Many scientific studies show that popular Western types of massage can decrease stress. Thai massage, however, has not been that well researched. Studies are rare and small, but nevertheless they indicate that Thai massage can immediately reduce stress.
A study in 2011
Thirty-six people with back pain were allocated to receive a 30-min session of either Thai yoga massage or bed rest. The results showed that there was significantly less self-reported pain intensity, anxiety and muscle tension in the Thai massage group. Their measured heart rate variability also significantly increased. Heart rate variability increases during relaxing and recovering activities and decreases during stress.
A study in 2015
Twenty nine healthy participants received a 10-minute mental arithmetic test to induce psychological stress (hurray for maths!). Then the people in one group received a one hour long Thai massage while the other group were resting. This study found that stress index and psychological stress decreased and stress resistance increased after Thai massage. Stress resistance is the adaptability of the body against stress, whereas the stress index is the level of stress in the body. Thus, Thai massage can immediately reduce stress by increasing parasympathetic activity.
If you want to book a Thai massage for stress relief do get in touch. The best one for that is 2 hours long!
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