Chair Massage

The changing pace of life is putting more and more of us under stress so can chair massage help improve people’s health?

Not long ago, stress was a technical term, used mainly by engineers; today, the human form is barely out of the headlines. Yesterday, the mental health charity Mind called on employers to help cut soaring levels of work-related stress, which affects 58 per cent of employees and results in the loss of nearly 13 million working days each year.

Many white-collar workers find it difficult to disconnect from the office and could therefore benefit from office massage…

Stress, it seems, is everywhere: in the classroom, the examination hall, the workplace and even at home. According to the latest figures for the Department for Work and Pensions, mental health problems, including stress and anxiety, have overtaken musculoskeletal pain, such as backache, as the major cause of long term incapacity. Chair massage can quickly help to relieve built up tension and stress helping to minimise the negative impact on people’s health.

What is stress and how can office massage help?

The Health and Safety Executive defines stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demands placed upon them”, and it occurs when pressure exceeds our perceived ability to cope.

Physiologically, it is a manifestation of the “flight or fight” response, which was triggered when our ancestors encountered danger. When people feel unable to cope with a threat, the adrenal glands release the hormone’s adrenaline and noradrenaline into the blood supply.

“The first prepares the body for flight and the second for a fight,” says Prof Stephen Palmer of the Centre for Stress Management. “They increase the heart rate and the pressure at which blood leaves the heart; they dilate bronchial passages and coronary arteries. Gastrointestinal activity reduces, which leads to a sensation of butterflies in the stomach.”

At the same time, the adrenal glands synthesise cortisol, which increases arterial blood pressure, reduces allergic reaction and inflammation, and suppresses the cells that fight bacteria and viruses.

“If somebody perceives the threatening situation has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system helps restore the body to a state of equilibrium,” says Prof Palmer. “However, many people see every day of their life as stressful and, long term, this is bad for health.”  Office massage can help by providing a special individual moment every week, fortnight or month in the busy working environment.

So why is stress causing such havoc now?

There are several reasons, says Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology at Lancaster University and a world expert on stress.

“One factor is that people are more mobile and have moved away from their extended family into communities where they do not have the same level of social support when problems arise. In two out of three families, both parents are working, which increases stress levels, and jobs are no longer for life, so people feel more insecure.

“On top of this, people in Britain work the longest hours in Europe, and all the evidence shows that if you work consistently long hours, you will damage your health. A study I carried out among British managers showed that 40 per cent consistently do more than 51 hours a week and two out of three work most weekends; being able to access office e-mails at home has made things worse.

“All this has serious consequences for the individual’s physical and mental health, for family relationships and for productivity: people work more but achieve less.”

The effects of stress

Prof Palmer has identified about 80 responses to stress, ranging from the trivial to the life-threatening. Some – such as irritability, sleep disturbance and alcohol abuse – are well known.

Even packing for a holiday can be stressful.  Other signs include exhaustion, depression, poor concentration, withdrawal from relationships and being accident prone. Some people eat more, others less. Sometimes, the response exacerbates the stress, creating a vicious cycle: for example, when employees cut down on de-stressing leisure activities, or turn to caffeine.

Because the immune system is compromised, stress sufferers are more prone to colds and flu. Headaches, gastric problems and heart palpitations can occur. There is evidence that the release of chemicals through stress can lead to a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries.

“While stress is not one of the main risk factors for coronary heart disease, the link between the two is becoming clearer as more research is done,” says a spokesman for the British Heart Foundation.

Therefore, with the negative impact of stress on long term health, office massage is a cost effective option in today’s hectic society. See our office massage packages for more information.

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