The best massage for a good night's sleep

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at the ceiling at 3am, you’ll know all too well that your body and mind can sometimes do battle with each other. Your body might feel weighty with exhaustion, but your mind? Wide awake, fixed on how tired you’ll be if you don’t get at least another two hours’ sleep before your alarm goes off. 

It can work the other way around, too. Your tired mind wills your tense body to relax, sometimes making you even more tense. So, what can you do about it?

It’s always best to contact your GP first when it comes to persistent sleep problems. They can help rule out any underlying medical causes and take you through the basics of sleep hygiene.

But the good news is that whatever’s keeping you up at night, there’s a chance regular massage therapy can help. From insomnia to depression and anxiety, experts have frequently spoken of the benefit of combining complementary therapies like massage with other GP-prescribed medication and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Here’s our guide to all things sleep, stress and massage. 

How to turn your mind off before sleep

That melt-into-the-sofa feeling when you accidentally fall asleep while watching TV? It’s something called ‘the relaxation response’ in action. When your mind and body relax together, your body responds. Your heart and breathing rate slows and your muscles relax. 

So far, pretty obvious; we all know what it feels like to relax.

But here’s the thing. When we’re anxious or experiencing high levels of stress, we maintain a state that’s the exact opposite: the stress response. It’s our body’s in-built defence mechanism to protect us from threats, real and perceived. It’s a useful reflex that’s literally kept humankind going, powering the heart-racing instinct to react quickly when faced with danger.

The difficulty is when this state is activated for too long or too intensely. It can negatively affect our health in all sorts of ways: physically, emotionally and behaviourally. Chronic stress can manifest in everything from grinding your teeth and catching more colds, to feeling hopeless and avoiding activities you used to enjoy. And you guessed it, insomnia. 

How massage triggers your body’s relaxation response

Research shows that human touch can activate the vagus nerve, reducing brain activity in areas linked to threat and stress. In a study by Jim Coan and Richard Davidson, participants were initially told to expect a painfully loud blast of white noise while their brain activity was measured. In the second part of the experiment, their partners were asked to gently stroke their arms during the same procedure. The results revealed that this simple touch significantly lowered activity in the brain regions associated with stress.

It follows, then, that a massage – typically involving at least 60 minutes of touch therapy – can switch off the stress response in a similar way. The sweeping, slow strokes of a massage encourage the body to deeply relax, which can be a surprisingly cathartic experience as stress is physically released.

Regular massage strengthens your body’s ability to relax

Regular massages also strengthen the body’s ability to relax outside of the therapy session by frequently activating the relaxation response. When external stress is persistent, learning to relax becomes a skill that, like any other, requires practice. Consistency is key to mastering it.

What is a sleep massage?

Unlike some more energising styles, sleep massages use slow, long and gliding strokes to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. They’re best booked close to bedtime, and typically involve calming massage oil blends incorporating lavender, clary sage and chamomile essential oils.

Urban’s at-home sleep massage also includes an optional guided meditation to help you focus on your breathing and mentally visualise parts of your body becoming more relaxed. 

Can a sleep massage help you sleep?

Massage has been anecdotally known to help with sleep for years, and now research is starting to back it up too. Studies have tended to focus on particular types of insomnia related to specific issues. For example, it’s been shown to help post-menopausal women whose sleep is disrupted by changes in hormone levels.

A Taiwanese study also demonstrated that traditional Chinese massage Tui na, while energising in style, is a safe treatment for those with obstructive sleep apnea, helping with quality of life, snoring and sleepiness during the day. 

What’s the best massage for sleep?

Relaxing massage

Put on some relaxing music, dim the lights, close your laptop and get ready to close the tabs in your mind, too. 

Our relaxing massage works to take your stress levels down a gear with long, calming strokes that calm the nervous system. Expect a drop in tension and a cathartic release of long-held tension. 

Follow-up your treatment with a glass of water and flop into bed for a deep and peaceful sleep.

Deep tissue

If stiff, tight muscles are keeping you up at night, booking a deep tissue massage earlier in the day (rather than just before bed) could be the solution you need. As the name suggests, this treatment involves gradually increasing pressure to target the deeper layers of muscle. It helps reduce tension, improve blood flow, and activate the body’s natural healing process, providing relief from discomfort.

Why can’t I sleep after a deep tissue massage?

One thing to bear in mind with deep tissue massage for sleep is that some people find the strong pressure to be energising, rather than soporific. This is because the depth of the massage can – to your body – feel like you’ve had a workout, ultimately keeping you awake. If that’s the case for you, consider booking a deep tissue massage in the afternoon. You’ll still get the tension-melting benefits that’ll help at night, but without disrupting your sleep.

CBD massage

If you’re looking for a dreamy massage that cocoons you in earthy, herbaceous goodness, look no further than a CBD massage.  CBD is one of many components that make up the cannabis sativa plant. Unlike THC, the component that produces a high, it’s largely non-psychoactive and therefore doesn’t induce a high. In a CBD massage, it’s applied topically to the skin, concentrated around specific areas of tension.

Reflexology

Reflexology foot massage works by targeting pressure points in your feet to indirectly stimulate different areas in the body. It’s a great alternative to a full-body massage if you don’t quite feel ready for one yet, or you spend a lot of time on your feet during the day. In one study of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), it was shown to help significantly with sleep when combined with a foot bath. Some people find that having one area of the body to mentally focus on helps the rest of your body to completely relax. It allows your attention to be absorbed and so before you know it, your shoulders, jaw and scalp let go of tension, too. It’s ideal when combined with a body scan meditation before bed. 

Give yourself a sleep foot massage

Start by applying lotion or oil to your hands. Next, hold the top of each foot with both hands and use small circular motions with your thumbs on each toe, working down to the base of your foot and right up to the ankle. Do the same to the base of your foot, applying more pressure. Gently rotate the feet and toes, and then firmly but gently press the pad of the foot.