Massage Therapy Journal Spring 2026

Spring 2026 • 63

between groups and subgroup analysis between regularly massaged and never-massaged infants were performed. The groups were compared for sleep stage, sleep spindles, quantitative EEG (primary analysis) and Griffiths using the Mann Whitney U test. Despite the study not observing a difference between the two groups in nap duration or first cycle macrostructure, interesting changes in the brain itself were observed. The study found

massage therapy and aromatherapy) in reducing stress in college students. As part of the study, salivary cortisol levels were measured before the complementary therapies and after and found they were significantly reduced from pre-session to post-session, demonstrating “… that brief complementary interventions can alter students’ holistic health perspectives, with objective physiological data confirming changes that promote health and well-being,” according to the study. While further research on a larger scale is necessary, initial research suggests massage therapy is a good non-pharmacological tool to help individuals, both those suffering from sleep issues, as well as those who are just interested in an improved sleep hygiene routine, get better quality sleep. While relaxation techniques like massage therapy may help some individuals as part of a comprehensive sleep hygiene approach, persistent sleep problems warrant professional evaluation by a doctor. References 1. Fang CS, Chang SL, Fang CJ, Chou FH. “Effect of massage therapy on sleep quality in critically ill patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” J Clin Nurs . 2023 Aug. 2. F, Pappas A, Dardiotis E, Sakkas GK. “The Impact of Relaxation Massage Prior to Bedtime on Sleep Quality and Quantity in People with Symptoms of Chronic Insomnia: A Home-Based Sleep Study.” Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jan 17. 3. Xia M, He Q, Ying G, Fei X, Zhou W, He X. “Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Massage for the Treatment of Restless Leg Syndrome in Hemodialysis Patients: A Meta-Analysis of 5 Randomized Controlled Trials.” Front Psychiatry . 2022 April. 4. Ventura S, Mathieson SR, O’Sullivan MP, O’Toole JM, Livingstone V, Pressler RM, Dempsey EM, Murray DM, Boylan GB. “Parent-led massage and sleep EEG for term-born infants: A randomized controlled parallel-group study.” Dev Med Child Neurol . 2023 Oct. 5. Cefo L, Navarre K, Chicoski A, Wilhite M, Cox V, Feeney S. “The Holistic Effect of Complementary Interventions in Reducing Stress in College Students.” J Holist Nurs. 2025 Jan 19.

MORE INFO For additional information on how massage therapy is becoming more holistic, read Massage Therapy Journal ’s recent in-depth exploration of the topic: “The Whole Person: Massage Therapy Gets More Holistic.” Available at amtamassage.org/ mtj-holistic

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that routine massage of infants is associated with differences in sleep electroencephalogram biomarkers at four months. Massaged infants were found to have had higher sleep spindle spectral power (characterized by bursts of brainwave activity), greater sleep EEG magnitudes and lower interhemispheric coherence (measurement between the left and right hemispheres of the brain). So what does all of this mean? In short, routine massage may be associated with distinct functional sleep-associated brain changes at four months. Massage has also shown to impact hormone levels. “During a massage, the stress hormone cortisol decreases and the happy hormones serotonin, ocytocin and dopamine increase,” says Delling. A study 5 looked at the holistic effect of complementary interventions (including

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