Want to get a good night’s sleep? Try self-massage. I’ve been experimenting with it recently, and wow! It knocked me out. And it can do the same for you.

According to science, massage reduces pain, stress, and anxiety. Those are three big reasons most people have trouble sleeping. Science has shown that massage accomplishes its magic by releasing the four molecules of happiness: serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. All four work together to put you to sleep and keep you asleep.

Without a good night’s sleep regularly, you cannot be healthy. Once you get your sleep hygiene dialed in, the things most likely to keep you awake are your thoughts  buzzing around like thirty bees in a jar. Stress, anxiety, and pain will rob you of sleep. The most effective way to subdue all three is with a massage while lying in bed, relaxed and ready for sleep.

Self-Massage

If you don’t believe it, you’re not alone. I was a disbeliever too. Even though, I had read years ago that massage is a tranquilizer, sedative, and sleep-aid.

I’ve had trouble sleeping my whole life. After trying the usual suspects, I finally tried giving myself a massage right before pulling the covers over my head. I don’t know why I never tried it before. It worked wonders, and I wondered why such a simple thing like touch would be such a terrific soporific. Here’s what I discovered:

Why Massage Knocks You Out

Massage produces a biochemical reaction in your body. The serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins are only part of the story. There’s something special massage does, that is more basic and easier to understand, at least for me.

Massage sends a Message to Your Brain

Your brain wants to know whether you’re in danger or not. But it won't know unless  something tells it. That something is your sensory system. Most people think their eyes tell their nervous brain to relax or be afraid. That’s true during the day when there’s light so our eyes can see. But at night in bed, our brain relies most heavily on our largest sensory organ, our skin and sense of touch, to tell us when it’s safe to fall asleep. A 15-minute massage in bed sends a clear signal to our nervous brain that we are not in danger. Our brain then lets the word go forth to 30 trillion cells. It’s safe to enter an altered state of consciousness.

Release of the Happiness Hormones

At a biochemical level, massage reduces stress, anxiety, and pain by sending forth a flood of chemicals to let you sleep. The first, and for many peeps the most valuable thing massage does is to reduce pain. It’s hard to sleep when you hurt.

Pain Relief at Your Fingertips

You don’t need pharmaceutical-grade morphine to reduce pain. Your fingertips can release endogenous morphine, better known as endorphins. According to science, in study after study, endorphins reduce pain.  And massage release endorphins.

If the endorphins aren’t enough pain relief, massage has been shown to reduce Substance P. P stands for pain. Substance P is the neurotransmitter that stimulates your perception of pain. Massage inhibits the production of Substance P. So you won’t feel as much pain.

And finally, there’s a third-way that massage reduces pain. According to the Gate Control Theory of Pain, massage stymies pain by blocking its path to your brain. The signals massage sends to your brain block the pain messages sent to your brain. You might think of  massage strokes as power blockers protecting a quarterback from a pass rush.

The Rest of the Posse

Massage strokes also release a tsunami of serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Working together, they serve to reduce your stress and anxiety. The three happiness hormones help separate your mind from the stresses of the day and soothe your anxieties about tomorrow.

In Bed

The best time to get a massage to help you sleep is right before you go to sleep. Of course, you could hire someone to come over to your bedroom every night and plant one on you, but that would be insanely expensive. Even for a billionaire, it would be a poor choice. Why would you pay a stranger to touch you? No one knows you better than you do. You can deliver all the benefits yourself when you need them most, in the comfort of your bed.

The Research

A large body of research shows that assisted massage, administered a few times a week by a stranger, and applied hours before bedtime improves sleep. The research says nothing directly about self-massage. Nonetheless, the studies demonstrate massage is an effective sleep-inducing agent even when a stranger delivers it hours before bedtime. Massage given to your body, in bed, preparing for sleep, by hands that know your body intimately is almost certain to produce a better night’s sleep.

Side Effects

The side effects of a bedtime massage may be more impressive than the sleep benefits. The most impressive side effect of massage is a strengthened immune system. You get one every time you give yourself a massage.

Take Away

If you were wondering why massage is such an effective sleep aid, now you know. Massage relieves your pain, anxiety, and stress by encouraging your mind and body to relax.  A nightly dose of self-massage will help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

Note to Readers

If you want to learn how to self-massage checkout the first of this two part post.