(NaturalHealth365) Most Americans report feeling stressed out or anxious every day.  Unfortunately, chronic stress impacts your immune system in a negative way.

In fact, many studies through the years show the link between stress and how your immune system works. But if you’re dealing with chronic stress, there’s something you can do to help your body fight it more effectively.

New research conducted by the University of Konstanz psychologists and published in the journal Scientific Reports discovered that giving yourself a few minutes of downtime boosts both physical and mental relaxation significantly. And surprisingly, it only takes ten minutes to see the positive effects!

NEW study finds you can help your body fight of chronic stress in just 10 minutes

According to this new research, just ten minutes of massage resulted in higher levels of physiological and psychological relaxation in individuals. And it wasn’t just massage.

Taking 10 minutes to rest also increased relaxation, although not quite as much as massage did. This is the first solid indication that even short-term relaxation may reduce stress on both a physical and mental level by boosting the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the body’s main engine for relaxation.

This study shows that massage, and even rest, boosts the parasympathetic nervous system, also resulting in less perceived mental stress.  According to researchers, understanding relaxation, which is the opposite of stress, offers an excellent way to better understand the negative effects stress has on the body and mind.

Understanding how chronic stress impacts your immune system

What do we already know about chronic stress? We know it has a significant (unwanted) impact on your immune system.

Nearly 40 years ago researchers discovered links between stress and infection.  Additional studies have found that chronic stress increases your risk of inflammation, and elevated levels of inflammation increase the likelihood of cancer and heart disease.

The exciting thing about this new study is that it shows us that even short periods of rest or massage are enough to counteract the effects of stress.  Researchers not that you don’t even need a professional massage to reap the relaxation benefits. Having a loved one rub your shoulders or even taking a moment to close your eyes and relax for ten minutes can boost your body’s own engine of relaxation.  Of course, when you add slow, deep breathing to the equation … it’s a real winner!

While this research shows the benefits of massage, which researchers chose to study because it’s so commonly used, they plan to continue testing other short interventions like meditation and breathing exercises.

So how can you reap these stress-busting benefits?  Schedule some massage time with a loved one (to save money) or a professional therapist.

If you can’t afford a professional massage, have someone rub your shoulders or back or try self-massage for just ten minutes.  Remember, even a “professional” massage – for 10 minutes – is not that expensive.

Bottom line: Never underestimate the power of rest to combat the stress in your life and its ability to improve immune system function.

Sources for this article include:

EurekAlert.org
NaturalHealth365.com