6 Healthy Ways Getting a Massage Benefits Your Entire Body

If you suffer with anxiety, one study suggests that a massage can actually help significantly reduce your symptoms. “What we think is going on is it’s decreasing the sympathetic tone that we see with people with generalized anxiety disorder and increasing this sort of parasympathetic response,” says Dr. Rapaport, who led the study.

Your body actually has two different nervous systems: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. “Your sympathetic is fight or flight,” says Rudy Gehrman, DC, a sports medicine chiropractor and founder of Physio Logic in New York. “If you’re getting chased by a lion, that’s your sympathetic nervous system.”

During a massage, however, your parasympathetic (or calming) response is increased, which results in a decrease in anxiety, says Dr. Rapaport.

And equally great news? Those effects of massage on decreased anxiety can actually be long-lasting. “We did an informal follow-up, and a significant number of these people remained anxiety-free anywhere from six months to 18 months later,” says Dr. Rapaport.

Have trouble sleeping or suffer from insomnia? Massage can actually help you sleep more deeply. “Sleep is all related to how much activity there is in the nervous system,” says Field. And when you get a massage, your nervous system itself actually slows down due to the pressure.

Plus, when you’re getting deeper, more restorative sleep, she says, that in turn reduces your levels of substance P (a neurotransmitter for pain), which reduces overall pain. So if you have any aches, massage will do double-duty.

We’ve all been there: You’ve been tossing and turning all night, work has been completely draining, and you feel like you don’t even have five minutes to take a deep breath. “Some people get fatigued because they’re not sleeping enough,” says Dr. Rapaport. “Other people are getting fatigued because of some biological factors.”

But no matter what the cause of your fatigue is, one easy solution is (you guessed it) a massage. In fact, one 2018 study led by Dr. Rapaport found that breast cancer survivors who received weekly Swedish massages experienced a reduction in their fatigue, a particularly debilitating effect of the disease. To get the best effects, based on Dr. Rapaport’s study, try getting a massage once per week.

Your body has two different immune responses: Th1 and Th2, and they need to be in balance in order to have your immune system working optimally, says Field. “If the Th2 gets in excess of the Th1 system, then you have autoimmune problems,” she says.

But during massage, you’re slowing down stress hormones to help maintain this balance, she says. In turn, this can help make autoimmune conditions like asthma, type 1 diabetes, or dermatitis, more manageable through things like decreased pain or fatigue.

Have trouble staying present in a meeting for more than 10 minutes or reading a book before bed? The effects of a massage will actually help improve your attention and ability to focus.

That’s because in order for you to best pay attention, your heart rate needs to be lowered. “If I’m not paying attention, it’s usually because my heart rate’s elevated,” says Field. “And when I get my heart rate down, I’ll be more attentive.”

Because a massage slows your nervous system, your heart rate is effectively slowed down, too. During a massage, your pressure receptors stimulate vagal activity, which stems from a nerve in your brain that leads to several different branches of the body, including the heart, says Field. So when you’re undergoing the pressure of a massage, it could decrease your heart rate, as well, which ultimately will improve your focus.

If you experience an injury or joint pain (especially if the problem is long-term or chronic), says Gehrman, you’ll also have what are called soft-tissue restrictions, which cause knots or trigger points of pain. “Massage therapists are getting rid of soft-tissue restrictions and increasing circulation,” he says.

Those restrictions can, over time, lead to problems like joint decay or other ligament problems, so by actively massaging out those soft-tissue restrictions, you’re not only helping your current injury, but also helping prevent against other problems down the road. But the important thing when getting a massage for your injury is going to an experienced, licensed massage therapist who has extensive experience with injured patients.

“Because any type of soft tissue work, you’re in essence causing scientific damage, and if you work too deep, then that person can’t heal from that treatment,” says Gehrman. A good, licensed massage therapist will be able to assess which areas around the injury need massage, and which areas are best to avoid.

Proper prep before applying foundation is paramount if you’re dealing with dry, flaky skin, says Ashburn.

Smooth things out: Use a gentle face exfoliator to buff away dead skin, leaving a smoother surface to work with. Then, opt for an oil cleanser so that your scrubbing doesn’t strip your skin further, and follow up with a super-hydrating moisturizer. (Check out these amazing moisturizers for dry skin for an ideal base.)

Mist away: Ashburn recommends using a hydrating mist before, during, and after each layer of makeup to amp up glow.

Prime the skin: “Using a hydrating primer will help to moisturize skin, as well as act as a barrier, prohibiting your skin from absorbing the newly applied foundation,” says Murphy. The result? Longer wear and a smoother finish. (We love this hydrating primer from First Aid Beauty because it’s noncomedogenic and fragrance-free.)

Choose the right tools: Finally, when you apply your foundation, use a damp sponge, says Ashburn, like this one from Beauty Blender. The water will help to evenly distribute the product, pressing it into your skin rather than it laying on top, which can make your skin look dry.

If using a makeup brush is more your style, avoid using circular motions, says Murphy. Use downward or stippling motions to build coverage instead, especially on dry areas.

Proper prep before applying foundation is paramount if you’re dealing with dry, flaky skin, says Ashburn.

Smooth things out: Use a gentle face exfoliator to buff away dead skin, leaving a smoother surface to work with. Then, opt for an oil cleanser so that your scrubbing doesn’t strip your skin further, and follow up with a super-hydrating moisturizer. (Check out these amazing moisturizers for dry skin for an ideal base.)

Mist away: Ashburn recommends using a hydrating mist before, during, and after each layer of makeup to amp up glow.

Prime the skin: “Using a hydrating primer will help to moisturize skin, as well as act as a barrier, prohibiting your skin from absorbing the newly applied foundation,” says Murphy. The result? Longer wear and a smoother finish. (We love this hydrating primer from First Aid Beauty because it’s noncomedogenic and fragrance-free.)

Choose the right tools: Finally, when you apply your foundation, use a damp sponge, says Ashburn, like this one from Beauty Blender. The water will help to evenly distribute the product, pressing it into your skin rather than it laying on top, which can make your skin look dry.

If using a makeup brush is more your style, avoid using circular motions, says Murphy. Use downward or stippling motions to build coverage instead, especially on dry areas.