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If you’ve spent time in a recliner, you know just how relaxing it can be to lie back and take time away from life’s pressures – especially after a tough work-out. Adding the latest massage features to loungers makes for an even more comforting experience – one that comes with some pretty surprising health benefits, especially for athletes.
Curious about what a massage recliner chair can do for you? As it turns out, the best reclining massage chairs do far more than simply work the knots out of those tired, aching muscles.
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1. Improve Circulation
Massage recliner chairs stimulate the body’s large muscle groups using vibrating elements, airbags, gears, rollers, and motors. Some chairs offer a chiropractic back stretch feature, while others incorporate heating elements and more. All of these technological advances help enhance circulation throughout the body. As circulation improves, tissues receive the oxygen-rich blood needed for healing and rejuvenation, and lymph fluid carries metabolic waste material away faster. Better circulation can lead to better health overall, so enjoy your massage chair frequently!
2. Reduce Discomfort
Discomfort is the body’s way of telling us that it’s overworked and tense, or that something is out of alignment. Even though a reclining massage chair focuses mostly on the back, neck, and posterior portions of the legs, it does a wonderful job of reducing pressure and gently encouraging the spine to move back into proper alignment. In turn, improved spinal alignment helps extremities to relax. As muscles relax, there’s less pressure on nerves, so your entire body feels better after a massage. With regular use, massage recliner chairs can improve your quality of life by helping you feel comfortable in your body.
3. Reduce Stress and Anxiety
When you relax and enjoy a massage, your body secretes feel-good chemicals. Endorphins, dopamine, and other beneficial hormones help mitigate your stress response, relieving peripheral issues including anxiety. Since stress and anxiety can lead to other problems that manifest physically, mentally, and emotionally, convenient at-home massage therapy can improve your entire outlook.
4. Improve Recovery Time
Whether you’re battling a bout of the flu, recovering from an injury, or healing up after surgery, a massaging recliner can help you feel better faster. There are a couple of reasons for this: First, the chair’s ability to enhance circulation helps compromised tissue regenerate faster. Second, our bodies do better when we’re in a happier place emotionally. If you’re someone who exercises regularly, you’ll probably notice shorter recovery time between workouts, along with improved stamina.
5. Boost the Immune System
There’s another way a reclining massage chair can help improve your health: Studies suggest that massage in general offers benefits to the immune system by increasing the number of lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that defend the body from pathogens. At the same time, massage reduces the number of cytokines in the bloodstream. Since cytokines are linked directly to inflammation associated with conditions including depression, asthma, and even cardiovascular disease, the time you spend enjoying a relaxing massage is particularly valuable.
6. Enhance Digestion
Better circulation has many benefits, with improved digestion being a big one. Even though the massagers in a chair don’t manipulate your abdomen, massage , in general, has a positive impact on the body’s autonomic nervous system, which plays an important role in normalizing digestive function overall. Whether you suffer from sluggish digestion, constipation, or another digestive issue, it’s likely that frequent sessions in a reclining massage chair will prove beneficial.
7. Improve Sleep Quality
Most of us wish we could enjoy better sleep – as not getting enough can have a hugely detrimental impact on our health, as you can read about here. The good news is, there are many ways to improve sleep hygiene and as it turns out, regular massage is one tactic that’s well worth a try. Several studies have shown that massage lowers cortisol levels while reducing sleep disorders associated with feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. When study participants mentioned discomfort as a contributing factor in sleep problems or insomnia, many found that massage’s ability to reduce pain simultaneously enhanced sleep quality.
8. Enhance Flexibility
If you have stiff, sore muscles, joints, and tendons that limit your range of motion, it’s likely that regular massage sessions can make a difference. Since massage warms the body, increases blood flow, and enhances the flow of lymphatic fluid, it can help you achieve greater flexibility overall. Keep in mind that most people need to use other tools for enhancing flexibility; stretching, simple range-of-motion exercises and even proper hydration can help you stay limber.
9. Drug-free Headache Relief
Stress, tension, and fatigue often lead to painful headaches. Even though a reclining massage chain doesn’t put pressure on those throbbing temples, its ability to relax the neck and back muscles while simultaneously enhancing circulation can make short work of tough headaches. Before reaching for OTC pain relief, try treating yourself to a massage. Research shows that people who suffer from frequent headaches tend to experience long-term relief, i.e. fewer headaches when they enjoy a massage on a regular basis.
10. Lower Blood Pressure
Since high blood pressure can lead to serious health problems including heart failure, kidney disease, stroke, and more, it’s important to keep your blood pressure within a healthy range. Consistent massage can decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, making a reclining massage chair an incredibly beneficial part of a healthy lifestyle.
With so many health benefits, massage recliner chairs are more than just a luxurious way to pamper yourself. While time spent enjoying a massage in the privacy of your home does feel like a wonderful indulgence, a massaging recliner can be a powerful tool that enhances your well-being and improves your quality of life.
BIO
Emma Williams is a professional blogger and wellness expert, who regularly writes on sleep, sleep disorders and how to eat healthy, exercise more, and get into mindfulness and meditation.
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