To understand the effects massage has to your body we have to comprehend the main neural system in our body.
There is the somatic and the autonomic nervous system. We won’t have a closer look at the somatic but at the autonomic one.
This system can be subdivided into two different division.
Parasympathetic nervous system is believed to be responsible for “rest and digest”.
Sympathetic nervous system is referred to as the “fight or flight” response.
Basically both have opposite actions, if one system is responding the other one is inhibiting.
Both have to be balanced and stimulated at the same time to give your body the ability to react appropriately.
Back in the days, human beings needed this division to survive in the wild nature. Nowadays, we are not getting chased by dangerous animals or have to flee from a deathly peril, apart from the daily stress. Our modern time is demanding. Everything needs to be done as fast as possible without losing quality… If we are under permanent stress the sympathetic system will get out of hand and therefore your body will always be in an alerting state. This is very exhausting and unhealthy for you as well.
Why?
To get you ready for “fight or flight” our sympathetic nervous system will activate several body functions without any conscious control by you. It will:
increase your heart rate, which in return supplies your muscles and brain with more oxygen and nutrients
stimulate the liver to release glucose for more energy
dilate the bronchioles in the lung to get more air and therefore more oxygen
stimulate adrenal glands to secrete some hormones which in turn increase heart rate, bronchial dilation and glucose release even more. Another effect is to bring your whole body in alertness
inhibits digestive activity
Those reactions are just a few examples but as you can see your body will be ready for every possible action.
If the divisions are working perfectly together the parasympathetic nervous system will calm and relax the body so it can recover from the heightened physical and metabolic activity. I think it’s obvious that being under alertness all time is slowly but persistently exhausting your body’s resources.
So how does massage calm you down?
By touching your skin we activate the “happy” chemicals and lower the cortisol levels which will bring your body back into a normal state. With a massage you will support your parasympathetic nervous system the one responsible for “rest and digest” and you will relax.
At the beginning you will realise that your body and your mind will have problems to adapt. It needs time to get back and used to a “normal” state but the more you take time for yourself and combine massage with stretching exercises the easier it will to calm down.