Benefits of Massage for Students
1. Improved Sleep
Massage therapy works to relax your muscles and mind. A greater sense of relaxation will improve your sleep, stress levels and provide a natural energy boost. Research shows well-rested students on a regular sleeping schedule perform much better than those who stay up all night cramming for a test.
2. Reduced Stress
Managing stress is crucial to college success. Most students face a daunting academic course-load, extracurricular activities, and a part-time job. When stress levels elevate, it can impact your ability to function at your peak, which in turn can lead to bad grades. Massage therapy will help reduce that stress in a natural way. Stress is a tough condition to overcome, but a healthy diet combined with massage therapy and plenty of rest can greatly reduce anxiety. Stress, just like other sicknesses, is a condition that can become chronic if not treated properly.
3. Stronger Immune System
A college dorm can be a breeding ground for sickness. Every year the flu and other illnesses sweep through college dorms. Being out for even a couple of days can put you way behind on your coursework. Massage therapy helps to increase the immune system’s ability to decrease T-cells and protect you from sickness.
4. Better Posture
Most students don’t take into account the potential negative, often painful, the impact of hunching over a computer keyboard and textbooks. Massage therapy can help promote healthy movement, which will improve posture and the ill side effects that bad posture can create. Driving, working at a desk, and spending excessive time sitting down can all have an impact on posture – one of the leading causes of daily aches and pains. Such discomfort can distract and make it even harder to focus on your studies.
5. Tension Headache Relief
Many college students have introduced to tension headaches thanks to long hours spent studying. These headaches are often the result of muscle tension related to stress and lack of sleep. If left ignored, such tension can lead to chronic migraines, which can be debilitating. Massage therapy helps to reduce tension and help your body fight off headaches. The technique relaxes muscle spasms, trigger points, and pressure in the neck, shoulders, and head.
6. Increased Thinking Power
Research shows massage can enhance both mental alertness and creative thinking, two things you’ll definitely need in college. You’ll also be able to better handle pressure, keep your cool and maintain a positive attitude, even as the workload mounts. This, of course, is related to the stress-relieving benefits of massage.
Plus, Massage therapy can improve every aspect of your academic life, even you don’t feel particularly stressed out or sleep-deprived. When looking into a good college, find out if massage therapy is offered to students. Make sure the therapist attended one of the recognized massage therapy schools. That way, you’ll know a trained professional is working to make your college life more relaxed and rewarding. College is tough enough as it is, so make sure you give your body and mind a fighting chance.
Regular massage can also aid students with ADHD, improving their mood and helping them pay better attention in class. Hormones. Swedish Massage can boost levels of the feel-good hormone, dopamine, as well as can lower cortisol levels, a hormone linked to stress, inflammation, and belly fat. Immune function
Massage is generally considered part of complementary and integrative medicine. It’s increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations.
Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain, and muscle tension.
While more research is needed to confirm the benefits of massage, some studies have found massage may also be helpful for:
- Anxiety, Stress
- Digestive disorders
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches
- Insomnia related to stress
- Myofascial pain syndrome
- Soft tissue strains or injuries
- Sports injuries
- Temporomandibular joint pain
Beyond the benefits for specific conditions or diseases, some people enjoy massage because it often produces feelings of caring, comfort, and connection.
Despite its benefits, massage isn’t meant as a replacement for regular medical care. Let your doctor know you’re trying massage and be sure to follow any standard treatment plans you have.
A new study finds that when students experience an academic setback such as a bad grade, the amount of cortisol—the so-called stress hormone—in their bodies typically spikes. For most students, it drops back down to normal levels a day later, but for some, it stays high. These students remain fixated on the setback and have difficulty moving forward.
The researchers analyzed the stress levels of students at two high schools in central Texas during an especially stressful time—the transition into high school. Students completed daily surveys asking about the stress they experienced, and daily saliva samples were collected to measure their cortisol levels.
A majority of these students—68 percent—experienced a drop in grades in the first semester and reported feeling stressed as a result. In how they handled that stress, two clear groups emerged. Students who believed that intelligence can be developed—a growth mindset—were more likely to see setbacks as temporary, and not only had lower overall cortisol levels but were able to return to lower levels shortly after a setback. Students who believed that intelligence is fixed, on the other hand, maintained high cortisol levels for longer, said researchers—a stress response that tends to depress problem-solving and intellectual flexibility.
“Declining grades may get ‘under the skin,’ as it were, for first-year high school students who believe intelligence is a fixed trait,” explains Hae Yeon Lee, the study’s lead author. “But believing, instead, that intelligence can be developed—or having what is called a growth mindset—may buffer the effects of academic stress.” The researchers speculate that students with a growth mindset may be more likely to seek out “resources to help them cope—such as talking with teachers, peers, or parents about how to study more effectively.”
Stress isn’t always bad. Cortisol increases blood sugar, metabolism, and memory function, providing a temporary boost to physical and cognitive ability, and positive stress—called eustress—can boost motivation and decision-making, helping students achieve goals. The stress experienced over an upcoming test is a reminder to study, a way of raising the stakes so that students recognize the importance of being prepared.
But with chronic stress, high cortisol levels can instead impair brain functioning and suppress the immune system, causing long-term damage. During childhood, the neural circuits for dealing with stress are malleable, and chronic stress can rewire the brain to become overly reactive or slow to shut down when faced with threats. So too much stress can disrupt normal brain development and increase the risk of diseases even into adulthood, according to a 2014 Harvard report.
What can schools do to help? “For many young people, the transition to high school can seem like the start of a stressful, seemingly endless marathon,” the researchers write. They recommend that in addition to helping students develop a growth mindset, schools pay closer attention to the demands that students face in ninth grade, and provide more academic and emotional support during this transition year.
The takeaway: Stressed-out students aren’t thinking about solutions. If you want students to learn from their mistakes and overcome obstacles, think about ways to encourage them to adopt a growth mindset.
*Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.
Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription of any kind. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to the scope of practice, medical diagnosis, or medical advice, nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company, or specific massage therapy technique, modality, or approach. All trademarks, registered trademarks, brand names, registered brand names, logos, and company logos referenced in this post are the property of their owners.
