – also named muscle knots, are specific areas of tension within the muscle fibre. No one knows the reason behind these knots but it is generally perceived as a result of muscle overuse.
Because these knots can be sore, deep tissue massage aims to relieve them and provide pain relief. Deep tissue massage therapy has been proved effective in relieving muscle soreness – many studies suggest.
Sports Massage
The purpose of a sports massage is to improve the health of the soft tissue that gets injured when playing sports or doing regular exercise. It covers the soft tissue injuries that include;
- Skin
- Muscle
- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Fascia
Both sports and exercise, when done regularly causes muscle tension and damages the soft tissues. When doing sports massage, the massage therapist targets all of the soft tissues and help relieve the muscle pain and tensions.
Massage therapy after playing sports improve muscle performance and improve muscle imbalance. The massage therapist aims to prevent and relieve muscle injuries.
Many studies suggest that sports massage can aid recovery from repetitive muscle injuries. Some studies also explain that sports massage enhances muscle performance, however, there is no solid evidence that supports this theory.
Swedish Massage
In a Swedish massage, the massage therapist applies less pressure than they would in other types of massage, such as deep tissue or sports massage.
The massage therapist will combine both shorter, tapping strokes with longer deeper strokes applying light to moderate pressure.
Swedish massage brings a lot of benefits to the body, it helps relieve pain, reduces stress and muscle problems. It is also very effective in reducing lower back pain.
However, be careful when choosing this massage therapy for you – this is not for everyone, especially for the ones facing fibromyalgia. So, get massage treatment for a healthy stress-free life.
Reflexology
In reflexology, the massage therapist applies pressure on specific parts of the hands and feet. This triggers the other parts of the body and helps reduce body pains and provides relaxation.
Various studies suggest that reflexology has many health benefits for human. It recovers pains in different parts of the body. However, it is not effective for chronic pains from multiple sclerosis.
What are the benefits of Massage Treatments?
As we mentioned different types of massage, massage treatments have various benefits. Let’s uncover a few of many benefits;
1. Boosts Skin Health
The average person sheds about 30K – 40K dead skin cells every minute.
Yes, you heard right, every minute.
When you get a professional massage, the therapist’s hands movement helps facilitate the shedding of extra cells that behaves stubborn and stay hanging on the skin.
After a facial massage, your face glows as it removes the extra dead cells on your facial skin and it gives your skin glow. The facial glow beautifies your skin and makes you feel confident.
At the time of massage, the therapist uses different oils to moisturise your skin. It is only beneficial to keep your skin hydrated but brings many benefits.
2. Enhances Blood Circulation
Massage therapies improve blood circulation and hence the blood reaches every cell in the body.
Consider your muscles as the sponges that you use to wash the dishes. When you squeeze the sponge, the water comes out. The exact process applies to the muscle. During a massage treatment, when the massage therapist applies pressure, the blood flow improves and it reaches different parts of the body.
The improved blood circulation boosts the immune system and helps to fight against many diseases.
It takes the necessary nutrients and the oxygen along with it that keep a person fit and healthy.
3. Eases Pain and Swelling
Massage treatment has been proved an effective remedy to help relieve pains. It also reduces body swellings. Moreover, it relaxes the muscles and reduces tension in muscles and joints. The improved blood circulation reduces swelling in the body.
When you work out and do intense exercises, you need to have a sports massage to recover the soft tissue damage. This will speed up the recovery process and your muscles will feel relaxed after a heavy workout.
Moreover, the improved blood flow brings the body back to work faster.
4. Facilitates the Removal of Excessive Toxins
The massage treatment help in removing the excess toxins from your body. This is important to be done as there is no functioning like the cardiovascular system that pumps blood. Instead, the body movement causes the fluid to move as a result of massage or when you do exercise.
When you stretch your muscles, it puts pressure on the lymph nodes. This forces the fluid to move through the lymphatic system.
When you go for a full-body massage, the massage therapist applies pressure on the specific parts of your body.
Getting a full-body massage does the same thing. As the massage therapist works on your muscles, they’re pushing that fluid through your system, helping to detox the body and leave you feeling revitalized.
5. Boosts the Immune System
The lymphatic system does not carry only the excessive toxins but it also takes WBC (white blood cells) along. The WBCs act as soldiers and work as a defence force for the body. It improves the immune system throughout your body.
So, have a full body massage and make your immune system strong to give a boost to your immune system. Add regular massage therapy to your list and live a healthy lifestyle.
Also, read out our blog on 8 Full Body Massage Secrets You Never Knew for more information.
6. Puts the Nervous System In “Rest and Digest” Mode
When you’re in action, it activates the sympathetic nervous system – a defence mechanism. It also gets activated when you feel stressed.
The improved nervous system can save you in an event of danger. A strong nervous system is a reason to achieve the bigger milestones. It helps you fight best against the daily challenges in life.
On the other side, if you feel stressed, it responds accordingly and starts creating negative emotions for the overall body system. So, it is never bad to pay a small amount of money when you can get the advantage of boosting the nervous system.
Moreover, the full-body massage activates the part of the parasympathetic system – the system that regulates the necessary functions of your body. The parasympathetic system includes the cardiovascular system and the digestive system of your body. It also improves your heart health.
When you are having the full-body massage, you are in the rest state that improves the digestive system. So, the overall state is referred to as the “rest and digest” state. At this time, the body is not saving itself from the imminent danger, but it is helping improve the overall body system to do the necessary functions accordingly.
7. Boosts Digestive Health
So, the full body massage also improves the digestive system of the body. As the result of a strong digestive system, you will get an increased amount of saliva, gastric juice, insulin – necessary for proper digestion.
As a result of Swedish Massage that includes rubbing at the specific part of the abdomen. The massage treatment at this part improves the functioning of the large intestine. This helps the digestive system to better absorb the necessary nutrients and takes the maximum benefit of the food you eat.
8. Improves Health Heart
One very important function of the heart is that it helps the heart to work effectively. Your heart pumps blood almost every time but it does not mean that it won’t take advantage of the rest state of your body.
Having a massage is good to maintain heart health as well as it controls blood pressure!
The massage treatment keeps calm the overall body system and gives the entire cardiovascular system a chance to relax.
9. Deep Breathing
The first thing that your massage therapist will ask you to take long, deep breaths. This is another way to release stress and make you feel calm.
At the time of massage, you will feel that your breathing system will naturally become deeper. You start feeling relaxed both mentally and emotionally. This also helps you take lots of oxygen throughout your body.
The improved blood circulation will take the oxygen and the necessary nutrients to different parts of the body.
What can be the Risks of Having a Massage?
Various studies have proved many benefits linked with full body massage for men and women. It helps reduce muscle pain, improve heart and digestive health and regulates the important functions of the body.
With so many benefits, there are some risks attached to having a massage. Make sure to discuss your body condition to get rid of any serious consequences.
If your skin is allergic to some conditions, make sure to discuss them with your therapist. Avoid Hot Stone Massage if you have cuts or injuries on your body. The injuries may cause bleeding when you apply any massage technique.
In addition, the expecting mothers should avoid applying intense massage and avoid the serious therapies that may cause problems for both mother and baby.
Add regular massage therapy to your list to give a boost to your lifestyle!
What’s More!
Massage therapy brings many benefits to your body and mind. It keeps you mentally, emotionally and physically fit. It also improves your skin health and makes you feel confident.
There are many types of massage therapies that allow you to choose the one that suits your health.
Though with numerous benefits, there are some risks attached. Make sure to discuss the condition of your health before you take massage treatment.