Benefit #1: It Breaks Down Hardened, Constricted Fascia
Raise your hand if you feel like your body's dragged down, tight, and tense. It's probably safe to assume that most of us feel that way more often than not, even if we're not exerting that much physical energy.
"Our ancient ancestors were foragers; we are meant to move and not sit in a chair for eight to 10 hours a day," says Barbara Close, a licensed massage therapist, esthetician, and founder of Naturopathica. She continues, "Because of our sedentary lifestyle, the fascia that surrounds our muscles becomes constricted. As a result, we lose range of motion, as well as lack of circulation to muscles." (Fascia, by the way, is connective tissue that's primarily made from collagen and wraps around muscles and organs. Those knots you always get? They're fascia.)
Common results from hardened and constricted fascia — and a common complain that Close receives — include sciatic pain, neck aches, and headaches. A massage softens and breaks down the fascia, thereby reducing tension, aches, and pain.
Image via @squeeze
Massages Genuinely Relieve Stress
It's so easy to get wrapped up in daily stressors, whether it's a mountainous heap of work emails or a strained relationship. Taking the time to temporarily walk away from those stresses can help us feel more grounded, thereby allowing us to efficiently tackle them with a sense of calmness.
"One of the best effects of massage is that it gets us out of our heads and reconnected to our bodies and our feelings. You come away from a massage and think to yourself, 'What was I so anxious about?'" says Close. She adds, "It's not uncommon for people to experience emotional releases and cry or laugh during a massage. [Further], when we experience touch, our bodies release endorphins and feel good hormones like GABA. Our bodies naturally crave this relaxation response as an antidote to stress."
And before you write all that off as mumbo jumbo, there's science to back it all up. For example, this 2014 study found that moderate pressure massage, "enhanced attentiveness, reduced depression,... anxiety and heart rate, altered EEG patterns, and increased vagal activity, as in a relaxation response."
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Our Sleep Quality Improves
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.
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OK, So How Often Should I Be Getting a Massage?
Both Close and Curtin say that once a month is a great number to shoot for (but if you can do once a week, even better). Many spas, including Squeeze and Regi, as well as on-demand apps such as Soothe and Zeel, provide monthly massage memberships that reduce your overall cost.
Image via @squeeze
How to Administer Your Own Massage
While a professional massage is the ideal, we understand that it's not always a feasible option. That's where self-administered massages come in.
"Most people carry a lot of tension and stress in their neck and shoulders, so to massage this area start by relaxing your shoulders and let your head fall so your chin is to your chest. Where your neck and shoulders meet, use two or three fingers to press and hold while you roll your shoulders forward and backward," says Curtin. "Therapy balls and foam rollers are also great at-home remedies. These all help to release tension a bit."
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