Why Massages Are More Than a "Treat Yourself" Splurge

Because massages help reduce physical tension/pain and alleviate stress, they can also help improve the quality of our sleep, notes Caitlyn Curtin, the lead massage therapist at Los Angeles' Squeeze.

For example, in a 2006 experiment, Chinese researches studied the effect of massages on 166 people with insomnia. They divided the study group in half. The controlled group received herbal pills for three times a day for 15 days while the other group received 15 consecutive days of massages. The researchers concluded that 67 of the members in the massage group had been cured from insomnia, with 13 others having notably improved sleep, as well. The control/pill group only had 10 cured cases with an additional 21 people experiencing some notable improvement. Compelling stuff, right?

Of course, the impact of getting good sleep is huge. Not only do we have more energy and feel more alert, but good sleep affects our health. Studies found that getting consistent, high quality sleep reduces our chances of developing heart attacks, dementia, and Alzheimer's.

Image via Naturopathica