Do you often feel generally tired? Would you like more energy? You are not alone. Stress, general life pressures or lack of sleep all cause fatigue. Sometimes it is  because you are managing a long-term condition alongside everyday life. But it is hard to know how to change things. So can reflexology help?

Research into Fatigue

In September 2018, new research was published about reflexology and general background tiredness. The researchers knew that fatigue is a common side effect of kidney dialysis. As many as 97% of dialysis patients suffer from tiredness and fatigue. Individuals often say that they feel tired and exhausted all the time. So the researchers wanted to find out if reflexology could help people who were having dialysis.

The researchers divided the patients into two groups. First the patients filled in a questionnaire before the treatments started. Then they filled in another questionnaire after the treatments. Afterwards the researchers compared the questionnaires to find out the effect of the treatments.

The first group of patients had reflexology treatments. The other had slow-stroke back massages. Both groups had 5 treatments over three weeks. The people in both groups said they had less fatigue at the end of their treatments. However, the group that had reflexology had a bigger reduction in fatigue. Therefore the researchers concluded that reflexology is a low-cost and safe treatment to decrease fatigue in dialysis patients.

Beat Fatigue with Reflexology

The obvious ways to reduce fatigue in daily life can be the hardest. You know that more sleep would help. And you know that less stress will help too.  But stress affects your sleep quality. So how can you break the cycle to start feeling more energetic?

Reflexology may help. First, during the treatment you will feel deep relaxation. That is a great start. Second, many people report a great night’s sleep after a treatment. A good night’s sleep can help you think more clearly, and most importantly, it safeguards you against stress.

One treatment is a good start. But if you really want to beat fatigue and increase your energy levels, a series of treatments will help more. A course of 4-6 treatments over 4-6 weeks may help balance your body systems, improve sleep and help reduce your stress levels. After that, a regular treatment of once every 4-6 weeks will maintain the benefits.

Source

You can find out more about this research here