Find Hormonal Balance with Help from Massage

Hormones are a regulatory substance that can change our emotions and feelings. They can change because of simple things like the amount of sleep we get or what we eat. They also change during certain stages in our lives like pregnancy or starting a new job. Situations like these bring unwanted hormones that can cause stress. The use of massage can help stimulate certain hormones in our bodies to create an overall feeling of well-being.

Massage can have an effect on our hormones in many different ways to make our bodies feel better. Massage can help to reduce stress as well as trigger happiness and contentment. 

Every day stress is something that everyone deals with; having to pay bills, planning for the future, simply deciding what to eat for dinner or anything else that causes pressure in your life. According to the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, research shows that a good massage can do more than just relax your muscles. They can induce biological changes that can reduce stress.

Fifty-three adults participated in the research study. Blood samples were taken before the massages were given, as well as several times during the hour of massages. Participants who received a Swedish massage experienced decreases in cortisol, a stress hormone, as well as arginine vasopressin, a hormone that has been linked to stress responses.

If you are dealing with an overwhelming amount of stress in your life, massage is a good way to help manage it. At Living Touch Massage, they offer a range of different massages including and light and relaxing massage as well as a deep and restorative massage which can help reduce your stress levels.

While massage wards off stress with ease, it can also have a way of boosting our ‘feel good’ hormones. Serotonin and dopamine have been linked with feeling of happiness and well-being as well as heightened sensitivity. According to the International Journal of Neuroscience, research has shown that the levels of serotonin and dopamine are higher after having a massage.

On average, an increase of 28% was noted for serotonin and an average increase of 31% was noted for dopamine after the participants in the research received a massage.

Reducing stress and boosting our happiness is only a few things that massage can do for your well-being. Massage has been known to release endorphins, which are natural pain-killers throughout your body. Also, research has shown that massage can increase oxytocin which is a hormone often referred to as the “love hormone” because it is associated with maternal behavior, feelings of trust and contentment, and pair bonding.

Paul Scholl, Nationally Certified Therapist in Massage and Bodywork (NCTMB) at Living Touch Massage, says “Our clients leave with a natural smile.”

If that is not enough, research sponsored by the National Center for Contemporary and Alternative Medicine showed that massage can also boost your immune system by increasing white blood cells. White blood cells play a vital role in defending the body against infectious disease as well as foreign materials.

Massage has many affects on the hormones of our bodies and it is all completely natural. “It is a good way to deal with stress and maintain an overall feeling of well-being,” says Scholl.