The winter season comes with its own share of problems from freezing cold hands and feet, colds and flu, dry skin to winter blues. Massage therapy can help combat these winter problems.
There is nothing more soothing than a massage in a wonderfully warm room when the outside is freezing cold, and you also get to reap the following physical and emotional benefits of massage in the winter:
Banished Winter Blues
Extremely cold weather, less hours of sunshine and more hours of darkness make the winter months gloomy and stressful. Massage causes a decrease of the stress hormone cortisol and an increase in the happy hormone oxytocin.
It also triggers the release of feel good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. These hormones reduce anxiety and depression. Regular massage sessions will keep winter blues at bay and ensure your mood stays light and bright even when the weather is cold and gloomy.
Boosted Lymphatic Flow and immunity
The cold winter weather can bring on many health problems such as colds and flu. Massage can help your body fight these winter health problems. It increases the flow of lymphatic fluids in the body and boosts your immune system so your body is able to resist the illnesses caused by cold weather.
Hydrated and Nourished Skin
Dry winter air, blustery winds, and heaters an leave our skin feeling especially dry during the winter months. Massage therapy is proven to improve skin hydration. Massage oils and lotions contain vitamins that nourish and hydrate the skin leaving it looking soft and healthy. Massage also helps stabilize collagen and maintain the skin’s elasticity.
Enhanced Circulation and Reduced Aches and Pains
Discomfort, aches and pains abound during the cold season. This is because cold weather causes our blood vessels to constrict, which decreases circulation and increases blood pressure.
Massage can help get the blood flowing as it should and ensure it reaches different parts of the body. This increases body warmth and the flow of oxygen throughout the body, reduces aches and pains and helps alleviate stiffness and soreness.
Relaxed and Soothed Muscles
Fun winter activities such as skiing, skating and snowboarding and winter chores such as shoveling snow can leave your shoulders, lower back, and forearms feeling sore. Massage therapy can help alleviate this soreness by relaxing the muscles and increasing flexibility.
Benefits of Massage in the Winter Overview
Short days, bitter cold weather, and staying indoors most of the time has negative effects on our physical and emotional health. The benefits of massage in the winter can reverse these adverse effects the cold season has on our bodies. Regular massage sessions in the winter are not only pampering, they will help you feel happier and healthier in the winter.
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Massage Can Help Combat Winter Blues
Get in touch with Higher Living Bodywork at (929) 500-2041 to book yourself in for a relaxing massage to help you get through the chilly winter months! I am a licensed massage therapist and can offer my therapeutic services at the comfort of your home or in our studio space in Williamsburg Brooklyn!