Does Massage Equal Sleep?

Tackling the “massage is like 8 hours of sleep” myth.

Does massage equal sleep? Sometimes, I see a lovely graphic someone made of the benefits of massage, and I think “Oh wow! I want to share this with my clients!” Then, I read the list of benefits… and inevitably I scrap the idea. There are a few massage myths that turn up on these lists, and I plan to talk about some of them. This is the big one that makes me the craziest. So, go ahead, ask it:

Is an Hour of Massage Really the Same as 8 Hours of Sleep?

No.

What’s the Deal, Then?

Does massage equal sleep? Essentially, the answer to the question has become sort of over-simplified and exaggerated. Try skipping a couple of nights of sleep and replacing them with a massage. That makes me tired just thinking about it!

What I learned in massage school was that an hour of massage has similar benefits to the body as about 3 hours of restorative rest. That’s kind of like a nice long nap. But, let’s break it down a little bit.

What Happens When We Sleep?

There are stages to sleep that you’re just not going to get from a massage. While I love to have a client fall asleep on the table, you aren’t going to reach all – if any – of these stages during a massage. These stages include:

  • Non-REM Sleep
    • “Twilight State” – the stage between being awake and falling asleep. (This is probably most commonly what you feel during a massage.)
    • Light sleep – heart rate and breathing regulate, body temperature drops.
    • Third and fourth stages are deep sleep.
  • REM Sleep
  • The cycle repeats itself four or five times through the night.

What Do Brainy People Say About Sleep?

The National Sleep Foundation has renamed these stages N1-3 and REM. During N3, or stages 3 and 4, blood pressure drops, breathing slows, muscles relax, and blood supply to muscles increase. Metabolically, tissue growth and repair occurs, energy is restored, and growth hormones are released. REM sleep supports daytime performance, dreams occur, and the body becomes immobile and released – the muscles are turned off!

According to the National Institutes for Health, “Sleep services all aspects of our body in one way or another: molecular, energy balance, as well as intellectual function, alertness and mood.” Sleep affects growth and stress hormones, appetite, breathing, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health.

In an article by Johns Hopkins Medicine, sleep expert and neurologist Mark Wu, M.D. says that a healthy amount of sleep is vital for “brain plasticity”, or the brain’s ability to adapt to input. Too little sleep can affect our ability process what we’ve learned during the day, as well as give us trouble remembering it in the future.

What Happens When We Get a Massage?

Some people are pretty quick to hit the light sleep stage (Stage 1-2 or N1-2) during a massage. However, most of the time you’re either just really relaxed, or you’ve reached that “Twilight State” where you’re kind of asleep, kind of awake. A massage becomes more like a nap than a full night’s sleep. This is all still good for you, though! During a massage:

  • Blood pressure lowers
  • Breathing slows
  • Muscles relax
  • Circulation increases
  • Lymph flow increases
  • Serotonin and melatonin levels may increase

A lot of the effects of massage are similar to those of various stages of sleep, but one cycle of sleep stages typically lasts about 90 to 110 minutes. Even in a 90 or 120 minute massage, you usually have to wake up and roll over about halfway through. Sleep Review lists a variety of reports on the effectiveness of massage in improving sleep. But, while these have found that massage improves sleep, it does not replace sleep.

What Does That All Mean?

So. Does massage equal sleep? No, but it can help. Massage helps you break the cycle of pain, find relief, and improve your sense of well-being. It can relieve stress and anxiety. In turn, it can help you get a better night’s sleep. Together, this allows your body to set up the conditions needed to heal itself. 

The frequency and type of massage needed vary from person to person. Health issues may mean massage is not right for you. I encourage you to work with all your healthcare team, including your massage therapist, to figure out what works best for you.

Be Well.

The Secret to a Great Massage

Wanna know the secret to a great massage?

The secret to a great massage is pretty complicated… Are you ready?

massage hang loose relax

Do absolutely nothing.

That’s right. Don’t. Move. A. Muscle.

Think limp dishrag. Wet noodle. Just… hang loose.

Okay. Granted, there are times when you have to do something. Like, roll over. Or, I might ask you to push against my hand for a particular type of muscle release. Otherwise, your job during your massage is to literally do nothing. Here’s the reasoning behind that:

Don’t Work So Hard

If you “help” raise your head, or move your arm or leg, you’re likely using the very muscle that I’m trying to relax. For example, think about how your neck feels when you spend a day looking at your computer, or down at your phone. Now think about how you’re moving your head when you left it up off the massage table. Seem familiar? Instead of helping, just let your head be heavy and give those hard working neck muscles a break.

Protect Your Modesty

Here’s another thing. More often than you might think, a person moving their arm or leg as I’m covering or uncovering it gets tangled in the sheet. Or worse… *cringe* exposes a bit of skin not meant to be exposed. Also, you won’t kick me in the head. If you want to know more about what to wear (or not wear) for your massage, check out this post.

Don’t Make Me Work So Hard

massage hard working

Yeah, yeah… this one is a bit self-serving. BUT. I am often using your body weight do get deeper into a muscle. Maybe I want your arm a bit floppy so I can work underneath that shoulder blade, or give it a good stretch. I may be testing the range of motion of your shoulder or hip. If you’re holding a limb tense, I have no idea if it’s restricted or if you’re restricting it!

So Now What?

Just give yourself a true break on the massage table. See if you can let go of your limbs. Just hang loose. One trick that works for me when I’m having a hard time letting go of my arm… I think about the other arm, maybe wiggle or count the fingers. It distracts me from trying to “help”. Give it a try. Just hang loose. I think you’ll notice a difference.

Stress, Anxiety, & Massage

Why get a massage? According to a survey conducted by the American Massage Therapy Association, 28% of Americans who get a massage do so for relaxation and stress reduction.

That’s a lot of people in the US who feel pretty good about how massage helps them manage their stress. But warm fuzzies aside, what exactly do we know about massage and how it relates to stress and anxiety? And what does the research have to say about that?


What is Stress?

Stress is your body’s response to demanding circumstances. Working long hours? You’re probably stressed. Studying for a big exam? Definitely stressful. Toddler throwing a tantrum? Probably stressful for both of you.


Too Much Stress?

When stressed, your blood pressure goes up. Your breathing and heart rate increase. You may feel agitated and distracted. This is useful if you’re a prey animal that needs to flee for its life. Less useful if your stress the result of a loved one in need of patience and comfort.

When exposed to occasional stress, we can usually diffuse it and recover relatively quickly. When stress becomes a chronic condition, health problems can result.


What is Anxiety?

Anxiety, on the other hand, isn’t necessarily a reaction to circumstances. Most often, it’s related to anticipated future or potential stress.

As with stress, anxiety isn’t necessarily an immediate health problem, although it’s unpleasant. Feeling a bit anxious about an exam, the birth of a baby, or a big presentation can give you a push to prepare as best you can.


Too Much Anxiety?

Anxiety becomes unhelpful when it is overwhelming, requiring you to focus all your energy on surviving your immediate feelings rather than addressing their roots. Pacing, nail biting, trembling, and vomiting are signs that anxiety is veering into unhelpful territory. Test anxiety, social anxiety, and decision anxiety are all common forms of anxiety.

Anxiety disorder is the general term for chronic, excessive anxiety in response to everyday situations. Anxiety disorders include:

  • Generalized anxiety disorder: excessive anxiety in general.
  • Social anxiety disorder: anxiety disorder related to interacting with others.
  • Separation anxiety disorder: anxiety disorder related to separation from specific people, often parents or caregivers.
  • Phobias: subset of anxiety disorders characterized by persistent fear of a specific thing.
  • Panic disorder: anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring panic attacks.

Many people discover that they have more than one type of anxiety disorder. Others deal with anxiety combined with depression, PTDS, eating disorders, alcoholism, or substance abuse. While stress and anxiety are more general terms that you can probably identify in yourself, anxiety disorders can only be diagnosed by a physician.

Massage & Stress Studies

Stress: Stress levels are largely subjective. However, studies focused on pain, sleep, and other outcomes often find that patients report decreased stress levels as a major benefit of massage therap.

In one study on pain in acute care settings, more than half of the patients mentioned relaxation in their survey responses. One patient described the receiving massage as “very helpful, soothing, comforting, and relaxing.” A notable result, considering the stress of hospitalization. Patients and nurses also reported improved emotional well-being and sleep – both good indicators of stress reduction.

Massage & Anxiety Studies

Anxiety: Most studies done on massage and anxiety have focused on specific populations. One study found significant improvement in both long term and immediate anxiety in children with cancer and blood diseases who received Swedish massage.

Another measured the physiological responses to stress (blood pressure and pulse) in hospitalized children and found similar results. Cardiac care patients were the focus of another study. Again, massage was helpful in reducing anxiety. Still, larger and broader studies on the matter still need to be done.

Massage & Anxiety Disorder Studies

There have been relatively few studies on massage therapy for anxiety disorders specifically. Most studies that have been done are generally small and lacking good control groups. One randomized controlled trial found that massage therapy was significantly helpful for people with generalized anxiety disorder, but no more so than other relaxation techniques.

This study only measured improvement over multiple weeks, and not feelings of anxiety in the short term, before and after treatments. Because this study didn’t have a no-treatment control group, they weren’t able to state whether all three were equally effective or equally ineffective.

What does all this mean?

People regularly feel that massage helps reduce their stress and anxiety. There are also other techniques, such as Reiki, that seem to be helpful to varying degrees, depending on the situation and the person.

This is helpful to know, because not everyone enjoys massage. For some, touch itself can be a source of stress and anxiety. Therefore, it’s helpful to know that there are other complementary therapies available that also create positive results.

Stress and anxiety are closely tied to pain, sleep, and other factors. Reducing pain reduces stress levels. Reducing stress levels can also reduce pain. Improving sleep can impact both pain and stress, and vice versa. Does massage therapy work primarily through either pain or stress reduction, or does it impact both equally? This is an area for further study.

Massage therapy is a fairly safe way to manage stress and anxiety. With relatively few drug interactions and a very low chance for injury, massage therapy can be helpful to a wide variety of people dealing with stress and anxiety in different situations. From the smallest infants to athletes to people in hospice, there are few who could not benefit from massage therapy.

There is a lot more to learn. While there is a lot of research on massage for pain, massage for anxiety (and especially massage for anxiety disorders) has less research to back it up. It will take time and money before a large body of knowledge has been built up.

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, massage therapy is worth trying. The evidence is still rolling in, but what we have is promising. Are you ready to give it a try? Book your next massage today. Click HERE to book now.

Can Massage Help Your Headache?

“This project is such a headache!”

They’re so common that the term has become synonymous with an annoyance, but what are headaches, really? And can massage therapy really help?

Different types, different causes.

We all know a headache when we feel it. It’s a pain in the head. However, not all headaches are created equal.

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. Pain occurs on both sides of the head without other symptoms. The pain can range from very mild to severe.

Migraine headaches are often pulsing, and can be accompanied by nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, and hallucinations. Some people experience migraines only rarely, while other people experience them on an almost daily basis.

Cluster headaches are less common. Generally experienced as severe pain around one eye, they occur in clusters over a period of time. Long periods of no symptoms may follow.

Secondary headaches are not conditions themselves, but are symptoms of other conditions. These conditions can be as everyday as a sinus infection. Or, they can be more serious, like traumatic brain injury or meningitis. Secondary headaches can be managed, however, it’s important to focus on getting the appropriate medical treatment for the underlying condition.

Headaches and massage

The Good News: 

Tension headaches, the type of headaches people are most likely to experience, seem to respond well to massage therapy. Massage helps reduce pain in the moment. Regular massage therapy appears to increase the time between headaches for those who experience them on a chronic basis. This could be a result of helping to manage stress. It could also be underlying mechanical issues that result in headaches. There’s no solid science yet on precisely why massage helps, only that it does.

More Good News: 

It’s no surprise that people who experience regular headaches are also more likely to experience high levels of stress. Not to mention, depression and anxiety. Studies have found that massage can help people who live with chronic headaches, as well as stress and anxiety.

Some people with secondary headaches can also benefit from massage. People with fibromyalgia related headaches experience both pain and stress relief with regular massage therapy. More gentle massage may be needed during a flare-up, but can provide relief for both headaches and body aches.

The Bad News: 

Massage therapy is wonderful and often helpful, but it’s not a cure for headaches. Some people just need a bit of rest or a drink of water (dehydration is a surprisingly common headache cause). Other people continue to experience headaches all their lives. Unfortunately, migraines triggered by things like foods or hormonal changes probably won’t see an impact from massage.

The Worse News: 

There are some times when getting a massage for headaches isn’t just unhelpful, it’s actually dangerous. Most often, this is related to secondary headaches.

There are some times when getting a massage for headaches isn’t just unhelpful, it’s actually dangerous. Most often, this is related to secondary headaches.

The aches caused by a fever may make you feel like massage would be wonderful. However, it’s not a good idea to overtax a body already working hard to fight an infection. Then, there is the risk of spreading the illness to your massage therapist and others. Headaches resulting from a recent head, neck, or back injury could also be made worse by a well-meaning massage therapist.

It’s important to seek the opinion of a physician when the pain may be the result of illness or injury. Start by receiving appropriate care for the issue causing the headache. Along the way, you can ask them whether or not massage is a good idea. Safe is always better than sorry

Headaches can be a real, well… headache. But there’s help.

A change of environment may help. If you have a headache and have been hunched over a computer for hours, try a stretch. A quick walk outside or a brief nap can help with a headache caused by eye strain. If you haven’t eaten or drunk anything all day, do that. It’s not uncommon to get busy and distracted and forget basic self-care.

If it’s safe to take them, medications like ibuprofen or aspirin can be helpful in treating a headache. Sometimes caffeine helps. Strong or chronic headaches may require prescription medication.

And then there’s massage therapy, of course. It’s not a magical cure-all, but for many people, it really does help manage the pain and stress of headaches. Are you one of them? Schedule your next massage, and let’s find out together.

Can You Avoid a Wrinkle in Time?

You probably have a rough idea of where wrinkles come from… laugh lines, frown lines, decreased skin elasticity as we age… but you may not consider one of the key contributing elements—the muscles underneath.

Wrinkles tend to develop where muscles pull on the skin, and muscle tension in our face, from stress, tension, even laughing and smiling a lot, can create the holding patterns that lead to wrinkles. Factor in the loss of elasticity over time and voila! Wrinkles!

Facial massage helps soften tight muscles in the face, which in turn may help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. In addition, massage improves circulation to your skin, which you know is good for you! Other benefits of facial massage include easing headaches and sinus pain.

I tend to include facial massage in most sessions, but let me know if you want me to be sure to include it in yours! Just contact me to schedule, or book your appointment online!

Be Well, 
Tricia

How Long of a Massage Appointment Should I Schedule?

massage appointment menu

If you have never scheduled a massage appointment before, looking at a full menu of options might be intimidating. Or, maybe you’ve just always had “a massage” and didn’t really consider the benefits beyond relaxation. Here are some descriptions of the types of massage I offer and how long a session you might schedule:

Chair Massage

chair massage appointment

You may have seen this type of massage at any assortment of locations, from offices to sports events. A specially designed chair allows you to sit relaxed and fully clothed, leaning forward into a cushioned face cradle.

From that position, the massage therapist can work on your back, shoulders, arms, hands, neck and head. Sometimes, it’s possible to turn and face the other way in the chair for work on legs and feet.

How Long Should I Schedule?

At this time, I primarily offer chair massage at events. In those cases, most chair massages average around 5 to 10 minutes. Even just a few minutes can be helpful in improving circulation, loosening stiff muscles, and relieving pain.

  • 5 Minutes: Great for a quick pick-me-up. Helps relieve work related shoulder and neck tension. We can focus on one problem area, like sore shoulders. Also helpful for an achy upper back, or even just forearms and hands.
  • 10 Minutes: You may be surprised at how much better a 10 minute massage can make you feel! Great for working on shoulders, neck and upper back, or the entire back down into the low back area.
  • 15-20 Minutes: This length is for doing some deeper work on shoulders and the entire back. However, for significant issues, I do prefer to use a massage table.
  • 20+ Minutes: At this length, I prefer working on the table. I have better access to your neck & shoulders. Plus laying on the table is more relaxing.

Relaxation Massage Appointment

benefits of massage, Swedish massage, relaxation massage

For a relaxation massage, I use the long, flowing, and soothing strokes of Swedish massage. I adjust the pressure of the strokes to your comfort. When you just want to relax and let go, this is the massage for you.

We don’t focus on a specific problem area, nor poke and prod at “knots” or tight spots. At most, I may adjust the timing of the massage to spend more time on tired feet or achy shoulders. But, nothing too intense. This massage is just about relaxing, reducing stress, and improving your outlook on life.

How Long Should I Schedule?

  • 30 Minutes: It is possible to leave a 30 minute massage feeling relaxed and refreshed. However, given the shorter appointment length, I recommend focusing the massage on the upper body. That way, we aren’t just speeding through your massage to get to all the parts.
  • 60 Minutes: This is an average length relaxation massage. We have time to get the full body from head to toes. Plus, you can really sink in to the relaxation.
  • 90-120 Minutes: A long massage session allows for deep relaxation and restorative rest. One hour of massage has similar benefits as three hours of restorative rest. So, with a longer massage, you’re getting the benefits of a nice, long nap. In addition, I have time to really slow down those slow, soothing Swedish massage strokes. This allows you the full benefit of their positive effects on your nervous system.

Therapeutic Massage Appointment

therapeutic massage
deep tissue massage
massage appointment

With this type of massage, while we’re not completely ignoring relaxation, we’re focused on it less. There’s a bit more time spent on tight muscles and sore spots. We may talk a bit more about what I’m finding. I might include stretches for your arms or legs, or ask you to move a body part against resistance. This massage is about improving your mobility, releasing tension and relieving pain.

How Long Should I Schedule?

  • 30 Minutes: Ideally, we’re just working on one specific area for 30 minutes.
  • 60 Minutes: In an hour, we can get most of a full body massage. However, I do like to take doing some stretching, range of motion and deep tissue work on problem areas. If this is the case, we should consider focusing the therapeutic work to a particular problem area.
  • 90-120 Minutes: In 90 minutes, we can get in full body massage and have time for stretching, etc. Two hours is perfect for doing some nice, slow, detailed work on all problem areas. This includes hip and arm stretches, deep work on particular problem muscles, and some finishing soothing Swedish massage to relax and relieve pain.

What if I’m Still Confused?

If you’re still not sure, you can always contact me to talk about what’s going on. We can plan a long first session with shorter follow ups, or a series of short sessions. I’m pretty flexible when it comes to working with you, your schedule, and your budget. Together, we’ll get you sorted out.