Is it Alright to Sleep During My Massage?

Clients often ask me if it is OK to sleep during their massage. I usually answer with a firm “Absolutely!” Falling asleep during your massage means that your massage therapist has helped you achieve the state of rest your body needs to heal. Our body is not able to repair itself from pain, injury, and too much stress unless it finds regular “rest and digest” time.

The “rest and digest” function of the nervous system balances out the “fight or flight” function. Although both are necessary functions to our body, most of us remain in the “fight or flight” far too much. Modern life keeps many of us seated for most of the day, and limits our movement. In the past, humans were able to jump and run from the things that caused stress (ex: a predator). Now, as we worry about the deadline, or the mortgage payment being late, the stress hormones rage through our bodies. The stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, has been linked to many illnesses. According to Mayo Clinic, chronic stress is linked to:

Anxiety

Depression

Indigestion

Sleep issues

Headaches

Heart disease

Weight gain

Memory and concentration problems

So…falling asleep during your massage is highly beneficial and it means that you trust your therapist. They will take it as a compliment that the work they are doing is giving you so many benefits! If you aren’t incorporating enough “rest and digest” time into your life, regular massage therapy is a great way to add it to your life. There are certain types of massage where some communication is necessary, and you may not be able to sleep because of the nature of the massage session. For example, in Neuromuscular Therapy your therapist may be looking for trigger points in the body of the muscle and feedback from you on how the area feels is very important. Medical Manual Therapy is very interactive and it would be near impossible to sleep during that type of massage session.

I hope you can now be comfortable sleeping during your massage if that is what your heart desires. Thanks for reading and have an amazing day!! See you soon.

In Peace & Health,

Nikki