Stress Relief Through Massage

Stress can be caused by all manner of things, not just the current economic climate. Stress can be anything that causes your body’s systems to be out of balance. Stress can be caused by the food you eat that is not good for you, the environment and pollution and other things like how you react or act in response to what is happening in your life. We all handle stress in different ways and with different degrees of success.

Stress shows itself in your body with tight muscles which is what the massage therapist will be dealing with. Having a regular massage can reduce stress and get rid of these tight muscles.

Many people have a massage to get rid of a particular problem or to help in recovery from an injury or accident. People who are stressed for whatever reason can be helped by having a regular massage.

Seated acupressure massage in the workplace is a fantastic way to relieve stress. A twenty minute session once a week at your place of work can help combat stress. The massage is performed on a specially designed massage chair brought to your place of work by the massage therapist. The massage is performed through your clothes without the need for oils. It is a short massage routine (working on the head, neck, back and arms) that will leave you feeling relaxed but alert.

Aromatherapy massage is also a great stress buster. A full body massage with essential oils of your choice lasting about an hour, very relaxing. Aroma-sports massage combines deep tissue massage with essential oils, not as relaxing at the time, but the benefits when your body adjusts are fantastic!

The stress response system in your body is made up of the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands. When the body is working properly the stress response system works correctly. The hypothalamus is the part of your brain that controls the balance of your body’s systems. The pituitary gland is the master gland. The hypothalamus controls the pituitary gland. The adrenal glands secrete adrenaline and cortisol. The pituitary gland controls the adrenal glands.

When you are under a constant amount of stress the body keeps secreting adrenaline and cortisol, but because of the constant stress, the body does not burn it up. High levels of cortisol create excess inflammation which can be the cause of many diseases and conditions.

Adrenaline boosts the heart increasing the blood pressure in preparing for the stress. Adrenaline prepares your body for the “fight or flight” response. It is burned up by the body after an immediate threat. If you have ever had shaking after an accident or physical threat that is your body using up the excess adrenaline.

When the body produces adrenaline it also causes the liver to dump sugar into the bloodstream, continued high blood glucose damages blood vessels, and because of the high blood glucose the pancreas has to secrete extra insulin into the body which can pave the way for type 2 diabetes.

Cortisol dissolves connective tissue and suppresses inflammation. Connective tissues are the supporting tissues of the body, they have mostly mechanical functions and connect more active tissues (like bone and muscle). Excess cortisol in your body increases inflammation, reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leads to chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Regular massage, whether in your place of work or at a massage clinic, can help relieve the symptoms of stress and rid your body of tight and sore muscles. So don’t delay book your stress busting massage today!