When you think of massage therapy, you might imagine a relaxing session that relieves your muscle tension and helps you release stress. You might also associate massage therapy treatments with alleviating discomfort, healing muscle injuries, and providing other wellness benefits. Did you know that massage therapy can also help you learn and increase your ability to focus? Let’s examine how massage therapy can help students focus on their studies and learn more.
Teaching Our Kids Lifelong Healthy Practices
Before we dive into the positive effects of massage therapy on learning, let’s take a moment to mention the importance of teaching our children how to lead healthy lifestyles and follow healthy practices into adulthood. Far too many adults fail to listen to their bodies when they are giving signs that something is wrong. We often see clients who have ignored their discomfort until the pain is unbearable, distracting, or becomes a more serious injury, strain, or condition.
Because students of all ages are often sitting at their desks for long periods without movement, the most common discomfort they experience is from poor posture and the effects of being sedentary. Stress, anxiety, and tension can also lead to muscle pain and tension, which can be distracting when trying to focus and learn. Teaching the young people in our lives to listen to their bodies and ask for help when something feels wrong is a health lesson that will benefit them for life. Experiencing massage therapy in a professional setting also teaches students about safe touch and the importance of taking care of your body.
4 Benefits of Massage Therapy That Increase Focus
There are many types of massage therapy treatments you can choose from to provide a range of benefits, depending on your condition. A Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) can help you determine which type of treatment or combination of treatments will be best for you. Even with different styles of treatment, there are some common effects that anyone, particularly students, can benefit from.
1. Better Sleep
As adults, it is easy to sacrifice sleep in the pursuit of productivity. Pushing our minds and bodies to the limit over time leads to stress and injury. We do not want to pass on these habits to our kids, who need good sleep and rest to grow, learn, and develop.
The number of hours of restful sleep children, teenagers, and young adults get in a night is crucial to brain development and the ability to focus and learn during the day. Children and youth who are still growing need sleep to support their growing bodies. The amount of recommended sleep changes by age bracket.
The CDC recommends the following hours of sleep:
- 9–12 hours for children aged 6–12
- 8–10 hours for children 13–18
- 7–9 hours for adults 19+
One of the effects of massage therapy that everyone can benefit from, especially students, is improved sleep. Massage therapy can reduce anxiety and physical discomfort, making it easier to fall asleep. A massage appointment is associated with decreased cortisol levels after a session and an increase in serotonin and dopamine, which support relaxation and sleep.
2. Better Focus
Consistent sleep helps children show up for school well rested, which puts them in a better position for learning because they can focus with fewer fatigue-related distractions. Many factors affect attention, but parents can set children up for success by helping them relieve tension and reduce anxiety with massage treatments, getting better sleep at night, and eating balanced, nutritious meals.
3. Better Mental Health
Students today face many stressors and sources of anxiety. From studies to work to personal lives and finances, there is a lot of pressure on young people. Regular massage appointments can help relieve stress and improve sleep, which supports overall mental health. Better mental health leads to easier learning with fewer distractions and a greater ability to focus.
4. Reduced Stress
Chronic stress can lead to many other health problems, including reduced immunity, chronic pain, muscle tension, headaches, and loss of sleep. When students are in exam mode or balancing grades with work and other priorities, stress can be difficult to manage. Massage therapy is one tactic that can help reduce stress and the chance of stress-related problems.
How Red Light Therapy Can Benefit Students
Red light therapy can reduce stress and anxiety and improve sleep quality. The red light penetrates deep into the skin to support healing, relaxation, and reduced anxiety. Red light therapy for kids and adults involves short sessions that are non-invasive, non-touch, and do not require clothing to be removed. When the benefits of red light therapy are paired with massage therapy, students in middle school, high school, or post-secondary can improve their learning both inside the classroom and out.
Treat the Students in Your Life to Massage Therapy
Do you have a student in your life? Show support as they head back to school by giving a gift certificate for a massage treatment or red light therapy appointment. They can benefit from relaxation, better sleep, and increased focus while also learning the importance of taking care of the body and mind.
Student Massage and Red Light Therapy in St. Albert
Book a massage therapy appointment and red light therapy session for yourself or your student at Urban Massage & Wellness in St. Albert. Our team of RMTs and red light therapy practitioners is here to help you reduce stress and increase focus. You can also add a 20-minute red light therapy session to your massage appointment to start your treatment with even more rejuvenating outcomes.
