Why Drink Water After Massage? Top 5 Health Benefits
A good massage can make your day a hundred times better. It is considered a healing therapy for relaxation.
Be it a home massage or a day spent at a spa, every massage session is meant to keep you afresh and active.
While we know massaging drives out toxins and cures anxiety, depression, and other illnesses, we are unaware of the post-massage TO-DOs.
One of them is drinking a good amount of water after your massage. Even if you have listened to your masseuse instructing you to drink lots of water after your massage session, it’s very unlikely you know the reason behind it.
So, exactly why do we need to drink water after a massage?
The need for hydration after a massage
Adequate hydration is a vital need for the body to maintain the right fluid balance and keep the body working. It is a solution to almost all your health issues.
Massaging, in particular, is dehydrating. Kneading and working muscle gets fluid pumping out of the soft tissue and into your circulatory system, where it heads toward your kidneys. You have to replenish this lost water, obviously by drinking more water.
Apart from that, post-massaging outcomes result in muscle soreness, and the best way to prevent this is to get the fluid running in your system. So, hydration is equally important here as well.
Almost all types of massages call for a post-hydration regime. So, it’s an ideal move to start planning your hydration in such a way that you can easily recover the lost fluid within a few days after your massage.
Top 5 health benefits of drinking water after a massage
- For the major part, water intake after a massage helps in detoxification. The water flushes out the free radicals released during a massage.
Proper hydration also oxygenates your cells to help produce more of the good stuff and thus detoxify by removing the toxic substances.
- As already discussed, massages are dehydrating. With over 60 percent of our bodies being water, we cannot afford to remain dehydrated for a long time.
The squeezing that the massage therapist does during your session releases fluids from your muscle tissues and into your vascular system. This ultimately leads to dehydration.
To cover up this loss, experts suggest drinking water half of your body weight in ounces per day.
- Metabolic wastes are just particles in our body that are of no use to us. During a massage, they’re released at a much quicker rate than what our bodies are used to.
Metabolic waste tends to constrict the muscles and lead to improper flow of toxin flushing.
So, if you drink enough water, you are basically giving your muscles a chance to break free and release the waste it holds.
- Along with the toxins that are released during a massage, your digestive system is also impacted when you receive bodywork of any kind.
Your body aids in releasing the toxins out of your body after a massage and in between this course, it’s your digestion that does all the work.
So, hydrating fluids work well in settling out a bad digestive system after the massage therapy.
- For many, massages tend to increase fatigue along with relaxation. This leads to tiredness and inability to carry on with a working day.
In such a situation, maintaining your hydration is very crucial. It increases energy, clarity of mind, and your body’s ability to rebound from intense bodywork like a massage.
Along with hydrating, take a day to rest after a massage, and try to avoid intense exercise to give your muscles a chance to catch their breath.
The myth surrounding hydration after a massage
For many people, this whole notion of consuming water after a massage is a myth. Well, technically, if we say that keep drinking water even if you are full or not thirsty, then that would definitely not help.
Hydration after the massage is a myth in context with overhydration. If your body longs for the required water intake, then why hold that back?
Moreover, this is also a highly acclaimed fact that our body has an inbuilt detox system, so it renders detoxification at its own pace.
But this does not mean you do not pay heed to your hydration at all. It is very likely to get thirsty now and then after your massage session.
So you might need to gulp down a little extra of what you normally consume and that is completely fine.
Doubts cleared regarding hydration after a massage
Q- What should I NOT do after a massage?
You should NOT do these things just after a massage-
- Getting a shower with hot water
- Consuming a heavy meal
- Going out immediately for a long time
Q- Should I drink water before a massage?
Yes, you can and you should drink water after a massage. Drinking water before a massage is recommended because a hydrated, soft muscle is easier to manipulate than a dehydrated, rigid one.
Q- Why is my pee yellow after a message?
Massage has a diuretic effect on your body. Thus, it causes an increased passing of urine which causes dehydration. That’s the reason you find your pee yellow in color after a massage.
Q- Why do I feel sleepy after a massage?
After the massage, you may feel tired or fatigued due to muscle relaxation. This releases stress and causes your body to feel sleepy. This effect, however, should not last longer than the day of treatment.
Q- Why do I feel dizzy after a massage?
Well, feeling dizzy after a massage is nothing to worry about! Massage releases the built-up lactic acid in your muscles and causes short-term hypotension which is completely normal making you feel dizzy.
Take-away message
Getting massage therapy once in a blue moon feels like heaven. But when it comes to its pre and post instructions and health care regime, get yourself back to the ground.
Keep yourself equally hydrated before and after a massage to get the most out of your massage session!
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