It has long been suggested that massage therapy is good for us and can reduce our fatigue and increase our energy.
Although massage does not directly increase your energy, it reduces fatigue and often decreases symptoms that lower your energy, making you feel better.
Deep Tissue Massage Therapy has been shown to increase blood circulation, reduce stress, pain and depression, improve sleep and your immunity, leading to greater well-being, more energy and less fatigue. fatigue.
Swedish massage and deep tissue massage
There are many different modalities in massage therapy, but most are familiar with Swedish massage , which includes long, gliding strokes that improve circulation and massage deep tissue.
the deep tissue massage uses techniques such as fiber-to-fiber friction to break up adhesions in muscles using slow, deep movements and pinning and stretching techniques to lengthen and stretch muscle fibers as well as compression on points trigger to release them.
These two styles of massage share the same muscle benefits, as the differences lie in the degree to which they focus on each benefit.
For example, Swedish massage offers greater stress and pain reduction and better sleep, while deep tissue massage may do more to reduce pain and muscle tension.
Most massage therapists will combine these two styles to maximize the therapeutic benefits for their client by doing Swedish massage in general and using deep tissue techniques on specific areas that need more effective work.
muscle compression
Another technique that has been shown to help muscle recovery after exercise is compression. While ischemic compression is technically what is used to release trigger points, it is performed on a very small, point-specific scale intended to release the muscle by releasing the trigger point.
Broad muscle compression applied to the entire muscle or muscle group soon after the end of exercise (after running or weightlifting) has been shown to improve and speed up recovery for better performance and reduce fatigue. delayed onset muscle pain.
Increase energy by increasing muscle recovery
Sports massage is essentially a set of proven techniques to help recover tired muscles, either to enable new performance or to reduce or prevent delayed onset pain.
The muscle will recover on its own as a natural process, so all we really need to do to help this process is to increase circulation, remove lactic acid and bring in fresh oxygen rich blood.
Swedish gliding movements and wide muscle compression all serve to increase circulation, thereby accelerating muscle tissue recovery and performance. Research has confirmed that athletes who received massage after exercise recover faster and with less pain.
Faster muscle recovery equals less fatigue
Increase energy by reducing pain
Studies have shown that massage therapy can reduce pain and fatigue caused by illness and muscle use. Studies in clinical settings have shown that massage reduces pain levels and improves function by analyzing qualitative data.
Overall pain was significantly reduced, and improvements in emotional well-being, relaxation, and ability to sleep were all associated with pain reduction. We’ve all experienced pain that interrupts our ability to concentrate and even sleep, and we can understand how that translates to feeling exhausted at the end of the day.
By relieving pain, massage therapy relieves fatigue and indirectly improves our energy levels.
Increase energy by reducing stress and depression
Clinical trials have shown that massage therapy relieves depressive symptoms in general and relieves depression in people with fibromyalgia. There is an overall statistically significant association between massage therapy and improved levels of perceived stress and depression.
Since general fatigue and pain – as well as a lack of energy – are all associated with stress and depression, relieving these symptoms through the use of massage therapy in turn increases your energy levels. .
Increase your energy by improving sleep
While more than a quarter of us suffer from occasional poor nights’ sleep, nearly 10% of Canadians suffer from chronic lack of sleep, known as insomnia.
As a critical function, sleep impacts our mood, ability to function mentally and make decisions. Even the success of our social interactions is affected by the quality of our sleep, which has a huge impact on our general sense of well-being, our energy levels and the levels of fatigue we may experience.
Research has shown that massage therapy can improve sleep quality and duration in children, cancer patients, and those with fibromyalgia. And it can certainly help healthy adults who are stressed get a good night’s sleep.
By reducing stress and pain levels and bringing the body into a state of relaxation, many people can finally achieve a restful state of sleep, improving overall energy levels and reducing fatigue.
Massage therapy reduces the chronic symptoms of pain, depression, and lack of sleep that sap our energy. Massage helps us feel better and function more efficiently.
