Massages relax muscles, and your heart muscle is no exception. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The Institute for Integrative Healthcare says that adding massage therapy to other preventative actions such as quitting smoking, eating healthy, and exercising can further help lower heart disease. They also report the various strokes performed in massages can increase blood circulation and stimulate skin receptors to send messages for the central nervous system, especially the body’s fight-or-flight response to relax.
“Massage is also great to increase circulation within the body, which improves tissue quality and allows people to move and function better,” Kipp Dye, MSPT, owner of OrthosportsMED Physical Therapy, told Massage Magazine. The relaxation techniques also cause blood vessels to widen, decreasing blood pressure and rapid heart rates. A 2008 study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found an hour-long deep-tissue massage immediately reduced adults’ blood pressure.
However, the British Heart Foundation says special precautions need to be taken for people with heart conditions, such as avoiding areas where a pacemaker is implanted and avoiding deep-tissue massages when taking blood thinners.
