Getting a good night’s sleep is important for people of all ages. With work, kids, volunteering, and everything in between it can be a challenge to keep a regular sleep schedule.

Lack of sleep night after night will compromise your health and can even shorten your life.

In fact, according to sleep specialists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, a number of internal functions can be negatively affected by inadequate sleep including the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Yikes!

3 Ways Regular Massage Encourages Deep Rest

• It boosts serotonin. Serotonin levels are typically low in people who have trouble sleeping and wake throughout the night.

• It reduces stress. High levels of cortisol, the “fight or flight” hormone, can disrupt sleep patterns significantly.

• It reduces pain. Pain interrupts sleep, and the lack of sleep often makes pain worse. Massage therapy reduces pain by increasing blood flow to the joints and muscles, helping you relax.

Schedule your massage today and be on your way to a more refreshed and rested self!

Benefits of Massage for Runners

Are you a runner who’s been running for their entire life? Are you a runner who just started?

Whether you’re running a mile a week or three miles a day, every level of runner would benefit from consistent massage therapy.

Here are four benefits for runners (and why they are important)

• Increased Blood Flow and Increased Recovery Time – Are you running and then feeling defeated for the next couple of days and not wanting to move? Do you know how to increase your recovery time after you run? Get a massage and increase your blood flow. It is important to remember that while increased blood flow helps with recovery, so does replenishing your fluids.

• Injury Prevention – As you continue your strive to run more, or more consistently, it’s important to stay healthy. The longer you’re on the sidelines, the less time you’re committed to running. By getting a massage consistently you can reduce your risk of injury, which will help you train better, faster, and longer.

• Flexibility – Increasing your range of motion (or flexibility) can help improve your performance, whether you’re training for a marathon, 5K, or going around the block.  Increased flexibility can lead to increased performance, endurance, quicker recovery time, and decrease the risk of injury.

• Reduced Muscle Pain – While you are probably in less pain now than you were when you first started running, all runners experience some sort of pain after a run. By consistently getting a massage you can cut down on your recovery time, which help you get out on the trail more consistently.

It’s important to remember that all runners are different and that you’re running buddy might get sore in places you never get sore. And because all runners are different and there are different types of massages, it’s important to talk to your therapist before your first massage so you can receive the right massage for you and your training.