Imagine a long day on your feet, lifting heavy boxes, or sitting at a desk. Your back is killing you, there is a sharp pain in your shoulder, and your temples are throbbing.  This is your body’s way of saying, "slow down and take it easy". How do you react to this?

We find that about 80-90% of massage customers turn to the age-old therapy to help resolve these common niggles. These guests leave feeling wonderfully relaxed and mellow but is there any science behind it or is it just a pamper treatment?

To find out, researchers at a centre in Los Angeles recently recruited 53 healthy adults and randomly assigned 29 of them to a 45-minute session of deep-tissue Swedish massage and the other 24 to a session of light massage. To their surprise, the researchers found that just a single session of massage caused biological changes. Volunteers who received Swedish massage experienced:

Reduced stress. Significant decreases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol in blood and saliva were evident. The hormone arginine vasopressin that can lead to increases in cortisol also reduced.

Strengthened immunity. Volunteers experienced increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system.

Even the volunteers who only had the light massage experienced increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment and decreases in adrenal corticotropin hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release cortisol. And this study isn’t alone, previous studies have demonstrated that massage decreases migraine frequency, enhances sleep quality, improves chronic neck pain by 55% and reduces high blood pressure. Massages are more than just indulgences, they're proven health and mood treatments!

5 ways to get the most from a massage…

1. Discuss any medical conditions or allergies you have, our experienced therapists will be able to recommend the best form of massage.
    
2. Avoid heavy meals or alcohol directly before your appointment.
    
3. Drink plenty of water, this will help to flush the toxins out of your body but don’t forget to go to the toilet before your appointment!
    
4. Arrive in good time and leave time at the end so you don’t feel rushed and undo your therapist’s hard work. 
    
5. Give it the opportunity to work – try not to plan any hectic activities immediately afterwards.

We offer a wide choice of massages, depending on whether you are looking for relaxation, treatment of aches and pains or increased energy. Do give the Treatment Advice Line a call on 01823 433904 if you would like advice on the best massage for you.

Have you had a massage at Cedar Falls recently, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you think your health and wellbeing benefited? Leave us a review below!