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Massage Benefits During the Fall & Winter

This Is Why Your Massage Chair is a Cold Weather Cure

Winter puts the human body under a lot of stress, and depending on your health and of course where you are, it can affect it more or less. If your body doesn't respond well, you can end up dealing with health problems, such as colds and flu in most cases. However, more serious health complications can also develop if you aren’t taking care of yourself and your immune system.

The good news is that massage therapy can help you to feel your best whenever the temperatures start to drop.

Massage therapy is very beneficial to the body and soul no matter the season. However, it’s especially wonderful during the fall and winter because it assists the body to remain healthy and functioning properly during the colder months. If you live in an especially cold area, this can be very important.

While many are excited about winter and the holidays it brings, along with the change in seasons come quite a few health problems. Flu, cold, sore throat, low energy levels. They’re extremely common. Plus, a great number of people even suffer from the “winter blues” or seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Because winter and cooler weather can often mean a lack of exercise and movement, particularly outdoors, you’ll frequently see people dealing with lethargy, and we can become unmotivated to do anything. 

Conditions like anxiety, joint pain, and stress also seem to either get worse or become more difficult to deal with as the temperatures drop. As much as winter is anticipated, when it comes, we can start to feel restless because the days are cold and nights are so long. It makes you understand why ancient peoples decided to hold celebrations during the winter to give people something to look forward to, and we’re still doing it to this day.

We feel tired and less energetic because of this lack of physical activity and the drop in circulation associated with it. Plus, because going outside and being active can be difficult because it is so cold, we struggle to find ways to boost our activity level and avoid the harsh weather.

As a person who grew up in the northern Midwest, I can attest to this wholeheartedly. Each winter often became the winter of our discontent, and the number of hours in front of the TV definitely picked up.

What Can Massage Therapy Help With?

The perfect winter day can certainly be curling up with a good book in front of the fire, but a bit of physical activity will certainly help your overall health and wellness during the colder months. There are several benefits of massage during the winter. You can see a significant decrease in:

  • Stress
  • Depression
  • Injuries
  • Joint pain
  • Muscle pain and stiffness

When massages are done on a regular basis, it not only is good for the body, but it also bolsters and strengthens our immune system to fight against the hazardous effects of the drop in temps. You get the wonderful advantages of both a relaxed mind and body.

How To Get A Massage In Winter?

To stay active during the winter, you can definitely look into increasing your exercise regimen, and you should also look into getting a regular massage, which can complement your exercise and help you to fight off the negative effects of dealing with cold weather.

According to research into massage, winter is the best time for you to start enjoying them if you don’t already. Massages assist to:

  • Improve blood circulation
  • Improve muscle function

Massage chairs work in the same way as getting a massage from a professional therapist. It helps the body to protect itself from illness, bacteria, and infections, which is especially common during the winter. A good massage can also boost the number of our immune system’s killer cells. These cells help to make the immune system stronger and our bodies healthier overall.

During the winter our bodies can become weaker and more prone to infections. So it is important to stay active and a regular massage can help to keep our bodies flexible, strong, and stress-free.

Regular massage like this during the winter is also great for anyone of any age, physical condition, or occupation. If you suffer from back or knee pain, stiff joints, or sciatica, you’ll find an even better sense of relief when you enjoy regular massage. 

Massage can also help with managing the symptoms associated with depression and anxiety, which as we said can get worse during the winter. Massage helps to relax muscles, calm breathing, and can help the body naturally decrease the production of cortisol while increasing serotonin.


Why is Massage Therapy Important During Winter?

Below are some of the benefits of massage during winter.

Better Circulation

During the winter, because lower temperatures cause your blood vessels to constrict, you may start to experience poor blood circulation and higher blood pressure. Not only will this make you feel colder, but you can also experience some discomfort, seasonal aches and pains, or more serious conditions depending on your health.

Massage therapy in colder months helps circulate fresh, oxygenated blood throughout your body, assisting to break up congested areas and get the muscles the nutrients they need to stay strong. Massage warms up your muscles and improves both lymph and blood circulation in this way.

Additionally, low temperatures during the winter can also cause blood vessels to contract. It’s like when the air pressure in your tires changes during the colder months. This causes blood pressure to rise, which can lead to some aches and pains. Massage loosens and stimulates muscle tissues to expand blood vessels constricted by cold weather, allowing blood to flow more easily as if it were in warmer temperatures.

Reduced Sickness

While colder temperatures during fall and winter don’t cause colds and flu, because they are viruses it's easier to get sick when the temps drop because you're cooped up inside and in regular close contact with other more often, exercise can decrease, and viruses do tend to live longer in colder temperatures.

The low temperatures mean it’s time to stay inside and turn up the heat for the majority of the US. Though it does feel comfy and cozy, spending most of your day in the dry, indoor heat can increase the likelihood of catching a cold or the flu because the viruses tend to like low humidity environments.

Essentially, because it’s the time of staying inside, often with a bunch of other people, and the holidays, which regularly get us to go into busy stores where we’re constantly bombarded with fellow shoppers and their germs, we are more likely to get sick during the colder months.

Getting a regular massage can assist you to stave off colds because it increases your immune system’s effectiveness. Massage can stimulate your white blood cells to fight infections throughout your body and by reducing cortisol levels (the stress hormone) your body can more easily defend itself.

Maintains Muscle Over Winter

Most of us would rather stay in our warm beds, which can unfortunately destroy our exercise plans. However, it's important to remain active during these cold months too. You can stay fit and active by doing indoor workouts and by getting a massage regularly. It will help to stretch your muscles and keep your joints working properly too. 

Plus, if you’re still hitting it hard working out at home, a massage can help to speed up your recovery.

Prevents Winter Snacking

When we’re cooped up inside, getting cozy, and thinking fondly of the holidays, we can often start reaching for those comfort foods we love so much. You can combat cold weather weight gain with regular activity and massage. Aside from improving your body's circulation, massage can also increase your metabolism by helping your body to sustain healthy levels of nutrients throughout each of its systems. And instead of reaching for a snack when you’re feeling stressed from shopping or digging out the car, you can hop in your massage chair instead.

Fights Winter Skin

Dry, cold air can really do a number on our skin because it draws the moisture right out of it. Your skin can be especially dry and flaky during the winter. Massage can help keep your skin moisturized because it assists to improve skin elasticity by inciting collagen production.

Plus, cold, dry winter air combined with hot, dry air from our heaters combine to further dry out the skin. This is particularly true for people who take more than one shower per day because the hot water used can strip the skin of its natural, hydrating oils. Because massage is helping the skin to stay flexible and elastic, it can help keep it supple during the driest time of the year.

Tends to Mental Health

Seasonal Affective Disorder, preexisting mental health conditions, and the general feeling of malaise and lethargy during the colder months is very common. In addition to light therapy that can help the body produce vitamin D, massage therapy can also help improve mental health. 

It does this by helping you to relax and reducing your stress and anxiety levels. By encouraging the body to release endorphins and serotonin, increasing your feelings of happiness, and lowering cortisol levels, massage can help you to deal with stress and the symptoms associated with SAD, depression, and anxiety.

Relieves Shovel-Shoulders

If you spent your morning shoveling snow, you may be suffering from shovel-shoulders. Shoveling snow can be a great workout for your legs, shoulders, and back, but like any great workout, you can be very sore afterward and if not done correctly can really be feeling the hurt. Massage can help soothe your sore muscles and work out adhesions and knots that keep your shoulders from fully relaxing.

Between cold temperatures and a pandemic, it can be pretty difficult to get a massage from a therapist or masseuse. However, a massage chair is a fantastic option that can allow you to safely enjoy all the benefits massage offers right from the comfort of your own home. Plus, unlike going to a spa where you’re going to pay a large sum every time you go, a massage chair allows you to pay a one-time amount (or potentially finance the purchase) and have it paying for itself in relaxation in less than a year.

Top Massage Chairs for Winter

Here are a few of the best massage chairs you can try as the months get colder.

Osaki OS-Pro First Class

The Osaki OS-Pro First Class massage chair features an L-Track system with 3D rollers, Zero Gravity, 23 auto programs, and a touch-screen remote for the most top-notch massage experience. Packed with fully adjustable settings in a smart control system, this chair provides an unrivaled massage to each user. You’ll also find Bluetooth speakers, heat, USB connectors, and negative air ionization, which is a non-pharmaceutical treatment for seasonal effective disorder and mild depression.

Human Touch Super Novo

Upgrade the way you experience at-home massage with the Human Touch® Super Novo massage chair. It provides 3D massage across your entire back and all the way down to your thighs. Plus, you can up it even more with the available 4D massage programs. In addition, the Super Novo is also “the first chair of its kind to implement Alexa capability with the help of Virtual Therapist™.” You can create a truly personal massage experience by asking the Virtual Therapist to give you a customized massage.

Daiwa Supreme Hybrid

Daiwa introduced a new category of massage chair with the Supreme Hybrid. Since this hybrid model combines an inversion stretch with an L-shaped massage track, it provides the same effect as yoga stretch. Plus, you’ll find Bluetooth speakers, wireless charging for your phone, heated knee massage, and an incredible airbag massage system. When you want to go above and beyond with your massage chair and take home one that offers all the top features from a leading brand, this is the chair for you.

Massage therapy can offer a number of health benefits all year round but particularly during the fall and winter. Ah, the wintertime. 'Tis the season for hot cocoa, snowball fights, and relaxing by the fire. 

So, now that temps are dropping, you don’t need to hide inside and miss out on physical stimulation, instead, have fun and get some daily massages using a top name-brand massage chair. Stay warm, and stay healthy by taking home a new chair today.

Finished With Your Research?

You can look into the chairs, techniques, and other benefits of massage in the Learning Center on our website, and you’ll be able to see the number of other physical benefits that these chairs can provide. Additionally, in the Massage Chair Buying Guide, we talk about which chairs are good for certain desires and needs, and it can help you with your search for a massage chair when you want to incorporate one into your daily routine.

Life is about managing ups and downs, and a massage chair can truly help you with that both physically and mentally. With that in mind, don’t forget about our financing options. We understand that investing in a massage chair is a big decision, and we want to help make that process as easy and stress-free as possible.

If you have any questions about massage chairs or our services, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re available over the phone or through email at info@massagechairplanet.com. You can even talk with us through the LiveChat on our website.

 

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