Human touch in the form of massage activates a specific area in the brain, which helps reduce stress and anxiety.
In healthcare, relaxing (tactile) massage is used as a complementary treatment to reduce stress and anxiety. It is a form of slow, gentle skin massage, while the more traditional massage also involves the underlying muscles. Patients after a relaxing massage report that they feel calmer and better. In addition, in connection with the relaxation massage, blood pressure and heart rate and respiratory rate decrease, which indicates a positive effect on both emotional experiences and the body’s response to stress. Previous research in this area has not been able to explain how these effects occur.
New research shows that human massage touch activates a specific area of the brain that is associated with joy and well-being, which is also consistent with feeling relaxing massage as rewarding and enjoyable. The relevant area of the brain is involved in the regulation of emotions, has a large number of morphine receptors, and is activated by the body’s secretion of endorphins. The studies looked at tactile massage in patients who underwent major surgery. In them, the level of anxiety was reduced by a relaxing massage. In healthy people who underwent tactile massage, the activity of the stress system decreased significantly.
The conclusion from this is that a relaxing massage is a good complement to reduce stress and anxiety in everyone, both sick and healthy.
Jacob TED MED, Relaxing massage, Warsaw, Wola