5 Remarkable Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage
Aromatherapy massage is massage therapy with scented plant oils, called essential oils, added to the massage oil or lotion. It’s a great way to destress and enhance your mood and overall health.
The practice has been shown to be effective for a wide range of medical conditions including anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
What is aromatherapy and how does it work?
Aromatherapy is the practice of using oils extracted from plants to promote health and well-being.
There are many different types of essential oils, but they are generally distilled from flowers, fruits, barks, or roots.
The idea behind aromatherapy is that inhaling these aromatic essences can affect your mood and emotions as well as improve physical symptoms such as pain or inflammation.
To experience the benefits of aromatherapy at home, do the following:
- Add a few drops of essential oil to warm bath water once you’ve cleaned up after a long day.
- Have someone massage your back while you soak in the tub with some relaxing music playing in the background.
- Light up some candles around your room before bedtime and breathe deeply while taking in their scents. Lavender is particularly nice for helping you sleep better at night!
Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage
We’ve mentioned what aromatherapy does and how it works, but what are its benefits? Here are some of the benefits you may reap when you give aromatherapy massage a try.
1. It eases stress and anxiety
Massage is a great way to relax and release tension. It can also help reduce anxiety and stress, which are often associated with muscle tension.
While you’re enjoying aromatherapy massage, the aromas from your massage oil will be absorbed into your skin and bloodstream through inhalation.
As a result, this will have an effect on your mood while also reducing stress levels.
Aromatherapy massage can also help you feel more relaxed as it stimulates many senses including smell and touch.
This sense of stimulation helps those who suffer from depression and anxiety disorders such as panic attacks or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
2. It increases feelings of relaxation
When your body is under stress, it releases a hormone called cortisol and other chemicals.
These can trigger changes in your body’s response to pain, making it feel more intense. Stress can also cause muscle tension, headaches, and digestive problems.
When inhaled through the nose or on the skin, these fragrant oils have been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression by triggering the release of some hormones (endorphins) in your brain that make you feel relaxed.
Aromatherapy massage has been found to help with relaxation by reducing levels of stress hormones released into the bloodstream.
This may explain why aromatherapy is often used as an alternative therapy for people suffering from chronic pain conditions such as arthritis or lower back pain.
3. It Improves your sleep cycle
If you have trouble falling asleep due to stressful thoughts, aromatherapy massage may be able to help with this as well!
The relaxing effects of this treatment allow people who suffer from insomnia to relax enough to feel comfortable sleeping on their mattresses afterward.
Aromatherapy massages provide an opportunity for these individuals’ bodies, minds, and spirits time away from whatever worries have been keeping them awake at night.
When combined with other relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga classes, they will likely see better results than if only one method was used alone!
4. It helps improve your quality of life
You may be thinking that aromatherapy massage sounds like a nice treat, but it’s not worth the money. However, the benefits go far beyond improving your mood.
Aromatherapy massage can help improve your quality of life. The effects of aromatherapy on our bodies are well-documented through scientific studies and anecdotal evidence.
As mentioned above, it has been shown to decrease levels of stress hormones in the body and increase blood flow throughout the body—which helps reduce pain and promote general relaxation.
It can also positively impact symptoms associated with chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety disorders (like PTSD), depression, and more.
This also goes for individuals with dementia and related health problems.
5. It helps manage certain types of pain
While aromatherapy massage in general can help ease certain types of pain, it’s especially effective at reducing the pain associated with cancer and other illnesses.
Aromatherapy massage has also been shown to be effective with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
If you’re suffering from any of these conditions or know someone who is, consider booking an aromatherapy massage as part of your treatment plan.
Along with other treatments like exercise and meditation, aromatherapy is a wonderful alternative to traditional medicine.
It has the power of both healing and soothing, and it’s not limited by age or gender. If you’re looking for something to try outside of what your doctor prescribed, we suggest giving aromatherapy a go!