6 Unexpected Health Benefits of Full Body Massage

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Over 70 percent of people in the United States have physical symptoms of chronic stress. You can get stressed for a variety of reasons, including your work, relationships, health, and others. The ability to reduce stress is one of the most immediate and well-known advantages of a full-body massage. Even if it's only for an hour, a massage may do wonders for your mood and overall well-being. 

But that’s not all a full-body massage can do. Keep reading to discover 6 surprising health benefits of a full-body massage. 

1. Improve circulation

Massage therapy helps improve circulation and the flow of oxygen-rich blood cells. This helps promote the healing of injured and stressed muscles. Massage improves circulation because the pressure applied by the therapist’s hands during massage therapy pushes blood through congested regions. When this pressure is released, fresh blood flows in these areas, promoting regeneration and recovery of muscles depleted of the blood and nutrient flow. 

2. Relax nervous system

Stress and nervous tension is a major risk factor for many health problems. It can cause tight muscles, headaches, and other discomfort. If you feel particular areas of your body strained and painful, this is probably caused by muscle strain related to nervous tension. Massage can help you to ease this strain and improve overall well-being.

Massage helps calm the nervous system and regulate the production of hormones, reducing the production of the stress hormone cortisol. While the levels of feeling-good hormones endorphins increase. The relaxation that comes with a full-body massage affects hormones that regulate sleep/wake cycles, menstrual cycles, immune cells, blood sugar, and other crucial things.

3. Improve digestive health

Stress has a negative impact on the digestive system, and a full-body massage can have a positive impact on how your body processes food and nutrients. The parasympathetic nervous system controls digestion by producing important chemicals (saliva, gastric juice, and insulin) and stimulating peristalsis, which pushes food through your intestines. Massage can help reduce the negative effect of stress on your digestion and improve bowel movements.

4. Boost skin health

An average person loses between 30,000 - 40,000 dead skin cells every minute. However, it is important to help your skin remove all these cells to prevent clogging and make your skin glow. The movement of the therapist's hands during a full-body massage helps remove dead skin cells, allowing fresh skin cells to emerge. Moreover, the lotion or oil used during massage therapy will help moisturize your skin, while providing a lot of other benefits to your skin.

5. Relieve pain and swelling

Massage can also help with pain and swelling. Muscle relaxation aids in the reduction of pain caused by tension and stress. Increasing circulation will also promote circulation and reduce edema. Massage is a perfect option to relieve muscle soreness after a strenuous workout and speed up recovery after a sports injury. The increased blood flow provides the building blocks required by your body to heal itself faster.

If you experience chronic back pain, your spine doctor may refer you to a massage therapist. Massage therapy is also an integral part of physical therapy recovery programs. 

6. Help eliminate toxins from your body

The lymphatic system is crucial for the proper fluid flow and the function of your immune system. Lymphatic vessels run parallel to blood veins throughout your body, including large groups of lymph nodes in your neck, armpits, and groin.

When your massage therapist pushes blood through muscle and tissue, they are also draining the lymphatic system, where lymph nodes filter out dead cells, waste materials, and potentially pathogenic organisms. Poor function of lymph nodes can cause fluid retention and accumulation of toxins in your body. Promoting the work of the lymphatic system can help decrease edema in certain areas of the body and promote overall health.