In addition to the psychological tension, your body may experience negative physical effects of stress. It may be in the form of muscle tightening which will affect your body’s coordination, speed and fluidity of movement as well as the outcome of your performance.

Stress has reportedly been the cause of many poor performances among athletes and sportsmen. So as we find ourselves on the verge of another busy race season please be sure to schedule your massage sessions.  This will help you reduce stress and maximize your potential.

Cardiovascular disease is the general term for diseases of the circulatory system, commonly the heart, arteries and veins. It is believed that the stress hormones make blood thicker and thicker blood clots easier. Chronic stress could cause blood clots to form within the bloodstream and impact blood getting to and from the heart. This specifically leads to strokes. It is well documented that stress has a substantial affect on the heart.

It has been shown that massage will act as a second heart, pumping blood 5 times as fast to the area being worked. Massage has nothing but positive effects on the circulatory system. So please, don’t let your stress go untreated.

The effects of stress on the immune system are many and include weakened defenses, lower resistance to infections and viral illnesses as well as increased susceptibility to allergies and malignant cell changes that encourage the growth and spread of cancer.

Unfortunately we have come to live in a highly toxic environment, therefore it is as important as ever to support healthy function of your immune system. I recommend regular massage to reduce stress and strengthen your immunity but in the short term, try a good laugh. Stress constricts blood vessels, and thus lowers our immune systems, and ability to fight off disease. Studies have shown that laughter lowers levels of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine, and in effect reversing the constriction of blood vessels.

An overload of stress prevents the release of the ‘master’ hormone that signals a cascade of hormones that direct reproduction and sexual behavior. It also inhibits the testes and ovaries directly, hindering production of the male and female sex hormones testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.

In men, long-term stress can reduce the number of sperm produced or cause impotence. In women, stress can cause absent or irregular menstrual cycles, and reduce sexual desire.

So what do you say? Let’s keep the human race alive, book a massage session and help relieve the stress in your life.

So how is this system involved with stress? When the body is stressed, the glands of our endrocrine system start to produce stress hormones. These hormones are released into the body and in response the liver produces glucose, raising our blood sugar and keeping us in our ‘fight or flight’ sympathetic nervous system when we don’t need to be there. Basically, it inhibits our ability to relax and recover from the stress.

The ability to recover from stress and to relieve ourselves from stress is very important in overall healthy function of the body.  Our society lends to a life of sympathetic nervous system living and not parasympathetic healing.  As a whole we need more time in the parasympathetic nervous system and ‘down time’ is the way to get there.  I’m not talking about down time in front of the television while folding laundry.  I’m referring to meditation, massage, relaxation in nature – I’m referring to time spent nurturing our soul and rejuvenating our systems.  Time out of our hectic schedules and time for healing.