How Much Massage Is Enough To Help The Nervous System Relax?

Feeling stressed? New research shows that just 10 minutes of massage can be enough to activate your body’s relaxation response, reducing stress and improving other health factors. Evolve’s RMT Andrew Burchell knows firsthand the benefits of massage for the nervous system, helping his clients feel calmer and more relaxed through his skilled treatments. Whether you’re looking for a quick way to relax at home or a longer more targeted session, massages can help you unwind and recharge.

Who isn’t looking for a good way to relax every now and then? There are tons of ways to practice stress management, but according to new research from the University of Konstanz in Germany, just 10 minutes of massage is enough to increase relaxation.

Studying the effects of massage

To conduct the study, researchers in Konstanz’s psychology department analyzed the effect of touch on the parasympathetic nervous system (the system of nerves involved in relaxing the body) by giving groups of participants two different types of massages. For a control group, they also had a group sitting quietly without touch.

One of the massages was a head-and-neck massage, meant to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system through massaging the vagal nerve. The second massage focused on the neck and shoulders and was softer, to see if touch alone was relaxing.

The team monitored the participants’ levels of physical and psychological relaxation by asking them about their emotional state and looking at their heart rate, as well heart rate variability, which shows how well the parasympathetic nervous system responds to stress.

10 minutes of relaxation is enough

Based on the findings, just 10 minutes of resting or getting a massage reduced stress levels in the participants, with massages being more effective than resting alone. The participants reported feeling less stressed and more relaxed, with improved heart rate variability.

According to the study authors, that increased variability means the parasympathetic nervous system was better able to respond to the environment and get the body more relaxed. Best of all, this effect was present (i.e., the PNS was easily activated) through both massage and sitting quietly.

And the fact that it only took 10 minutes for any sort of relaxation to notice benefits is significant: “We are very encouraged by the findings that short periods of disengagement are enough to relax not just the mind, but also the body,” notes Maria Meier, one of the study authors, and doctoral student Konstanz in a news release.

Why it matters

As luxurious as a full day at the spa can be, what this study shows is that relaxation is accessible to everyone. You can help yourself relax between your RMT visits by using a handheld massage tool, running your own feet, having someone gently stroke your shoulders, or even just resting your head on the table for 10 minutes. All of these are an effective way to boost your body’s physiological engine of relaxation.

Now that these promising benefits for massage have been found, the team hopes to analyze other so-called short interventions, like breathing exercises and meditation, to see if they can get similar results. The hope is that these kinds of practices could improve the lives of those with stress-related diseases like anxiety and depression.

Please note that any advice in this article doesn’t replace personalized medical advice from a professional.