Are you stressed? Do you feel like you’re rushing through your day? Are you looking for a proven way to relax? If so, massage therapy may be for you.
Everyone is stressed. According to the latest estimates, up to 90% of all doctor visits are due to stress-related illnesses. Furthermore, you are constantly surrounded by sources of stress, be it work-related or otherwise. Persistently elevated levels of stress can be unhealthy both for your body and mind. Fortunately, though, managing your stress levels can be simpler than you think.
The health professionals here at KinFix Health discuss the effects of stress on your body and mind and how massage therapy may be able to help. Read on to learn more.
How Stress Affects Your Body
Although the human body can deal with some stress, too much stress can affect how it functions. Stress can interfere with almost every bodily function and can adversely affect several organ systems. From your brain to your gut and your joints, stress can harm your body in several ways.
When you are constantly stressed, it triggers your body to release stress hormones such as cortisol and noradrenaline. These hormones are part of the body's defense mechanisms which have evolved over several generations. They cause your blood vessels to constrict and divert blood flow away from organs such as your gut and liver to muscles preparing your body for ‘fight or flight’.
Stress hormones are beneficial in the short term, enabling you to fight off intruders or escape life and death situations. However, over a long period of time, they place an unnecessary burden on the heart and deprive vital organs of necessary blow flow, which can be detrimental to your body.
As a result, commonly reported symptoms of stress include frequent headaches, high blood pressure, difficulty sleeping, upset stomach, and chest pain. Stress has also been known to cause arthritis, diabetes, mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, asthma, and heart problems.
How Stress Affects Your Mental Health
Low mood and decreased appetite are two telltale signs that you are suffering from chronic stress. Additionally, as discussed, stress is also associated with mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Both are a result of stress negatively affecting your mind.
Although the exact mechanism by which stress can influence your mental health is still being researched, stress hormones are believed to play at least some part in it. Studies have shown that stress hormones can directly affect key brain areas associated with memory, emotions, and mood.
Other research has shown that stress may change the structure of your brain. Areas associated with learning and memory are particularly susceptible to these changes. If true, this can explain the association of mental health illnesses with chronic stress.
How Massages Can Help Relieve Stress
Massage therapy is a proven, effective way to help relieve your stress.
When you are stressed, your muscles tend to tense up, leading to symptoms such as headaches and joint pain. A massage can relax your muscles and flush away excess toxins. This means that you are able to relax almost immediately.
The benefits of massage therapy don’t stop there. Massage has been shown to reduce stress hormone levels while boosting the levels of feel-good hormones. Feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine can relax your mind and elevate your mood. They also have proven antidepressant and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Further, the environment associated with massage therapy can also help relieve your stress. The calming music, the pleasant aromas, and the opportunity to disconnect from your stressful life can soothe your mind and body.
Looking to be Stress-Free?
Does all this talk of a relaxing massage have you scrambling to book one? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. KinFix Health offers a range of skilled and experienced massage therapists just for you. Immediate stress relief is just a call or website click away.
Call 902-404-5241 or visit our
website to book an appointment now.
Hours of Operation:
Monday: 630am-8pm
Tuesday: 630am-8pm
Wednesday: 630am-8pm
Thursday: 630am-8pm
Friday: 630am-8pm
Saturday: 8am-5pm
Sunday: 12pm - 5pm
Email Us:
info@kinfixhealth.ca
Phone:
Servicing Halifax and surrounding areas, including:
Spryfield. Downtown Halifax, North, South & West End, Fairview, Clayton Park, Bedford, Sackville, Tantallon, Dartmouth, Bayers Lake
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