Impact of Massage on Daytime Napping

Summary

In the quest for optimal physical and mental performance and recovery, people are constantly exploring various strategies to enhance their overall well-being. Daytime napping helps mitigate the effects of inadequate nighttime sleep, allowing people to reduce fatigue and potentially improve physical performance. Research has also shown that strategically timed naps can significantly boost athletic performance, improve cognitive function, and reduce daytime fatigue.

Short naps lasting between 10 to 60 minutes are ideal for quickly boosting alertness and cognitive function. Additionally, they can facilitate a complete sleep cycle, including REM sleep, which is crucial for both physical and mental recovery. Massage therapy, recognized for its ability to alleviate muscle soreness, improve circulation, and induce relaxation and it might play a crucial role in facilitating a good night sleep.

In athletes a massage therapy serves as both a proactive and reactive measure in optimizing sports and exercise performance, ensuring athletes are physically and mentally prepared for competition while also facilitating their recovery, minimizing the risk of injury and being particularly effective in alleviating pain. Massage therapy significantly contributes to improving night sleep efficiency as well as the duration of sleep onset.\[12\] From a biochemical point of view, massage promotes the release of serotonin, a hormone that enhances the sense of wellbeing. In addition, serotonin is a biosynthetic precursor of melatonin and an active neurotransmitter, whose levels affect various functions of the body including sleep promotion,\[14\] while can play a significant role in mental health as it regulates mood and emotional well-being.

Nowadays, massage has evolved into various types that are specialized for the treatment of various health problems. The most well know and frequently used types of massage are the "sports massage" and the "relaxation massage". Sports massage has been proven to enhance athletic performance, as well as help athletes recover after competition while the Deep Relaxation massage is used exclusively for the relaxation and psychological discharge. More specifically, the relaxation-therapeutic massage uses pressure that is deeply relaxing, but not painful, smooth gliding strokes that are both rhythmic and flowing, which increases blood circulation and promotes a general sense of relaxation. Even thought, these 2 very common types of massage have been applied for many years in various settings, it is not clear whether massage affects brain function and state of alertness.

Therefore, the primary aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of two different types of manual massage sessions on daytime napping using objective (EEG - brain activity) and subjective (questionnaires) measurements of relaxation in poor sleepers.

Conditions

• Sleep Deprivation

Interventions

OTHER

Activation Massage therapy

Massage Sessions Activation (Sports) massage The activation (sports) type of massage will be used as one of the massage interventions. This technique will be performed on a full body with more attention given to specific leg muscle groups such as the feet, the gastrocnemius, the femoral biceps and quadriceps and in upper body muscle groups such as the triceps, the rhomboid, the deltoid, the trapezius and head areas. Briefly, this type of massage involves a wide range of techniques that include effleurage, palmar sliding, pounding and hacking. The total duration of the activation message will be 30 minutes.

OTHER

Relaxation Massage Therapy

Relaxation massage The Relaxation type of massage will be used as the second type of intervention in this study. This technique is designed to promote deep relaxation, reduce stress and enhance overall well-being. It is characterized by the use of four primary techniques performed on the full body, including the palms and feet. Specifically, these techniques consist of effleurage

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Nicosia

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Thessaly

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Giorgos Sakkas, PhD · University of Thessaly

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

45 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-04-03

Primary Completion

2024-09-13

Completion

2024-11-29

Countries

• Greece

Study Locations