I have been reading case studies published about the effects of massage on sleep and depression. In every single study the effects are the same- the massage group experiences lower cortisol levels (improving sleep), and lower anxiety and depression scores for days after the massages. They have tested this on regular people, fibromyalgia patients, pregnant women, depressed teen mothers, and chronic fatigue syndrome patients, and each study came to the same conclusion- REGULAR massage improves sleep, decreases anxiety, and decreases depression. In fact, here is a Reuters Health article I came across today about massage and depression saying that exact same thing. This is a very promising treatment for a condition that seems to affect a large population of the US, and to me that is exciting news!
