Relaxing with a harmony spa massage is an ideal way to start feeling your best. Because the movements and motions used in a massage can help with a range of mental and physical stressors, you may wonder if scheduling a trip to a spa can help with your headaches. To understand how massage therapy may be able to relieve your headaches, it helps to learn more about headaches in general.
Harmony Spa Massages for Headaches
What Are the Types of Headaches?
While “headache” is used as an umbrella term, there are many types of headaches. Some are symptoms of another issue, such as dehydration, an ear infection, or the flu – these are known as secondary headaches. In contrast, a primary headache is caused by issues with or overactivity of the pain-sensitive structures in your head. Some of the most common types of primary headaches are:
- Cluster headaches: these intense headaches begin behind or around one eye, but the pain may radiate. The cause of a cluster headache is unknown, but it may be due to abnormalities in your biological clock.
- Tension headaches: these mild to moderate headaches feel like a tight band being pulled around your head. Tension headaches may occur episodically or chronically, and the exact cause is currently unknown.
- Migraines: these headaches lead to throbbing pain, light sensitivity, nausea, and more unpleasant symptoms that last for hours or days. Environmental factors and genetics may contribute to migraine attacks.
- Migraines with aura: these recurring headaches start during or after an aura (sensory disturbance), such as blind spots or light flashes. The aura may be due to a chemical or electrical wave moving across your brain.
What Can Make a Headache Occur?
Primary headaches may occur due to the chemical activity in your brain, the muscles of your head and neck, or the blood vessels or nerves surrounding your skull. Because some aspects of your lifestyle can impact these areas of your body, certain activities can potentially trigger headaches, such as:
- Poor posture.
- High levels of stress.
- Eating certain foods.
- Skipping meals.
- Changes in your sleep.
- Alcohol consumption.
In addition to these, some people carry genes that make them more likely to develop primary headaches in general.
How Can Massage Therapy Help?
Massage therapy is known for the many benefits that it can have on your mental and physical health. The carefully chosen movements, motions, and pressure levels used throughout your harmony massage spa visit will help with your primary headaches because:
- Some headaches may be related to the tension that occurs due to poor posture. Your massage therapist will help to relieve tension and any related physical pain by strategically manipulating your muscles, limbs, and joints. This will encourage your muscles to relax and may help improve your posture.
- Primary headaches can occur due to high-stress levels (the intensity of which may be increased if frequent headaches take a toll on you mentally). Harmony spa massage therapy can help by giving you the opportunity to relax and encouraging your body to naturally increase your levels of positive hormones.
- Other headaches may begin because of changes in your sleeping patterns. They can also occur due to a lack of sleep in general. Massage therapy can help with this; the movements used in the massage will encourage a release of serotonin, helping you reach a restful state, which improves your sleep quality.
Because of these many benefits, scheduling a visit to a harmony massage spa may be able to help restore your mental and physical harmony.
Relax at Our Harmony Massage Spa
Experience restoration and rejuvenation with a massage from A Servant’s Hands Massage Therapy. Our clients can visit our harmony spa in Smithville, or you can relax with an in-cabin massage in the Broken Bow area. Get in touch to schedule your massage.