Indians have enjoyed massage therapy for mind and body relaxation for ages. It helped relieve their back pain, headaches, shoulder pain, soothe their anxiety and depression and improve their body postures.
Nowadays, Americans are also more interested in massage than ever before. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, a whopping 21% of the U.S. adults benefited from a massage session between 2018 to 2019.
However, the advent of a massage chair has revolutionized the massage industry. The basic premise of a massage chair is to imitate the human touch with electrically produced vibrations to soothe muscles and the body.
Though massage chairs have become popular these days, people often debate their use and efficacy. People wonder whether this thousand-dollars commodity offers any real-time health benefits (like a massage from a masseur), or it is just another luxurious way to brag about their money.
Massage scientists have done a ton of research on massage chairs, and they were amazed to learn that these can work just like massage therapy for relaxing the mind, body, and soul.
Here are 5 research-backed health benefits of massage chairs to justify their cost.
1. Improve Brain Function
Like a massage for our muscles and joints, a gentle head massage can optimize our brain functions. It should be no surprise that head massage by massage chairs can significantly improve our brain functionality. A head massage by a massage chair can relieve headaches and migraines, release tension, and reduce stress. It can enhance your brain’s thinking ability helping you make the right decisions for your life.
A 2018 study evaluated the effects of binaural massage (head or brain massage) on mental fatigue recovery and cognitive functions. Twenty-five healthy adults obtained a head massage using mechanical chairs for 20 minutes. It significantly decreased mental fatigue as compared to taking rest. Subjects also showed increased attention and improved long-term and short-term memories.
2. Reduce Your Stress
Imagine you return home after a drastically hectic and stressful day. Your body is blowing with aches. What you want is just a massage, and all your stress can go away. But wait, you need an appointment in-hand with your masseuse every time you want to enjoy a massage session. Besides, going to the massage center and coming back can eventually add more stress to the bucket.
What if you can sit in a chair to enjoy a relaxing massage and relieve all your stress? A massage therapist at the distance of a few clicks becomes available to you. You won’t help to love this fantastic piece of creativity.
According to a 2020 study,neck and back massage can significantly lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels in the blood. This study also suggested that massage can reduce cortisol levels. It also helps lower high blood pressure (increased in stress), as per this study.
Another study showed that regular use of massage therapy chairs could reduce stress levels in mentally ill individuals. Yet another study showed massage chair therapy to reduce cortisol levels and increase endorphins (serotonin and dopamine)- the happiness hormones.
3. Relieve Back Pain
Why suffer the agony of back pain when a chair in your lounge can ease it all? If you can’t put up with your always hurting back anymore, a massage therapy chair can be the best thing to invest in.
A massage chair is built with rollers, gears, and nodes to massage targeted areas of your back. Exerting balanced pressure on your back muscles helps relieve the soreness, increases their blood flow, and reduces your back pain. Massage chairs can align your spine, correcting your body postures.
Best yet, this 2005 research promotes that an automated massage chair may be a useful and worth-the-money tool for back muscle relaxation. The study involved ten healthy volunteers who sat in a massage chair for 5-minute sessions of three different massage types (roll-stretch massage, shiatsu massage, and beats massage). Roll-stretch and shiatsu massage lessened the tension in back muscles.
4. Improve Blood Flow
Do you often feel sores or numbness in your calf muscles? Do your feet remain colder than the rest of your body? The chances are your body’s blood circulation is affected.
The gentle pressure by massage chairs pushes the blood from congested blood vessels and lets new blood flow into the tissues. It allows sufficient oxygen and nutrients delivered to the tissues. Massage chair therapy helps de-constrict the blood vessels opening up vessels’ lumens to promote blood circulation throughout the body.
Leg and foot massage by massage chairs can significantly improve blood circulation to these areas. A 2004 study showed that massage could enhance blood circulation in local regions.
5. Prevent Injuries
Your muscles should be in their optimum health with no sores and tension to enjoy your daily lives without any harm or injury. Releasing muscle tension is crucial for attaining optimum fitness. Massage chair therapy is beneficial in releasing muscle tension.
No matter if you are a daily-hustler struggling to manage your job and home activities, or you are an athlete undergoing intense physical activity, tension-free and relaxed muscles are vital for you.
Massage chairs deliver you exactly what you need- focusing sore areas, relieving tension in limbs and other body parts, allowing greater mobility of your body. All this at the taps of a few buttons.
Why Massage Chairs?
You may think, “Alright! Massage chairs work, and they do provide some benefits for healthy and joyful living. But why should I sit in a massage chair than lying on a bed under the hands of a massage therapist?”.
The reason is obvious. These are very time-efficient and convenient to use whenever you want a massage, no matter what. Massage chairs can save you hours of form filling, getting an appointment, and driving to and back from the masseuse’s place every time you need a massage.
Moreover, if you don’t like to be touched by others but want to enjoy the immense health benefits of massage therapy, a good massage chair can offer the best return on investment for you.
Conclusion
Massage chairs do work. They work to improve the body’s blood circulation, brain’s cognitive functions, relax stress, relieve back pain and muscle tension, and whatnot. A good massage chair will be a nice addition to your home luxuries.
