Despite its appearance as a mental state, stress is a physical state that affects our lives in many ways. In stressful situations, your body reacts and protects you. For example, although not a physical threat, stress at work or being stuck in traffic activates your sympathetic nervous system, gearing up for "fight or flight". To understand how stress affects your body, you must first know what stress does physically and how using massage for stress relief helps reduce your stress response.
What is Stress Response?
When you encounter what the mind perceives as a stressful situation, your body reacts and protects. At first, your body is in a fight-or-flight state. Some reactions you may experience include increased blood pressure and heart rate, heavy breathing for more oxygen intake, the tensing of muscles, and even perspiration. This is due to high levels of adrenaline and cortisol, which the body releases to defend itself.
Massage for Stress Relief
In times of physical danger, the stress response can be beneficial to us, but it can also hurt our bodies when it is constant. For example, a fight with a loved one, a stressful day at work, or traffic congestion can cause your heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and cortisol levels to rise. Health problems can result from these factors. In addition, many health problems can be caused by high stress levels, such as heart disease, depression, anxiety, and sleeping disorders. Massage therapy reduces stress-induced reactions in the body, such as lowering cortisol levels, relieving muscle tension, reducing heart rate and blood pressure, and boosting endorphin levels.
Visit Your Local Newnan, GA Massage Therapist
Our massage therapists at Healthy Life Chiropractic understand how stress affects the body and know how to help you relax. So next time you have a rough day or week, schedule a massage for stress relief. Every massage session will be tailored to meet your individual needs and reduce your stress response. Click here to schedule your appointment today!