"Winter is coming in Australia"
Even though we do not get snowy winter, you can still feel the temperature drop in the early morning and night. Which is enough temperature drop to cause changes to our physiological level. As you have your cuppa, here are the changes that winter brings to us and how a massage therapy can assist you.
1. Blood Pressure Increase
Our body's first reaction of temperature drop during the winter is increase of blood pressure due to vasoconstriction, meaning your blood vessel will constrict to maintain the body temperature. This is our natural way of body regulation, however, it will increase the pressure in the vessel and could cause more stress on the heart some more than the other.
One of the well known benefit of receiving a massage is that it decreases blood pressure, which helps people with hypertension and there is a lot of studies backing up. And in this case, during the winter getting just a soft tissue, swedish massage or a deep tissue massage will help to reduce the blood pressure.
2. Serotonin Level Decrease
If you often feel depressed during the winter, it's probably because of the serotonin level drop.
Serotonin is one of the hormones in our body and it plays "mood boosting role", however, during the winter related to the sunlight exposure some people can be more effected by having active serotonin transporter protein and inactive serotonin. And if it continues through out the whole winter months it could lead to a mental issue, however, you can break this cycle of inactive serotonin by getting out side and expose yourself into sunlight or by getting a massage.
Massage therapy such as swedish massage and soft tissue massage, can increase serotonin and dopamine, dopamine being the "reward" hormone. And also beneficially, massage decrease level of cortisol, hormone that is released when you're stressed.
3. Decrease blood circulation-to the brain
Poor circulation, cold hands and feet are quite normal during the winter. Similar as the blood pressure increase, vasoconstriction could also happen in the vessels in your head and brain. Which gives higher chance of migraine and headaches, decrease function of glymphatic system which leads to immune system.
Glymphatic system cleanses our brain via blood circulation during the sleep which increases our immunity shows the importance of having a good blood circulation.
Simple thing that will increase blood flow is to elevate your legs higher than the head. Especially at night if you have your leg higher than your head, it will help the glymphatic cycle during your sleep.
Also a massage therapy can easily increase your whole body blood circulation, if you have full body swedish, soft tissue massage and deep tissue massage.
It will give you long lasting benefit and increase overall immune, mental health during this winter.
Written by Seonkyo Kim
Dip. Remedial Massage
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