Top 5 benefits of massage therapy

Massage therapy has long been touted for its relaxation benefits. But there are others health benefits you may get from regular therapy sessions. Here are five of them.

Massage therapy is an excellent way to ease the effects of chronic pain.

• Patients who suffer from fibromyalgia, migraines, arthritis, and severe back pain have experienced improvements in physical function, increased range of motion, and lower levels of anxiety which all ease the overall effects of pain the body feels.
• While massage therapy may not completely replace pain reducing medication, it can be incorporated to improve the quality of life for pain management patients.

For individuals who routinely experience bouts of insomnia or sleep difficulty, massage therapy can provide a cost-effective and non-habit-forming treatment for sleep issues.

• Massages naturally increase the production of serotonin in the body. This helps to reduce stress and regulate the body's natural sleep pattern.
• If the serotonin production is too low, your stress level will continue to elevate throughout the day causing a spike in stress when your body should be calming down to sleep. Massage helps to realign this natural rhythm to your sleep cycle.
• For increased benefits to your therapy session, ask your practitioner in incorporate lavender aromatherapy into your massage session. Lavender aids in relaxation and will increase the overall benefits.

In addition to providing an excellent source of stress release for overworked individuals, massage therapy has been shown to increase the production of T cells.

• These cells act to stimulate and increase the productivity of the body's immune system.
• Furthermore, massages increasing serotonin levels help the body ward off disease and sluggishness.

Today's technological advances have a major drawback for our bodies, which is poor posture.

• Constant texting and never-ending computer use leads to weaker neck muscles and back tension. We tend to slump over more than previous generations.
• Massage therapy can correct many of these problems. By relaxing the muscles in the neck and upper back, massages improve posture by increasing the range of motion in our upper bodies.

Known as the silent killer, high blood pressure affects men and women, young and old.

• One of the primary culprits of higher blood pressure is an elevated stress level. For many people, reducing the level of stress is difficult, if not impossible. It is possible, however, to incorporate techniques that help alleviate some symptoms of stress.
• Massage therapy helps relieve some of those stress symptoms and lowers overall blood pressure.
• What's more, routine massage therapy can lower long term blood pressure levels.