With metal health awareness on the rise, people are looking more into holistic therapies to manage the everyday stresses of life. Research has proven both physical and mental health benefits. Massage should be part of everyone’s toolkit when the going gets tough. 

Here are a few of the research-backed mental health benefits of massage:

It stimulates the production of feel-good hormones that alleviate depression. A meta-analysis of 17 studies shows a high correlation between massage therapy and alleviation of depressive symptoms. massage was found to affect body chemistry, even increasing serotonin and dopamine, the neurotransmitters involved in depression.

Regular massage soothes anxiety. Massage can reduce the built-up stress in your body that leads to anxiety. Massage has also been shown to reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, by up to 30 percent 

Massage improves concentration. If you have trouble concentrating, you’ll be happy to find out that massage is one of the ways you can boost your ability to stick to tasks at hand. Muscle tension diverts blood flow to that part of your body rather than to your brain. Once that tension has been released through massage, blood flow to your brain will improve. Which increases the oxygen and nutrient flow to the brain allowing you to focus. 

Massage increases energy. One of the primary benefits, both mentally and physically, of massage is increased circulation. The act of applying pressure through massage can boost your lymphatic system so that your body can detoxify itself more easily. Your blood will circulate better, leading to that feeling of freshness and clarity. 

Massage helps insomnia. Research has shown that massage both reduces stress and leads to increased levels of serotonin—making it possible to relax so that you can fall asleep.