Anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses. Moreover, it’s a serious medical condition that doesn’t have a definitive cure. However, there are numerous methods and treatments to control its symptoms. Medications and cognitive behavioral therapy are some of the most common treatments for anxiety issues.
However, one natural remedy is very effective and poses minimal risks to people with anxiety - a massage session. However, getting massages is not easy for anxious people. Those with anxiety are not comfortable meeting and staying with strangers for long, including a masseuse or physiotherapist. That is where a massage chair comes into the picture.
The powerful and effective modern-day massage chairs are equipped with features designed to reduce anxiety and stress without being with strangers. Massage therapy is already known to be a natural treatment for anxiety, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Massage brings about clinical improvements to control anxiety.
If you are battling anxiety, it’s natural to be skeptical of something like massage chairs to be a controlling factor. Here, we will answer all your questions regarding anxiety and its correlation with the massage.
Do Massage Chairs Help Anxiety?
Massage therapy, including massage chair therapy, is known to have a calming effect on patients with anxiety by its very nature. The gentle pressure on the tissues through 4D massage chairs cleanses the body of impurities and breaks down any toxin or waste in muscles. As it decreases the cortisol levels, the oxytocin and serotonin levels are boosted, resulting in lowered stress.
Moreover, the relaxed feeling from massages lowers blood pressure and improves mood. When your body is relaxed, it responds with a lower heart rate and improved breathing rate. Moreover, regular massages create a muscle memory that can recreate the physiological conditions during bedtime to achieve deep sleep. It enables the patient to enjoy an overall healthy lifestyle. Therefore, while massage chairs don’t cure anxiety, they sure help control the symptoms.
Additionally, as mentioned initially, anxiety patients don’t do very well with strangers, including a physio or masseuse. Massage chair takes this element out of the picture and helps in reducing the overall stress.
Is Massage Recommended for Anxiety?
Anxiety is a state of restlessness caused by worrying about possible mishaps. The illness is not curable but is also quite expensive to manage because of various treatments. One of the most effective and natural treatments involves regular massage therapy sessions.
Studies have indicated that massage therapy can reduce anxiety. It is extremely helpful when patients suffer from illness, chronic pain, psychoactive drug withdrawal, and anxiety disorders. Because of these findings, the American Massage Therapy Association has decreed that massage can help reduce anxiety symptoms.
Most modern back massage chairs are equipped with Shiatsu, deep tissue, and Swedish massage options. These modes are the best for aiding anxiety patients. Getting one of these massage chairs will be a great investment for those who have anxiety.
How Does Massage Reduce Anxiety?
Massage therapy or massage chairs reduce anxiety in multiple ways. The most effective way is by boosting the release of neurohormones in the central nervous system. These hormones include oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine. The common denominator in all those hormones is that they make you feel relaxed and good. With reduced cortisol levels, you will feel your anxiety symptoms reducing.
Massage chairs also relieve body aches, stiff muscles, and body tension. Once these physical discomforts are gone, anxiety patients are bound to feel relaxed. It also leads to more benefits like lowered heart rate and decreased blood pressure. Anyone who has battled anxiety will tell you that increased heart rates and blood pressure are the culprits behind the most common anxiety symptoms.
Physical massages —even those from a massage chair— promote deeper and quality sleep. It is helpful because anxiety is known to cause sleep deprivation, taking a toll on your health. Lastly, massage chairs boost health and the immune system by reducing cortisol levels.
What Type of Massage Helps Anxiety?
Modern massage chairs come equipped with various modes and techniques designed to lower stress levels. The most common massage mode is heat therapy as well as music therapy. The warmth from the massage chair eases the tension in your body, and the soothing music will further calm you down.
Additionally, high-end massage chairs are available that have chromotherapy using a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation to ease anxiety. There are also chairs offering aromatherapy using soothing essential oils to put your mind at ease.
As for massage modes themselves, relaxing massages like Swedish, deep tissue, and Shiatsu use the rollers in the chair to remove knots and ease pains. As your physical discomfort goes away, the anxiety symptoms go down a notch.
Can a Massage Trigger Anxiety?
As mentioned before in this article, anxiety causes a general distrust for strangers and being alone with them for longer hours. As an anxiety patient, imagine that you visit a spa, where the host leads you to a dimly-lit room for your message. A person unknown to you soon enters the room and starts touching you in a certain state of nudity. This picture alone is enough to cause breathlessness and panic attacks in an anxious patient.
The best way to go about this is to get a massage chair and set it up using the therapist to suit the patient. Since there are no strangers and dim rooms involved, the patient fares better. Moreover, since they are in their own home, a familiar terrain, they can enjoy the massage better and revel in it.
In a nutshell, massage does help in reducing the symptoms of anxiety in patients. The therapy boosts neurohormones, reduces cortisol levels, improves sleep quality, and removes physical discomfort to put the patient at ease. The biggest advantage of a massage chair for anxiety patients is that it allows them to enjoy a good massage and its holistic benefits in solitude from the comfort of their homes.
