Massage therapy has become increasingly accessible to the average person. As it does, it allows a wide range of people to have access not only to its relaxing benefits but also to its healing capacity. Therefore, if you have not yet tried massage therapy, you are definitely missing out on a host of benefits that would easily improve your quality of life.

Here are some of the main benefits of massage therapy.

Massage therapy and pain relief

People who suffer from chronic pain often opt for strong pain relievers. Unfortunately, these tend to be a temporary solution with serious negative side effects. Furthermore, there is also the fact that most of them can lead to addiction, something that then compounds the problem.

Massage therapy is a natural solution that is highly effective and which does not come with any negative side effects. In fact, as studies show, it is often even more effective than most methods of relieving pain.

In 2016, researchers carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of massage therapy on people plagued with pain. At the end of the review, which was published in the Pain Medicine Journal, they came to the conclusion that massage therapy was effective at treating pain.

Massage therapy and your mental health

There has been a steady rise in cases of depression and anxiety. This trend does not seem to show any signs of slowing down, especially as people sink deeper and deeper into the modern lifestyle.

It turns out that a good massage can make life in the modern world a little bit more bearable. A meta-analysis that was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry confirms this. The meta-analysis, that included 786 persons and 17 studies, showed evidence that massage therapy helped to treat depression.

Massage therapy improves sleep quality

Sleep is necessary for the human body to rest and rebuild. This is why sleep deprivation causes moodiness, irritability and an overall lack of concentration. It can even lead to depression.

If you are having trouble sleeping, you should definitely try massage therapy. Whether it is a simple session designed to relax your feet after work, or a full-body massage for releasing tension in your body, it will go a long way in ensuring that you get the quality sleep that your body desperately needs to function effectively.

Massage therapy and recovery time

If you engage in any kind of active sports, you just exercise regularly, a good massage can be beneficial. This is because studies show that it reduces both fatigue and pain.

In a 2016 study, in which athletes with disabilities took part, the effects of massage therapy on function, stress, sleep and pain were examined. After examining the data that they gathered throughout the study, the researchers came to the conclusion that massage therapy improved muscle tightness and sleep. This improvement was significant enough for the athletes to notice that they recovered faster as a result of massage therapy.

Massage therapy improves your immunity

Having a strong immune system helps to limit the number of visits that you pay to your doctor. It limits your dependency on drugs and improves the quality of your life. And while a good diet is certainly a good way of boosting your body’s natural defenses, it is not always enough to keep you perfectly healthy.

Massage therapy offers a way to give your immunity an extra boost. Studies show that a good massage can actually increase your white cell count, something that increases your body’s disease-fighting capacity.

It turns out that massage therapy is so effective that even a single session can have a significant impact on your immunity. In a study that was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the effect of a single session of Swedish massage was examined. The results from the study showed that a single session of the massage was enough to cause a significant increase in circulating lymphocytes.

In short, it demonstrated that a 45-minute massage session can be enough to give your body a better fighting chance against disease-causing organisms.

Massage therapy is more than a tool for relaxation. With the right massage, you can boost your immune system, improve your mental health and reduce muscle recovery time. Therefore, if you want to improve your odds of being able to handle the demands of modern life, you should definitely consider having regular massages.