By Amber Mills.

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 40 million Americans suffer from chronic, long term sleep disorders and an additional 20 million report sleeping problems occasionally. Stress and anxiety are two big reasons Americans are missing out on sleep.

Adults need between six to eight hours of sleep per night, any less and our body starts to break down. When your body is continually deprived of sleep, conditions such as high blood pressure, heart attack, obesity, depression and mood changes can occur.

If stress and anxiety are causing you to lose out on sleep, give massage therapy a try! It is a natural way to reduce stress, increase circulation and relieve muscle tension. Massage decreases circulating stress hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and activates the body’s parasympathetic nervous, which brings the body into a state of rest. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, increases after a massage which leads to improved mood and can allow for better sleep. Studies performed by The Touch Research Institute have shown an increase in delta waves in the brain (delta waves are associated with the body’s ability to enter deep sleep), which means massage can be a helpful therapy for those with sleep disorders.

So, if you are having trouble sleeping, give massage a try and give your body the sleep it deserves!

Amber Mills – Curriculum Director

“It is my hope that our students walk away from Soma with confidence in their clinical massage skills and their ability to naturally help the body heal.”