It’s no surprise that I believe in the importance of touch as a massage therapist, but I’ve found the research on “touch hunger”, and the impact of touch, on our wellbeing absolutely fascinating. And the focus has understandably increased in the current climate thanks to Covid-19.
Did you know that?
- The right kind of touch can reduce pain, reduce stress and convey emotion faster than words. And in babies it can stabilise their heart rate, improve weight gain and potentially reduce the amount of time that early arrivals spend in hospital.
- There are specific cells and pathways in our body that are dedicated to touch and the perfect touch is light stroking at a rate of 2.5cm per second.
- A lack of positive touch (“tactile affection”) is linked to stress, depression, loneliness and anxiety.
- In a recent study (which finished just as lockdown started) 54% of people said they had too little touch in their lives. (I dread to think what percentage it is now!)
- Professional cuddling is now a thing!
Whilst lockdown continues to present challenges for many of us, take a few minutes today to cuddle those that you’re able to and bring those stress levels down a notch.