The Healing Power of Touch
When you’re feeling down or overwhelmed, do you crave for a hand to hold? A wealth of research suggests that that big bear hug, the tap on our shoulder, or that kneading massage – they all resemble a very powerful tool that can health our mind and body.
Healing Massage
Everyone knows that massage can help a person unwind. And it’s not just a mental sensation. The calming benefits of massage are real. Massage eases muscle tension, lowers your blood pressure, and decreases the levels of your stress hormone. All these result to a relaxed body, plus a stronger immune system. In one study, participants who received a 45-minute Swedish massage had substantially more white blood cells, including natural killer cells, which help the body fight viruses and other pathogens, and fewer types of inflammatory cytokines associated with autoimmune diseases.
Snuggling
Giving your best friend a tight hug is probably all he or she needs to feel better. The act of embracing triggers the release of oxytocin, also called the “love hormone” which lowers cortisol levels and reduces stress. In the study by the University of North Carolina, women who get more hugs from their partners have higher levels of oxytocin and lower blood pressure and heart rates. Well, a hug from anyone close to you is equally beneficial. In another study conducted by the University of Wisconsin at Madison, participants who got hugs from their mums after giving a presentation had lower stress levels.
Holding Hands
Twining your fingers with your special someone does more than keep you happy. It also lowers your anxiety levels. James Coan, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, looked at the brain scans of 16 married women while telling them they might experience a mild shock. After being told that they were about to receive electric shocks, the brain activity of the women lighted up like a Christmas tree. But when they held hands with one of the experimenters, their anxiety levels went down. Holding hands with your significant other also reduces the stress-related activity in a brain area called the hypothalamus, lowering the levels of stress hormone cortisol, as well as in the part of the brain that registers pain, which actually helps keep you from feeling it as much.
Cuddling with Pets
Even cuddling with your pets has healing benefits too. In fact, research shows that people’s blood pressure drops when they pet dogs, especially if it is the dog they know and love. So don’t feel bad if your spouse, child, parent, or friend is not there to hold your hand or give you a hug, your pet can magic.
Sex
There’s no doubt – sex involves full mind-body contact. All that skin-to-skin stroking leads to huge release of oxytocin as well as the feel-good endorphins that do wondrous things in your physical health and well-being. Researchers at the Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania found that people who had sex once or twice a week had 30 percent more infection-fighting immunoglobulin A (IgA) in their saliva than those who didn’t do the deed as often.
Human touch in all forms – hugging, snuggling, cuddling, sex, and massage – and even animal touch – can be beneficial in so many ways. So touch more and touch with affection. Your touch can go a long, long way when it comes to your health and well-being.
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