How Therapeutic Massage Helps Calm the Nervous System and Reduce Stress

We’ve all been there, at least once. Wired but tired, exhausted from life but unable to sleep due to sympathetic nervous system overdrive.

What is going on physically when this happens? The physiology of stress is complex, but the underlying concept is something most of us have experienced firsthand. It is likely that your nervous system is out of balance, with the sympathetic nervous system (our “fight or flight” response) trumping your parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) part of the nervous system. Under high states of stress, the body’s normal cortisol rhythm, which happens to be opposite in its highs and lows from our sleep hormone melatonin, can become “stuck on” at these times. So, when your cortisol doesn’t have its normal nocturnal drop, we can struggle with sleep and relaxation.

The Effects of Chronic Stress on the Body and Nervous System

In addition to sleep disruption, chronic stress has a multitude of effects on the many systems of our body. Digestive symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, heartburn, and ulcers may result from the lack of adequate parasympathetic nervous system balance and disrupted vagal tone.  Your vagus nerve also impacts cardiac function, and poor vagal tone on a longstanding basis can contribute to an irregular heart rhythm, high blood pressure, and heart failure over time.

Stress can also be a factor in inflammation, musculoskeletal tension, and chronic pain. Chronic stress and stress-related inflammation have been linked to cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, depression, and even the development and progression of some cancers. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that musculoskeletal tension and related pain can arise with stress – most people can point directly to a point or region of their body where they tend to feel their stress, whether it be in their shoulders or jaw from grinding their teeth at night. The chronic pain that one may experience associated with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome also can be related to nervous system dysregulation due to stress.

Mental health also can be profoundly influenced by chronic stress. Stress contributes to neuroinflammation, a factor not only in depression and anxiety but also neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Anxiety and nervous system dysregulation often go hand-in-hand, reflecting lower parasympathetic nervous system activity. Increasingly, researchers are recognizing nervous system dysregulation as an important contributor to anxiety, depression, burnout, chronic pain, and other stress-related conditions.

Burnout and fatigue often are a consequence of chronic stress. Coping strategies of using stimulants like caffeine or other substances may help us “push through” our day but when used extensively and with regularity can further increase the body's physiological stress burden and contribute to ongoing nervous system dysregulation.

How Therapeutic Massage Helps Shift the Body Out of “Fight or Flight”

Many people seek out massage therapy as a tool to help reduce their stress. But what do we know about if massage therapy reduces stress hormones? It turns out that there actually are a good number of studies looking at the relationship between therapeutic massage and cortisol.

Therapeutic touch in the form of massage not only feels good, it actually helps regulate our stress hormones, decreasing cortisol levels. Therapeutic massage not only can impact cortisol, it also may help increase the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, which we tend to think of as the hormones associated with happiness or a pleasurable experience. Along with inducing this relaxation response, massage has also been shown to reduce blood pressure and heart rate, which both tend to increase with stress.

Multiple studies have shown different aspects or types of massage enhance parasympathetic nervous system activity. Moderate pressure massage, as compared to a lighter pressure massage, has specifically been shown to shift the nervous system from sympathetic to a more parasympathetic state and increase heart rate variability (a marker of cardiac autonomic tone, with increased variability suggesting reduced stress).

Massage Therapy, Brain Waves, and the Relaxation Response

Numerous studies have assessed how massage affects brain wave patterns. Despite the variability of massage techniques used, in general an increase in alpha brain wave amplitudes, associated with relaxed wakefulness and calm focus, and decreases in beta and gamma waves were seen. Alongside this, in one study, increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a growth factor that promotes neuroplasticity, was seen while other studies in which functional MRIs were assessed, additional findings suggesting increased neuroplasticity, a key factor in promoting learning, flexibility, and adaptation, were also seen over time.

How Abdominal Massage Directly Impacts “Rest and Digest”

Abdominal massage not only helps reduce the stress response, it also directly helps improve digestive function – which often goes haywire with stress. Abdominal massage has a digestive system regulating effect – that is, it can help reduce both constipation and diarrhea. In addition to helping alleviate both of these common problems, improvements in abdominal pain, stool consistency, and abdominal bloating have also been seen with abdominal massage.

Which Types of Massage Are Best for Nervous System Regulation?

Swedish massage, a form of massage that includes long and slow strokes known as effleurage, appears to be potentially more effective than Thai massage for promoting relaxation and along with this improved sleep. Swedish massage has even been shown to reduce anxiety and markers of stress in individuals receiving urgent medical care in the ICU, a setting in which almost anyone would experience a high level of anxiety and stress.

Cranial sacral therapy, a modality that some may practice alongside other massage techniques or as an isolated form of therapy, also has been shown to reduce markers of stress in stressful settings. One study looked at the impact of this modality on firefighting cadets going through training to become firefighters and paramedics, finding that when given weekly cranial sacral treatment sessions for 5 weeks that the markers of stress – cortisol and corticotropin-releasing hormone – were significantly reduced.

‍Massage Therapy for Stress Relief in Hood River

People throughout Hood River and the Columbia Gorge seek therapeutic massage to help manage musculoskeletal pain from the wide array of intense physical activities so many of us engage in. Massage also clearly benefits our nervous system and stress response biochemically as well. Whether you are experiencing the effects of chronic stress, recovering from burnout, or simply looking for a way to support your overall well-being, therapeutic massage can be a valuable tool for restoring balance to the body and mind. At Gorge Naturopathic and Massage in Hood River, therapeutic massage sessions are tailored to your individual needs and may incorporate Swedish massage, myofascial techniques, abdominal massage, craniosacral therapy, and other approaches designed to promote relaxation and restore balance.

‍ ‍Written by Dr. Carrie Decker, ND