6 CEUs. Massage Therapy - a Novel Approach to Improve Sleep

ABSTRACT
Due to health problems and changes in lifestyle, elderly people wake up a lot
during their sleeping cycle. There is loss of skeletal muscle that is frequently
reported in aged people. Sleep that is frequently disrupted has shown
impaired secretion of hormones such as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).
The muscle strength is compromised due to inflammation. In addition, IGF-1
also influences muscle mass and its activities. This highlights that the sleep
quality is influenced by the state of the muscles and sleep status also affects
the muscle functioning. Lots of studies have assessed the effect of muscle
conditions (muscle strength, muscle mass) on the sleep quality but till date no
research has demonstrated the role of massage therapies in the overall
improvement of the sleeping process. A method for falling asleep quickly for
productive and quality sleep, using special manual therapy with shaking and
bimanual stretching of muscles has been devised. Our novel massage
therapy consists of twitching, shaking and stretching of the muscles in order to
relax these initiator fibers. Firstly, in this technique we raise the limbs by 20-30
centimeters, and the head by 5-6 centimeters. Secondly, the limbs and head
are gently dropped so that the limb or head falls in unison with the exhalation.
This is carried out until the patient falls asleep. The feeling of falling into
bottomless space helps to clear the mind and releases any stress from the
body as well as the mind. As this method is repeated at the same time before
the person falls asleep, it brings improvement in the sleeping cycle. This
review article discusses the older and newer massage therapies that can
improve the sleep pattern and sleeping duration among the people affected
with insomnia.