It’s common knowledge that a massage is one of the best ways to heal your body when you feel sore and exhausted. However, is that all there is to it?
Massages can actually offer many benefits for an individual’s health and wellness, improving their bodily functions, alleviating their pain, and enhancing their health in various aspects. Getting a good massage can heal both the mind and the body, which is why it has become a popular way to relax once our responsibilities or worries become too much for us to handle.
However, our busy schedules often prevent us from getting massages as often as we’d like. This is where massage chairs are most useful.
15 Benefits of Massage Chairs for Your Health and Wellness
Those who invest in a massage chair can achieve all the health and wellness benefits from a regular massage while never leaving the comfort of their home. Is getting a massage chair truly a worthy investment? We definitely think so. Here are some of the top benefits of massage chairs and how they can contribute to your health.
Alleviate Pain From Sore Muscles
Soreness is a result of intense physical activity or straining in the muscles. People often experience these after they undergo an intense exercise routine, play sports, go on a jog, or even when sitting for a prolonged time. Depending on the intensity of the activity, sore muscles can take around 24 to 48 hours to heal without any additional assistance. Using a massage chair helps alleviate the pain at a much swifter rate or at least reduce the intensity of the pain felt during the recovery period. This allows an individual to move freely and experience less discomfort than they usually would, even after exerting great effort into physical activity.
Supports Mental Health
Having an exhausted and pained body takes a toll on both the physical and mental health of an individual. Being in pain limits one’s movement and prevents them from fully utilizing their body, which may cause feelings of stress, anxiety, and frustration with themselves or others. Being stressed and anxious only provides negative effects to an individual over time, making them feel more exhausted and drained as they deal with their bodily pains. Massages can help alleviate these feelings by producing neurotransmitters and hormones to enhance one’s mood. Massage chairs can assist in the production of hormones such as dopamine and serotonin to improve an individual’s mental and emotional state while stalling the production of stress-causing hormones like cortisol.
Cope With Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is a form of pain that lasts for a prolonged time, even with treatment and medication. It is common in conditions like arthritis, which causes swelling in one or multiple joints. Chronic pain is more intense and requires more extensive treatment compared to the typical case of sore muscles. It can be inconsistent, as some days there will be no pain at all while other days are filled with continuous discomfort. In this type of situation, having a massage chair at home can assist in managing and relieving pain when needed. It is an accessible cost-efficient treatment for a long-term condition like chronic pain as it only requires a one-time investment.
Improve Your Immune System
Massages aren’t just good for external and muscle pain; they are also effective in preventing and fighting against sickness. Most of the time, catching common illnesses like a cold, fever, or flu seems inevitable. However, getting frequent massages or using a massage chair regularly strengthens the immune system by promoting the production of lymphocytes. Lymphocytes, also known as white blood cells, are responsible for protecting the body against sickness and disease. Getting regular massages stimulates the lymphocytes in the body, which effectively strengthens an individual’s immunity. A minimum of 30 minutes on a massage chair is recommended to achieve the best results.
Improve Your Sleeping Habits
Stress and body pain are two common factors that can affect how well an individual sleeps. Stress and mental disorders or conditions can affect the quality of sleep because of the anxiety and unpleasant feelings that they bring to an individual. Other factors like the use of digital devices or pain caused by headaches, migraines, and pain across the body can also prevent an individual from getting an appropriate amount of sleep. This causes them to feel fatigued, even after resting for the night. Massages can help improve sleep quality by alleviating the emotional struggles and physical pain brought by mental health disorders, body pain, or other pre-existing conditions.
Helps With Lower Back Pain
Back pain is something that many people struggle with, especially the elderly. As people age, back pain begins to develop and intensify. People who work desk jobs or sit for prolonged times are also prone to back pain, as sitting in the same position for a long time can cause the muscles to feel tired and sore. Getting massages is often one of the most recommended ways to deal with back pain. Many orthopedic doctors advise their patients to get massages to alleviate their discomfort. It can also be effective for those who are experiencing chronic back pain as a symptom of pre-existing conditions.
Regulates Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
Abnormal blood pressure and heart rate are two common causes of heart disease, including hypertension and stroke. Lower blood pressure and normal heart rate can be achieved by improving the blood circulation within the body. Both normal massages and the settings of a massage chair are equipped with the appropriate techniques to help stimulate and improve blood flow within the body, which then causes the heart rate to slow down while the blood pressure lowers. Spikes in blood pressure and heart rate can also be caused by high levels of stress, anxiety, or other mental health conditions. All of these conditions can be improved by using a massage chair regularly, which provides better results for blood pressure and heart rate in turn.
Relieves Headaches and Migraines
Headaches and migraines can be caused by various factors. Sometimes, they come as a symptom of long-term or chronic conditions, which leaves an individual to deal with frequent headaches or migraines as they cope with their condition. As mentioned before, massages can help relieve chronic pain because they help the body produce more serotonin and dopamine. These happy hormones exist to help regulate a person’s mood and heal their body from any discomfort or pain. With regular use of a massage chair, individuals may experience less frequent migraines and headaches. It is also possible that the intensity or pain level of the headaches will decrease as they continue to use the massage chair.
Improves Your Flexibility
Flexibility can be useful in various situations, especially for athletes who participate in sports like competitive dance or gymnastics. Continuous strain on the muscles makes them feel sore and uncomfortable, which may lead to decreased flexibility or difficulty moving the body. In turn, individuals may not be able to display their peak performance in participating in physical activities or even moving their bodies freely, limited by the pain in their sore muscles. Reduced flexibility is often caused by heavy strain on a trigger point in the muscle, which can be specifically targeted and healed by using a massage chair. Massages also promote the growth of mitochondria, which allows the body to produce stronger tissue to enhance flexibility.
Relieves Pain From Stiff Neck
A stiff neck is often caused by stress, bad posture, or staying in an uncomfortable position for a prolonged time. It is painful and sore, causing discomfort every time an individual turns their head or attempts to move their neck at a certain angle. Stiff necks can be uncomfortable, and distracting, and may take up to an entire week to heal. Using a massage chair can help alleviate the pain at a much swifter pace. Massage chairs have dedicated functions that focus solely on massaging the head and the neck, eliminating any pain that may have lingered in the area. With regular use, the massage chair can heal a stiff neck, reduce the pain level felt by the individual, and even heal surrounding areas that may be experiencing any soreness.
Enhances Energy Levels
Having a fatigued and pained body can affect energy levels. Being subjected to pain in your lower back, head, neck, or other areas in the body can make moving and sleeping more difficult, which takes a toll on how much energy a person has throughout the day. Having a massage chair to use after a long and exhausting day is one of the best ways to help your body heal at home. Frequent use of a massage chair resolves many issues that contribute to a lack of energy in an individual. Using the massage chair decreases stress, relieves body pain, and improves the quality of sleep. With all of these aspects improved, the energy levels within the body naturally increase.
Improves Mental Clarity
People who suffer from stress, anxiety, or body pain may feel confused, disoriented, or unfocused as they experience prolonged discomfort due to their conditions. It is understandably hard to focus on doing something or making a decision when the body is too focused on the pain it is feeling or the intense emotions that it has to deal with. Improved mental quality can be achieved by regularly using a massage chair to improve the mental and physical health of an individual. As the stress, anxiety, and body pain begins to disappear, the individual is left with an increased amount of serotonin and dopamine, which improve mental clarity and possibly other cognitive functions like memory and decision-making.
Swift Muscle Recovery From Exercise
Muscle pain and soreness are typically experienced after a workout session or performing other physical activities. Muscle pain caused by intense physical activity can last up to 5 days, depending on the person. Although the recovery period of an individual depends on their bodies, using a massage chair can help the body recover at a swifter pace. It specifically targets sore muscles and relieves the pain. Long recovery times can lead to a stall or gradual pace in one’s progress. By using a massage chair regularly, individuals can healthily shorten their recovery time and go back to their regular workout sessions without causing further strain or discomfort in their muscles.
Improves Posture
Having bad posture can contribute to the development of various conditions and unpleasant aftermaths, such as spinal dysfunction, back pain, joint degeneration, or other body features like a potbelly or rounded shoulders. If an individual does not take action to improve their posture, then they will most likely develop chronic pain in the form of back pain, causing further discomfort and limiting their movement. Improved posture can be achieved by using a massage chair to correct the body. Massages can help the body loosen and heal tense muscles, allowing the body to relax and let loose until the individual can obtain better posture over time.
Is Getting a Massage Chair Worth it?
If you’re experiencing any of the conditions mentioned above, then we recommend getting a massage chair to relieve symptoms while improving your overall health and wellness. Investing in a massage chair provides an accessible and seamless way to eliminate discomfort in the body, even without leaving your home to visit your local spa. Massage chairs may seem like a large investment at first but the health benefits and relief that they offer in return are priceless. They are cost-efficient and ultimately a more practical solution, especially for patients that struggle with chronic pain or are looking to enjoy the long-term benefits of massages.
Find the Ideal Massage Chair for You
Massage Chair Relief offers a wide selection of massage chairs for your needs. We work with various brands and manufacturers to deliver high-quality and premium massage chairs to ensure that our clients are only getting the best products. Our selection contains various categories and can easily be filtered through our “My Chair Finder” page. You can find your ideal massage chair by entering the weight and height and picking the symptoms that align with your experience to generate the perfect chair for your needs. Learn more by browsing through our selection today.