5 Benefits of Foot Massage Every Night [Before Going To Bed]

*This page may contain affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

People love to get a massage session due to its relaxation to the senses, mind, and overall body.

However, to experience the maximum health benefits of massage, it must be administered fairly regularly.

Especially when talking about our tired feet and ankles, we must invest some time to get them the care they deserve.

After all, healthy feet are most important for us to be more productive!

5 Benefits of Getting Foot Massage Every Night

For most of us, our daily stressed life leaves our feet to feel sore and stiff – they struggle with muscle pains and aches too.

However, a good relaxing massage every evening before you go to bed can help you wake energetically with all the enthusiasm to perform the hectic work that our lives demand.

Below are some of the benefits you can get from your well-deserved massaging session and relaxation time.

1- Stress Relief

Your daily commitments in both your personal and professional life can lead to too much pent-up stress.

Some of this stress could be internal and increase your levels of cortisol and stress hormones, decreasing your immune system’s effectiveness.

This stress could also lead to tension/swelling in certain areas of your body, such as your legs, back, shoulders, and neck.

Whether your stress is occasional or chronic, getting an ideal massage session is an excellent way to take the time you need to alleviate your stress, both internally and externally.

2- Pain Management

There are many types of pain that can be managed and even eliminated with the assistance of massage therapy.

This could be anything from repetitive movement issues that lead to tendinitis, back pain from sitting at your desk all day, or health conditions that cause pain such as plantar fasciitis, arthritis, sciatica, headache, toothache, neck pain, bunions, etc.

Also, it is found useful for patients suffering from Morton’s neuroma, constipation, and even cancer patients.

Massage is often used in conjunction with other medicines and therapies to help manage pain; sometimes, regular massage is all you need to alleviate pain and increase circulation where needed.

And not to worry, as this can be easily done with a self-massaging tool like a shiatsu foot and calf massager.

Massagers like these are very beneficial in treating all your pain from various parts of the body such as the foot, calves, ankles, back, neck, and shoulders.

And as these are available at a very low cost, they are becoming much more popular for personal use.

3- Relaxation

Oftentimes stress and relaxation go hand-in-hand; sometimes, they are entirely separate.

Even if you aren’t particularly stressed out with your daily activities, your body may begin to build tension, which, if not addressed, can lead to pain or discomfort.

Getting a good foot massage session along with a good pedicure at a spa can help relieve your stress very well.

4- Rehabilitation

If you have suffered a sports injury or been in an accident, you may need to participate in rehabilitation activities.

Rehabilitation can ease your body and muscles back into daily activities.

When you have been in an accident or suffered an injury, it is important to follow your medical practitioner’s advice and ease back into activities in a gentle and regulated manner.

5- Better Immune System

Not only does massage increase circulation and relax your muscles, but it helps to eliminate toxins from your body.

By decreasing the toxins found in your body, you reduce your odds of contracting an illness.

Massage has also been proven to boost the production of immune-fighting oxidants.

This could be anything from Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, acupressure, hot stone massage, or one of the many other varieties of massage offered for therapeutic purposes.

How to Do Foot Massage at Home by Yourself?

Learning how to give yourself a foot massage might end up being one of the most important health hacks you’ll invest your time in.

Here are 5 easy steps you can follow to massage your foot pressure points before going to bed…

Step 1

Get yourself into a comfortable sitting position.

Bend one of your legs at the knee at a right angle. Place the other foot on the bent knee.

This position should allow you to reach the foot with both hands.

Step 2

Grasp your foot with both hands and apply a little pressure on the foot by pressing your thumb on the foot.

Start from the heels and continue till you reach the end of the foot at the toes.

This should be done continuously until sufficient pressures have been applied to all areas of the foot.

For getting the enhanced benefits, if you want you can use a bit of oil (such as mustard oil, castor oil, coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, essential oils, etc.).

If you want you can also massage the pressure points using warm water or ghee.

Step 3

The next step involves working on the toes. The toes contain nerve endings that connect to your head.

They can provide significant relief for headaches.

Rub the fleshy pads of each toe gently for at least 40 seconds, and then grab the base of each toe between your thumb and forefinger.

Gently apply pressure to them and then gently pinch the web point between the toes before moving on to the next one.

Step 4

The ball of the foot is the backside of the foot – the part projecting behind the heel.

Using your thumb, make little circles on the ball of the foot and then do the same for the arch and the heel of the foot.

Step 5

To loosen the toe and get rid of excessive tension, flex it severally by folding it up as far as possible and then straightening it again.

It’ll help if you can reach them under the ankle of the foot and rub it with gentle strokes using the palm of your hand while flexing the foot.

Note: Do not massage your own feet if you have bad blisters, warts, or other such swellings on your feet.

If you feel like getting a good massage, get it at a spa with a professional masseur who can massage your feet carefully without hurting them.

Make sure you tell them about your hidden blisters.

Will Foot Massage Induce Labor?

Yes – foot massage can induce labor during pregnancy.

As such, when you’re pregnant, you might want to be a little bit extra careful when you’re receiving a foot massage or even giving one to yourself.

The foot anatomically is home to tens of nerves that comes from different parts of the body.

Nerves are body structures that control the various organs in the body.

These nerves conduct impulses from the brain and stimulate the related organs to either begin or stop an action.

So, by stimulating them indirectly through massage, you can stimulate the organs or structures that are connected to them and cause them to start or stop a process.

The foot contains nerves that link directly to our reproductive system.

By stimulating the parts of the foot that includes these nerve endings, you can affect certain behaviors of your reproductive system.

One such behavior is the contraction of the uterine wall, which can induce labor in a pregnant woman.

There are two prominent areas of the foot that are responsible for the contraction of the uterine wall.

One is the Sp6 acupressure point, while the other is the Urinary bladder 60.

The Sp6 point is located inside the leg just above the ankle bone.

This point should be avoided if you’re massaging a pregnant woman who is not yet due for labor as it can cause contraction of the uterine wall leading to preterm.

The Urinary Bladder 60 is the hollow part of the foot just behind the ankle and the heels of the foot.

This part contains nerve endings that relieve pain and allow a smooth transition into labor.

If a pregnant woman is not yet ready for labor, these points should not be stimulated during a foot massage to avoid preterm.

Why Foot Massage Makes You Sleepy?

You do not imagine things: Foot massage indeed induces sleepiness.

One of the first things people giving themselves or receiving foot massages often notice is the feeling of sleepiness that comes after a brief period of the therapy.

The foot is home to a plethora of nerve that comes from various parts of the body.

By massaging them gently, you stimulate these nerves almost directly.

This, in turn, causes the organs connected to these nerves to be stimulated directly and consequently relax.

The relaxation of these organs and body parts being stimulated causes the entire body to relax and go into a deeper state of rest.

When this happens, you start feeling your body slowly shutting down and going into a deeper state of rest – sleep.

Different parts of the foot have nerve endings that connect to various organs or systems in the body.

For instance, the nerve endings of your toe directly affect your head, the balls connect with your chest, the arches affect your digestive system, the heels and ankles connect with the reproductive system, while the ridges between your toes affect the region of your shoulder and the neck.

You stimulate them to relax and reduce their tension by directly massaging these areas continuously. This promotes sleep.

As such, if you have insomnia, you might want to make foot massage a regular nighttime routine or, better still, invest in a foot massage slipper – they automatically massage your foot when you wear them.

Overall, with a good foot massager and a massaging session at home, you can finally forget about your chronic ankle pain, fatigued legs, stress, and tiredness, to wake up every morning refreshed and energized.

Incoming search terms: