4 Reasons to Treat Yourself to a

Monthly Massage

Sometimes a massage can seem like a bit of a luxury, something you treat yourself with once a year,  indulge in when you’re on holiday in Bali or maybe someone got you a gift voucher for your Birthday. It makes you feel amazing and you say “I should do this more often”, well why don’t you?

A massage every now and then is great, it helps you feel relaxed and you can get away from the rest of the world for an hour or so. What if you were to do it once a month though? Once a month take an hour, just 1 hour is all I’m asking for so that you can enjoy some self-care and let the benefits of a massage speak for itself.

I’ll give you 4 (although there are many more) reasons to book a monthly massage and help you to understand the ongoing benefits massage can provide when done on the regular, not only for you physically but mentally also.

1. Helps to improve circulation

The different techniques used during your massage work to stretch and loosen muscles by encouraging an increase in blood flow. When muscles receive an increase in blood flow this supplies fresh oxygen, nutrients and aids in the removal of waste products. This helps to relax muscles and support healthy muscle tissue ensuring an adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients are received.

Lymphatic drainage is a specific technique used in improving the circulation of your lymphatic system which is responsible for your immune system health. I'll discuss more on how massage supports your immune system in a later paragraph.

2. Alleviates Muscle Tension

High levels of tension felt in your muscles are caused by a restriction in the muscle’s individual muscle fibres, when a group of muscle fibres become restricted this creates an adhesion or you may know/feel it as a ‘knot’. This can be caused by exercise, stress, repetitive motions and/or long periods of inactivity. When these muscle fibres are restricted they cause that part of the muscle to shorten and result in a restriction of movement. This is why sometimes when you feel tightness in your muscles, for instance in your neck, your movement feels limited and you may often get a tight or pulling sensation when you stretch.

As you read on the previous point, massage helps to encourage an improvement of blood flow, resulting in a supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscle. This increase in flow also increases the temperature of the muscles. An increase in temperature and flow aims to improve the tissue’s elasticity, helping to relax the muscle fibres that have been restricted and increasing the muscle’s flexibility and range of motion. This relieves muscle tightness and may alleviate the pain felt from tightness in the muscle. It’s also important to remember to stretch regularly as stretching will help provide length to muscles and assist with managing and preventing tightness. Getting a monthly massage will help with managing and keeping on top of your muscle tensions and aches that you may develop from your day to day stress and activities, so that you can continue doing what you love and prevent aches and pains from building up.

3. Helps to reduce stress

High levels of stress (high levels of cortisol and adrenaline) for longer than desired periods can cause a range of negative side effects, such as poor quality sleep, poor diet and can weaken your immune system.

You’ll often find that after a massage you may feel tired, or notice you get a better night’s sleep. This is due to massage helping to calm the parasympathetic nervous system, assisting your body to move into the ‘rest and digest' phase. The nervous system can become relaxed by releasing stress-reducing hormones (such as, endorphins) this helps with decreasing heart rate and breathing (often our rate of breathing increases when we are stressed or anxious), aids in digesting, waste can be eliminated from your body and reduces the transmission of pain signals - helping to reduce sensitivity to pain, YAY!

4. Supports your immune system

A reduction in stress levels works in conjunction to help the immune system by building up its ability to fight off bacteria and infections (cytotoxic capacity). High levels of stress for too long can trigger immune system responses that result in an increase in inflammation, when your immune system is weakened this can cause you to be more susceptible to infections and viruses.

As well as alleviating stress and supporting the immune system, massage helps to stimulate the lymphatic system and supports the production and transportation of white blood cells (immune cells). Improved lymphatic circulation helps your body to defend against infection and removal of bacteria so that you can keep up with your busy lifestyle.

To recap, although massage can seem like a luxury, it’s more than just relaxation, it can also be a fundamental part in helping you maintain your overall health and wellbeing. So with that in mind and now you know just SOME of the benefits of a regular massage, we’ll see you soon for your next appointment.

Give us a call today on 9583 5200 to book an appointment or book online now.

Written by Kisani Hutton, Remedial Massage Therapist.