Insomnia is only one cause of sleeplessness, say sleep experts. Other common reasons we spend our sleeping hours awake are:

• The aches, the worries and the blues.

  Massage therapy can have an impact: "We know that the right side of the frontal lobe of the brain is more active when we're sad, and the left side's activated when we're happy," says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "Our studies have observed that massage decreases activity in the right lobe and increases functioning in the left." The well-being people feel after a massage is a big reason why some hospitals offer it to anxious patients pre­paring for surgery and cancer patients going through chemo. Read the full article from Health Magazine on CNN.com
  
  

• Sleepless legs, or restless leg syndrome, is the second-most common culprit in sleep disruption. These conditions are often related to imbalances in the regulation of dopamine (a neurotransmitter). Regular massage therapy can have a positive impact of dopamine and serotonin regulation of the body, shown in a number of studies.

  Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy, as reported in the International Journal of Neuroscience. In this article, the positive effects of massage therapy on biochemistry are reviewed including decreased levels of cortisol and increased levels of serotonin and dopamine. Massage will also help relax the muscles and improve circulation in the lower legs - though these are not official causes of RLS, they do seem to help. If you can reach your calf muscles with your hands, you may be able to relieve restless legs with massage, says Elliot Greene, past president of the American Massage Therapy Association. Begin by placing the palm of your left hand on the largest part of your right calf. Your fingers should be pointing toward your heel. Then grab the muscle firmly in your hand and pull it away from your leg as far as is comfortable. Squeeze the muscle gently several times, then release the muscle. Repeat this for about five minutes, then switch to your left calf, using your right hand to do the massage.

The bottom line is massage is a safe, non-chemical solution for insomnia and related issues affecting sleep.

Research Shows Massage an Effective Choice to treating insomnia.

Research links coming soon.

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