Massage is well known for its benefits of relaxation, stress reduction, pain relief, and injury recovery. But it also has a wide range of lesser-known benefits, including its effect on your digestive system. If you have problems with digestion or simply want to know how massage could improve your digestion, read on for more info on this topic.
Aiding peristalsis
As the food we eat passes through our digestive system, it is helped along by contracting muscles in the walls of our esophagus, stomach, and intestines. This action is known as peristalsis, and it’s essential for healthy digestion and regular bowel movements. Taking a walk after eating can help you digest your food more efficiently because it stimulates the process of peristalsis.
And another way to stimulate peristalsis is through abdominal massage. While this isn’t a common aspect of a full body massage, gently massaging the stomach can have a number of benefits. Stimulating peristalsis through massage can help to prevent problems like constipation and can even be beneficial for people with digestive conditions like irritable bowel syndrome. Massage can help to relieve knots, pain, and tightness in your abdominal muscles, and the relaxing effects of massage also help to aid peristalsis and keep everything moving as it should be.
Improving circulation
A lot of the benefits of massage are a result of increasing circulation around the body – from relieving pain to reducing inflammation. Everything your body does requires oxygen, and it’s your blood’s job to deliver oxygen as well as other nutrients to your organs, tissues, and cells to make sure they can function properly. And digestive problems are an example of a potential side effect of reduced blood flow.
Massage in general gets the blood flowing around your body, helping to contribute to healthy digestion. Increased blood flow also aids the removal of toxins from your system, which can impact digestion.
Releasing enzymes
The act of stimulating your digestive organs through massage also aids the release of enzymes. Enzymes are used in your body to break down molecules, so they are vital for digestion. They break large molecules like starch and protein down into smaller molecules that your body can absorb or digest effectively.
Whether it’s for digestive benefits are the many other benefits that massage could offer you, contact Moonstone Massage to find out about the range of treatments we offer, and you can book an appointment with us online.