05/02/2026
Can massage improve sleep quality?
Massage therapy has been shown to reduce blood pressure, relieve anxiety, and play an important role in supporting mental health. Research also indicates that massage can improve sleep quality in breast cancer patients.
Thank you Susan Findlay.
This is totally true! Now, in the past, I’ve been known to have a slightly dismissive attitude to sleep. Coming from a medical background it was very common to work back-to-back shifts at highly irregular hours. I remember telling myself (and other people) that I’d “sleep enough when I’m dead.” This is quite a grim attitude - although I will say dark humour is one of the ways medical professionals cope with stress!
However, I have since renounced my old sleepless ways - we can’t burn the candle at both ends forever - and I appreciate now how important sleep is to our overall health. While science doesn't totally understand the precise reason we need to sleep, it is when our body heals itself. It’s far too busy keeping us out of danger when we’re awake to focus on running repairs.
Massage decreases blood pressure, relieves anxiety, and plays a vital role in our mental health. Research has also found massage can improve sleep quality in breast cancer patients as well. It is something I bring into my oncology massage classes, this paper supports the reasons behind the need for sleep.
Read the study by searching for “The effect of massage therapy on the quality of sleep in breast cancer patients” by Kashani and Kashani
