Stress and Massage Therapy

You know how it goes… work, kids, bills, the gym, the guilt over not actually going to the gym, and so on. Stress is life nowadays, it’s unavoidable, right? Maybe, and maybe not.

You see there’s good stress, that helps us achieve new goals and take on challenges. Then there is bad stress which actually begins to have an effect our health in negative ways such as: burnout, repetitive strain, sleep deprivation, lack of focus and mental clarity to name a few.

The cool thing is that as little as one massage a month can help to manage these symptoms. A few posts back I wrote about the relaxation response, which include decrease in muscle tension, decreased anxiety, improved sleep quality, increased positive mental health and feelings of general well-being, decreased blood pressure, and decreased metabolic rate, meaning you use energy more efficiently (Benjamin, Tappan’s Handbook of Healing Massage Techniques, 2010). Additional studies have found that a one hour Swedish massage can lower levels of cortisol (aka the stress hormone) in the blood stream for 30 days, and leave you feeling as restored as you would after 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep!

Massage is not just a luxury, it is a vital tool to reducing stress and improving health and wellness. So if you’re over worked, over trained or just plain want a good massage, get in here.  

If you have questions about massage therapy feel free to call us 703-858-2323 or email me at Karlee@MassageHope.com.