MASSAGE AND SLEEP
Sleep is an important aspect of health and well-being. Though there doesn’t seem to be any magic number concerning the amount of sleep people require, getting too little is associated with a number of medical conditions, and can negatively impact a person’s overall health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression—which threaten our nation’s health. Notably, insufficient sleep is associated with the onset of these diseases and also poses important implications for their management and outcome.
It won’t come as a surprise to learn that massage, in many forms, supports good quality sleep. The mechanism by which massage helps to establish a more organized sleep pattern isn’t fully understood, but studies consistently report that subjects who are massaged (with a variety of modalities) experience deeper, more restorative, less disturbed sleep, and a reduction in pain-sensitizing neurotransmitters. The bodywork doesn’t have to take place directly before sleep either; clients report better sleep even several hours after receiving massage.
Finally, as healthcare providers, massage therapists are also healthcare role models. Perhaps the most positive effect we can have on our clients is to walk the talk. It takes a certain discipline to organize one’s day to include at least eight hours of time to sleep–it is so tempting to stay up an extra hour for a little time alone (or with the TV or computer). And yet, I encourage us all to practice good sleep hygiene: be consistent about reserving enough time for adequate sleep; keep a sleeping room that is quiet and not too hot, too cold, or too bright; remove irritating stimuli from that environment (that might include the decades-old feather pillow that probably has more dust mites than feathers in it); exercise, but not too close to bedtime; and avoid both stimulants and depressants close to bedtime.
On a personal note, the more I learn about health, the more committed I am to sleep as a central organizing principle on which to build a healthy lifestyle. There is no shortcut to good quality sleep. In our fast-paced, instant-gratification, isn’t-there-a-pill-for-that world, we must buck the trend to support ourselves with good food, consistent exercise, and–maybe most importantly–good sleep.
Essential oils that may be beneficial for a person suffering from insomnia:
Lavender, Orange and Roman Chamomile
Wishing you Peace, Harmony and Balance
