Sleeplessness can dramatically affect your body’s biological clock and health. Sleep deficiency can lead to fatigue, physical and mental problems and even increases the risk of death. It lowers your immunity and makes you less productive. It is known that about 7- 19 per cent of adults in a certain country reported not getting enough sleep every day, more than 40 per cent adults fall asleep during the day without actually meaning to. More than 50 million adults in the US have a sleeping disorder.
Sleep deficiency can bring along a lot of other problems too like:
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Obesity
- Depression
- Increased risk of injury in teens and adults
We all have a body clock that can control our sleep cycle and active hours. It is also called a circadian rhythm, which repeats after every 24 hours. Hormones such as adenosine, melatonin and cortisol control this cycle depending on other factors. Adenosine makes you active, it keeps increasing throughout the day and when it reaches the peak, your body signals you to sleep, then it breaks the adenosine down. Melatonin is released in the dark which also signals your body that it’s time to sleep making you drowsy. When the sun rises, your body tends to release a hormone called cortisol, which prepares to wake you up. In insomniac patients, these processes do not work properly. Their body either produces very less or no sleep hormones or their body cannot understand the hormone signals due to some problems. This leads to stunting in growth for teens and chronic health problems in other people.
Massages are very efficient in regulating sleep cycle and maintaining the right production and detection of sleep hormones in the body. It reduces fatigue and improves sleep in infants, children, adults, and elderly. It is found that insomnia patients or people suffering from sleep deprivation who received 30-minute massages for 5 weeks improved sleep and serotonin levels.
Some of the techniques used for night-time massage are:
- Massaging back muscles, sides of spines and hips.
- Gently pulling on both legs.
- Kneading of thighs, gliding strokes in neck and region near the abdomen.
- Rubbing of legs.
If you worry that these massages may be out of your budget or you would rather do them yourself, then you can definitely try one of these pressure points but consult your doctor before you get any type of massage.
- The first point is located on the crease of your wrist just below your little finger. Apply gentle pressure and use circular up and down movements, hold the point gently for a few seconds and then do the same for your other hand.
- There is one just above your ankle, about four finger-widths above it. Apply deep pressure and massage in a circular up and down motion for a few seconds. This also helps with menstrual cramps and pelvic problems.
- The third one is located on the sole of your foot, on a small depression that develops if you curl your toes inwards. Apply firm pressure on this point and massage it for a few minutes.
- There is also one located at the back of your neck, interlock your hands in a cup shape behind your head and use your thumbs to apply firm pressure to your skull, massage this area for a few seconds.
Consult a massage therapist or your regular doctor before you get any massage. Get an amazing experience at our massage agency London.