Massage = Healthy Heart Hug

Give Your Heart a Healthy Hug

We know that massage helps us relax and relieves muscle soreness and tension, but did you know that getting a massage can be good for your heart as well?

Your heart is like a cave. It holds so much of who you are in the deepest parts.

Here are some of the ways in which getting regular massages can help with a healthy heart.

Stress Relief: You probably already know that regular relaxation massage can help with stress relief. Relaxation massage can help calm your central nervous system and this also helps to reduce stress on your heart. A relaxing massage can help lower your blood pressure. Stress can also be caused by physical pain. If you are suffering from injury or chronic pain, a massage designed for pain relief can help reduce the stress on the body and mind caused by the pain. Stress is one of the major causes of disease and lowering and managing your stress levels can have positive impacts on your health.

Increases flow of blood and lymph: Massage can help with blood flow and with the flow of lymph in the body. Lymph is a liquid that travels through our body through the lymphatic system. When our blood seeps through our capillaries and in between cells, it acquires cellular debris and foreign substances that need to be cleaned out of the body. Lymph acts like trash collectors, sweeping up that debris and taking it through the lymphatic system to filter it and get rid of the waste. To put it simply, the lymphatic system helps to clean our blood and rid our bodies of waste such as cellular debris and allergens. Healthy blood and lymph can help with a healthy heart! The lymphatic system does not have its own pump, so it is activated by our movements and massage can help with this. There is a specific type of massage called manual lymphatic drainage. This targets the lymphatic system specifically, and is especially helpful for people who have swelling from recent surgery, lymphedema, or suffer from allergies. A regular Swedish massage can be helpful as well, as even this simple relaxing massage helps to increase the flow of lymph.

Helps with deeper breathing: As we relax during a massage we tend to slow down our breathing and take deeper breaths. Oxygen is important for our blood and the overall health of our circulatory system. When we are stressed or in pain we will take shorter, more shallow breaths. This reduces the amount of oxygen getting into our lungs and from there, into our blood. Having a good supply of oxygen in our blood helps keep our hearts healthy.

Assists us with regular exercise: It’s no secret that staying active on a regular basis helps with our heart health. Regular massage keeps us limber and pain free so we can continue to do the activities and exercise that help keep us and our hearts going strong.

These are just a few, brief summaries of how regular massage sessions can have a positive impact on your heart health, not to mention your mental health, and overall physical well being. Local to the Austin, Texas area? Book a massage today for a little heart hug and start taking great care of yourself!