Massage and sleep disorders are not often talked about by doctors who are hearing about sleep issues from their patients.  Lack of sleep is one of the biggest causes of accidents and injuries as well as the ability to cope with stress.  It can be a sign of a more serious disease or condition also.

There are many different types of sleep disorders:

• Insomnia in many forms – trouble falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, waking up too early.

• Restless leg syndrome

• Fibromyalgia

• Hormonal related sleep issues – night sweats

• Adrenal Stress disorders

• Lack of sleep due to muscle pain or injuries

• Sleep Apnea also related to being overweight and adrenal stress

• Tooth Grinding

• PTSD

• Anxiety and depression

Research has linked insomnia to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and other ailments such as fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression.

Sleep deprivation can also be a cause of many of the above diseases and conditions making it a vicious cycle.  Fibromyalgia causes sleep disturbances which in turn adds to the fibromyalgia making it difficult to manage or get rid of.

My initial search for research on the topic does not show much evidence that massage and sleep disorders are a good match.  A systematic review of insomnia and complementary medicine. sites that more research is needed.  What the research does show is that massage can help with many conditions such as back pain, anxiety and depression and conditions such as fibromyalgia.

Putting Insomnia to Sleep: Using Cranial Techniques By Sharon Desjarlais, CC Massage Today

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