Massage therapy is more than just a good way to relax after a long day at work. A good, deep massage can positively impact your muscles, your blood pressure, and boost your circulation for days afterwards. The lingering effects of a massage could even have a positive impact on heart health in the long term. Book your next massage to net the following benefits.
How massage improves circulation
Massage can improve your blood circulation. The effects aren’t tough to predict. Though massage can lower your stress, and thus nip a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the bud, the effects aren’t all in your head. The literal squeezing and pulling of massage relaxes muscles and allows blood to flow freely. Blood is also moved out of any areas in the body that it may have been pooling, or moving sluggishly. It also forces blood to areas that may not regularly receive it (say, if your toes or fingers are always cold).
Massage can ease muscle soreness
Massage is a great way to ease muscle soreness. While it may not seem like muscle soreness and circulation are related, they actually are. Inflamed muscles can impact the circulation through an area. Additionally, the products in your muscles that cause soreness, such as lymph fluid and metabolic waste, need to be carried away in the blood. This can strain the system, especially if you already have poor circulation. The pulling and squeezing of a deep massage can flush the tissues that need it most. This allows metabolic waste to leave your muscles much faster. This reduces strain on surrounding tissue, and can even help your internal organs.
Massage improves circulation, flushing out the causes of muscle soreness. This is great for people whose poor circulation is impacting their ability to exercise. Your heart health depends heavily on being able to regularly exercise. The extreme and prolonged muscle soreness experienced by people with poor circulation cuts the effectiveness of exercise–and the desire to engage in it in the first place. Massage can make effective cardiovascular exercise much easier for people with poor circulation.
Massage can lower blood pressure
High blood pressure is one of the most common ailments today. Massage doesn’t just clean out your muscles and organs. It has profound effects on blood pressure as well. High blood pressure is linked to everything from poor heart health to strokes, organ damage, and more. Lower blood pressure helps your body perform better, and eases stress on your veins and arteries.
Long term benefits could boost heart health
The best part about massage is that the effects last as much as 72 hours before tapering off. Prolonged periods of lower blood pressure and better circulation can improve your heart health. The less strain you put on one of the busiest systems in your body, the better off you’ll feel.
Massage helps circulation by physically moving your body. Best of all, the effects last three days after your treatment, and the long-term benefits last even longer. Improve your circulation, ease any muscle soreness and the strain it puts on your veins, and lower your blood pressure with one treatment. Plus, it feels great too.
