Give Thanks For Keeping Your Sanity

     As we get closer to the end of the year, finals, the holidays, and family (or not) some of us feel the mounting pressure. The increased chaos of the hell-days and approaching finals make some of us feel like tearing out our hair or banging our heads on our desks. Trust me on this, massage helps at this time. In October, I wrote about depression and how massage can help. I wrote a bit about the body’s chemicals and how they change when a person is depressed.  This month I will explain a bit more about how massage helps the body and mind keep it together.

     The human body is an incredibly complex system that functions and communicates through chemicals and electrical signals.  A person’s mood, mind, body, and emotions are all controlled by chemicals.  The goal of every body is to keep it together, a state known as homeostasis: being in balance at any given time.  This is achieved by controlling chaos through constant change and our moods reflect what our bodies are going through and vice versus.

     Everyone feels anxious, depressed, and stressed at different times. When we feel stressed for a long period of time though, anxiety and/or depression can become more constant.  That means our endorphins (the chemicals in the brain dealing with mood) get out of balance. The main brain chemicals are norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.  When any or all of these are out of balance, our mood can become depressed and/or anxious for a long period of time. These imbalances can range from mild to severe.  Medications attempt to change our mood and hopefully balance them by affecting the chemical levels.  Other things effect endorphin levels and help balance and release them: exercise, healthy food, sunlight, regular sleep, having fun, chocolate, laughter, and of course massage therapy.   

     Massage therapy facilitates endorphin release in the same way exercise does.  Massage therapy moves toxins out of the cells helping to break them down at the same time, increases lymph and blood flow, drops the heart rate and blood pressure, and increases digestion (which is why your stomach gurgles during massage).  When a person exercises, the body releases endorphins to elevate the mood and “encourage” the person to keep working out. When a person feels good, they keep doing what they are doing.  The body naturally releases endorphins whenever there is a positive physiological effect for the body.  When toxins are broken down and removed from the body, there is “more room” for endorphins and they have a stronger effect on the body, bringing the body, mind, and mood closer to homeostasis.  When our brain chemicals are balanced, we sleep better, concentrate and learn more effectively, think clearly, recall/remember more information, and react less to stress.  Massage can help us keep it together, deal with stress, and enjoy life more

Stephani Hargreaves, Licensed massage therapist

[Photo: consolemonster.com]