What Stress Does to your Body & How Massage Helps

What Stress Does to Your Body and How Massage Therapy Helps

Have you been feeling so overwhelmed by what’s happening around you that you can’t seem to function the way you used to? You might be experiencing stress, and well, it's a pretty common thing, especially in today's fast-paced world. For the past couple of years, we have dealt with rather unexpected events that have shaken us to our core. While it taught us several important things like how to adapt and how to appreciate the things we have now, these events also might have affected us in a way that’s internal – and we don’t even realize it.

Understanding Stress

How your body reacts to a particular situation or event that your mind perceives to be a threat is what you call stress. It is normal, and it's not always a bad thing. We all deal with it. At some point in our lives, we may experience it more than once. However, the effects it could bring to a person experiencing it could be much more serious than the rest.

Stress may be experienced at varying degrees. The stress that you feel for a short period of time is called acute stress. When it’s more recurring, it’s called episodic acute stress, while stress that spirals on for too long is called chronic. Chronic stress is often associated with damaging effects not just mentally but physically. Experiencing stress at severe levels could put your health at risk.

Stress could affect a person's overall well-being. It makes you constantly feel irritable and anxious. How does chronic stress manifest in the body?

• Recurring headaches – stress may trigger and/or intensify tension headaches;

• Unusual sleeping patterns – stress may cause insomnia (difficulty in sleeping) or hypersomnia (sleeping too much)

• Muscle aches and pains – chronic stress can tense the muscles leading to more pain in the body.

• Digestion problems may lead to stomachaches, nausea, and other stomach troubles.

• Issues with sex drive – too much stress may result in infertility and erectile dysfunction for men.

• High blood pressure – when stress levels are high, it can tighten blood vessels, which may result in high blood pressure;

• Irregular period – stress may cause missed periods due to fluctuating hormones;

• Panic attacks – heightened levels of anxiety that could lead to depression;

• Weakened immune system – chronic stress may leave your body vulnerable to infections and diseases;

• Risk of heart attack – stress can cause serious heart problems like increased heart rate and damage to arteries;

What causes stress?

There are various reasons why we experience stress. When we are stressed or anxious, our bodies produce adrenaline, cortisol, and noradrenaline – hormones that are triggered when we are faced with different factors. External factors such as sudden significant change can cause stress, and it will continue to exist unless one learns to adapt. Work or school duties could also cause major stress, as well as relational issues and financial hardships.

Internal factors such as constant negative thinking, difficulty accepting reality, perfectionism, and unrealistic expectations could contribute to stress.

Managing Stress with Massage Therapy

One of the most effective ways to alleviate the symptoms of stress is to allow room for relaxation. A person experiencing chronic stress could suffer from its detrimental effects. Massage therapy is known to reduce stress and the related symptoms that could help promote relaxation and rejuvenation. Massage therapy fosters a relaxing environment due to aromatherapy and the skilled hands of massage therapists or massage practitioners.

Massage is a general term that refers to hand techniques that include applying pressure, rubbing, and manipulating the skin, muscles, and ligaments to encourage relaxation. There are many different types of massages. The most common ones are Swedish massage, deep massage, sports massage, lymphatic massage, and oncology massage.

There's another form of massage that mainly assists in the management of rehabilitation, pain, and certain physical injuries called the remedial massage. This form of massage systematically assesses and treats the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and tissues of the body in order to recover and speed up the healing process. It's also not just concerned about the treatment but also the cause of the pain.

How can remedial massage help?

Remedial massage is known to have many benefits. Receiving regular remedial massages can help:

Reduce stress and anxiety

Stress impacts affect just about anyone. It does not matter what age you are, stress with anxiety can attack your mental health relentlessly, which can cause your overall health to drop. In order to recover from stress, deep relaxation is needed. Remedial massage is known to help reduce stress by triggering that relaxation response in the body. It helps reduce the tension in the muscles that produce calmness, which is vital to alleviate anxiety symptoms.

Reduce pain

Stress also manifests in the body through aches and pains that just won't go away, such as headaches, backaches, and muscle pains. These recurring pains can be debilitating and hinder productivity. Getting remedial massages can address these pains and what is causing them, reducing the risk of another injury in the future.

Repair damaged tissue and mobility.

Remedial massage assists in stimulating blood supply in the body, which is necessary to improve mobility by making the joints more robust and moveable. Massage therapists use different techniques to increase circulation levels and improve body function.

Improve sleep

Insomnia is one of the worst effects of chronic stress. We all know that we function correctly when we get enough sleep and if we aren't getting any, productivity drops. Getting enough sleep is very important in maintaining good health and overall well-being. When we rest, our body is able to recover from any physical and mental activities we experience for the day. Remedial massage is beneficial in improving sleep by eliminating external factors that affect poor sleep quality.

Anyone can benefit from a remedial massage, but those who are stressed out can feel the most difference. Remedial massages are done by professionals, and these massage therapists are licensed and certified. Luckily for you, CloudForm has a trained remedial massage therapist for you to go see!


*This Article was created by a third party on behalf of CloudForm*