Ways Massage Can Impact Your Self-Care Stress, anxiety, and pain can dramatically restrict anyone’s lifestyle and negatively affect their overall health. Take care of yourself. Research on the benefits of massage therapy gives strong evidence for including massage as part of an approach to staving off pain and relieving stress and anxiety. Stress Anyone who has ever had a massage to relax knows its effect, but research shines a light on the science behind what takes place during massage. For more than 20 years, studies have shown some of the positive effects of massage therapy for relaxation. In a study on the effect of trigger point therapy1 , there was a significant decrease in heart rate, systolic blood pressure8, and diastolic blood pressure8. Measures of oxygen consumption, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol levels were all lower after a 10 to 15 minute chair massage in controlled studies.2, 3, 4 Changes in psychological states have been measured by physiological responses1, 3, the Perceived Stress Scale5,6, the POMS Depression Scale4,5, and the Anxiety State Scale.4 Anxiety Research continues to document the impact for relief of anxiety and depression for people in a wide range of health situations.8, 9, 10, 11 For example, one randomized study found women with stage 1 and stage 2 breast cancer benefited from regular massage therapy sessions. The immediate massage benefits included reduced anxiety, depressed mood and anger, while the long-term impact reduced depression and increased serotonin values. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter with functions in various parts of the body, works to regulate mood, appetite, sleep, memory and learning. Pain From the muscle strain and soreness when you overdo it to serious or chronic pain, massage therapy is showing positive results. Consumers are learning its value, as 41 percent of American adults who had a massage in the past five years indicate they sought it for pain relief.12 A meta-analysis of research on massage therapy for pain conducted by Samueli Institute in 2016 concluded that massage therapy should be strongly recommended for pain management. The analysis reviewed 67 published studies on the impact of massage therapy on pain.13 Rehabilitation Services blessinghealth.org References on back. References 1. Delaney, J.P., Leong, K.S., Watkins, A., & Brodie, D. (2002). The short-term effects of myofascial trigger point massage therapy on cardiac autonomic tone in healthy subjects. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37, As a young person who inherently received care from others, the reminder on airplanes for people to put their own mask on first before helping others was kind of unnecessary … of course I’d put my own mask on first. My self-preservation was high, I considered myself independent, each seat gets their very own oxygen mask, and I certainly did not want my mother passing out because she was busy helping me put my mask on! Then, I developed a helping-centered career, I had kids, my parents began aging into older adulthood, and others who I began traveling with required assistance in general. My perspective changed as I experienced the impulse to neglect self and spring immediately to focus only on ensuring the health and needs of those within my care and who in many instances, I love. I now understand why those airplane announcements are necessary. Caregivers often prioritize the needs of those they care about, particularly when those loved ones are vulnerable. In the airplane announcement example, the aviation industry has taken it upon themselves to provide reminders in support of the greater (safety) good of everyone on the plane in the event of an emergency. This reminder, and lesson, is a great metaphor for many massage-related situations, whether in regard to clinician self-care or as a reminder to clients. In this column, we will focus on the application of the “put my mask on first” metaphor on a massage population often overlooked: informal caregivers—those who provide unpaid, “informal” care for family members or friends with temporary or permanent conditions that limit functional independence. 2 Informal Caregiving Informal caregiving, for any population, has its stressors and particular burdens in the home and supportive care environments. Informal caregiver health and well-being are particularly vulnerable during and following hospital stays due to stress, worry, and related concerns.1 Increasingly, massage-related research is examining massage benefits for admitted patients or patient populations in particular. This is excellent, and bodes well for the progression of the field. However, there are other populations within the hospital and health-care environment that would also benefit from massage, including clinicians, support staff, and informal caregivers of admitted patients. The research evidence base is building for anxiety,