Turning a SAD Face Into a Happy One … With Massage Therapy

I certainly do not look forward to shorter days/longer nights in North America – around the holiday-heavy times of year is when the skies are most-dark.

We all get a little depressed, now and again: using the word “sloth” in describing how one feels or is acting is a good indicator that one is in some stage of a depressive mood. A little bit is known as to ‘how’ to address and ‘cure’ a person of this regression into a psychological darkness … other than to ‘wait it out’, ‘buck up’, or even ‘turn that frown upside-down’.

Fixing a depressive state is easier said than done, right?

Where massage therapy is concerned, there is some day-brightening data that might convince you that a good massage (and even regular massage) can help get a person out of a state of SAD and through this type of funk a little faster.

Depression: the bigger picture

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subcategory of Depression that affects a number of folks that reside in not only in places where the sun or light is deficient at certain times of the year but also for a number of reasons…but only during certain seasons.

Acknowledging your symptoms is the first step toward recovery. Having a doctor diagnose you with SAD is the second step. Following your doctor’s advice for treatment and recovery is the third (and hopefully final) step of working through this medical condition.

Recognizing the symptoms of SAD

If you are female and live far(ther) from the equator, you are at the highest risk for developing symptoms related to SAD.

Being affected by the meteorological changing of the seasons is a more common way that most people identify with SAD. According to the Mayo Clinic, these symptoms of SAD are often associated with specific seasons of the year:

The exact physical causes of this depressive disorder are still out of the reach of science, but there are some physiological conditions under which SAD may take hold. According to the Mayo Clinic:

• Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD. This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body’s internal clock and lead to feelings of depression.

• Serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role in SAD. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.

• Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body’s level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

For people who are affected (in 2000, the AAFP reports about 5% have been diagnosed in North America and up to another 10% have a mild form of SAD), there have to be some ways to overcome the dreariness of the approaching and being in the deep of either Winter or Summer Solstice. The NIMH lists (at right) a number of Treatments and Therapies that a person can do to overcome the mood-altering, seasonal dysfunction. Additionally, there are many things you can try yourself: light therapy, negative ionized-air administration¹, cognitive-behavioral therapy, carefully timed supplementation² of the hormone melatonin and vitamin D, and/or physical exercise.

How does massage work with SAD?

Massage therapy is not on these lists, but I propose that, since over 70,000 AMTA members and massage therapy professionals concur, that massage therapy can be effective in reducing the symptoms of depression. Among other research articles, the NIH published a meta-analysis of the research into how effective massage is for depression – in 2010, WH Hou, et al, analyzed more than 17 studies involving over 780 people and concluded that “Massage therapy is significantly associated with alleviated depressive symptoms.”³

Massage can improve mood³ and reduce depression³ in people associated with these conditions/situations:

There are many additional studies that suggest that massage therapy can help with depression and its symptoms. Anxiety that prevents sleep can also be put to rest with a massage that facilitates a person’s body to produce more/better dopamine and seratonin²⁵. Other techniques that may work include reducing exposure to blue light, not eating 2-3 hours before bedtime, avoiding caffeine in the evening hours, and regular meditation.

It is in my experience, as well with the reported outcomes of the studies cited, that massage clients greatly benefit from not only a one-time, per-symptom application of massage (eg. during an unusually “slothy” period) but also regular massage therapy sessions can alleviate a lot of symptoms associated with SAD and other depression disorders, including improving the sleep cycle through supporting a normal circadian rhythm…so the body can do what it needs to, optimizing a person’s conscious, daily activities.

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1. Terman, M.; Terman, J. S. (2006). “Controlled Trial of Naturalistic Dawn Simulation and Negative Air Ionization for Seasonal Affective Disorder”. American Journal of Psychiatry. 163 (12): 2126–33.

2. Bhattacharjee, Y. (2007). “Is Internal Timing Key to Mental Health?”. Science. 317 (5844): 1488–1490.

3. Hou, W.H., Chiang, P.T., Hsu, T.Y., Chiu, S.Y., Yen, Y.C. (2010). Treatment effects of massage therapy in depressed people: a meta-analysis. J Clin Psychiatry. 71(7):894-901.

4. Walach, H., Güthlin, C., König, M. (2003). Efficacy of massage therapy in chronic pain: a pragmatic randomized trial. J Altern Complement Med, 9(6):837-46.

5. Chang, S.Y. (2008). Effects of aroma hand massage on pain, state anxiety and depression in hospice patients with terminal cancer. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi, 38(4):493-502.

6. Hughes, D., Ladas, E., Rooney, D., Kelly, K. (2008). Massage therapy as a supportive care intervention for children with cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum, 35(3):431-42.

7. Hernandez-Reif, M., Shor-Posner, G., Baez, J., Soto, S., Mendoza, R., Castillo, R., Quintero, N., Perez, E., Zhang, G. (2008). Dominican Children with HIV not Receiving Antiretrovirals: Massage Therapy Influences their Behavior and Development. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 5(3):345-354

8. Field, T., Figueiredo, B., Hernandez-Reif, M., Diego, M., Deeds, O., Ascencio, A. (2008). Massage therapy reduces pain in pregnant women, alleviates prenatal depression in both parents and improves their relationships. J Bodyw Mov Ther, 12(2):146-50.

9. Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Krasnegor, J., Theakston, H. (2001). Lower back pain is reduced and range of motion increased after massage therapy. Int J Neurosci, 106(3-4):131-45.

10. Field, T., Hernandes-Reif, M., Diego, M., Fraser, M. (2007).

11. Moraska, A., Chandler, C. (2009). Changes in Psychological Parameters in Patients with Tension-type Headache Following Massage Therapy: A Pilot Study. J Man Manip Ther. 17(2):86-94.

12. Moyer, C.A., Rounds, J., Hannum, J.W. (2004). A Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy Research. APA Psychological Bulletin. 130(1): 3–18.

13. Field, T., Morrow, C., Valdeon, C., Larson, S., Kuhn, C., Schanberg, S. (1992). Massage reduces anxiety in child and adolescent psychiatric patients. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 31(1):125-31.

14. Listing, M., Krohn, M., Liezmann, C., Kim, I., Reisshauer, A., Peters, E., Klapp, B.F., Rauchfuss, M. (2010). The efficacy of classical massage on stress perception and cortisol following primary treatment of breast cancer. Arch Womens Ment Health. 13(2):165-73.

15. Imanishi, J., Kuriyama, H., Shigemori, I., Watanabe, S., Aihara, Y., Kita, M., Sawai, K., Nakajima, H., Yoshida, N., Kunisawa, M., Kawase, M., Fukui, K. (2007). Anxiolytic Effect of Aromatherapy Massage in Patients with Breast Cancer. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 6(1):123-8.

16. Chang, S.Y. (2008). Effects of aroma hand massage on pain, state anxiety and depression in hospice patients with terminal cancer. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 38(4):493-502.

17. Hamre HJ, Witt CM, Glockmann A, Ziegler R, Willich SN, Kiene H. (2007). Rhythmical massage therapy in chronic disease: a 4-year prospective cohort study. J Altern Complement Med. 13(6):635-42.

18. Field, T.M., Sunshine, W., Hernandez-Reif, M., Quintino, O., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C., & Burman, I. (1997). Massage therapy effects on depression and somatic symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 3, 43-51.

19. Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Krasnegor, J. & Theakston, H.(2000). High blood pressure and associated symptoms were reduced by massage therapy. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 4, 31-38.

20. Sunshine, W., Field, T.M., Quintino, O., Fierro, K., Kuhn, C., Burman, I. & Schanberg, S. (1996). Fibromyalgia benefits from massage therapy and transcutaneous electrical stimulation. Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. 2(1):18-22.

21. Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Field, T., & Theakston, H. (1998). Multiple sclerosis patients benefit from massage therapy. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2, 168-174.

22. Field, T., Deed, O., Diego, M., Gualer, A., Sullivan, S., Wilson, D. & Nearing, G. (2009). Benefits of combining massage therapy with group interpersonal psychotherapy in prenatally depressed women. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 13(4):297-303.

23. Hernandez-Reif, M, Martinez, A., Field, T., Quintino, O., Hart, S., & Burman, I. (2000). Premenstrual syndrome symptoms are relieved by massage therapy. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology. 21(1):9-15.

24. Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Taylor, S., Quintino, O., & Burman, I. (1997). Labor pain is reduced by massage therapy. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, 18(4):286-91.

25. Hernandezreif, M. (2004). Breast Cancer Patients Have Improved Immune And Neuroendocrine Functions Following Massage Therapy. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 45-52. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15256294/