JAKARTA - If when you feel stressed or depressed, you can feel a little more relieved after holding hands or hugging someone you love, this is not just a suggestion because in fact touch can have enormous benefits for your physical and mental health.
According to research, touch can stimulate the vagus nerve, which has branches throughout the body. “The main role of nerves is to slow down the nervous system. When your vagus nerve is stimulated by touch, your heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels can drop," says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Womantalk, Tuesday, October 5th.
According to research conducted by Tiffany, the effects of touch have a major impact on health. For example, in studies conducted on adults with diseases such as AIDS and cancer, massage therapy (which of course requires touch) was shown to increase natural killer cells, which attack bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Then, because of the soothing effect of touch, massage can improve sleep patterns, allowing sufferers to spend more time in the restorative stage of deep sleep.
Other studies have also shown that touch makes the body stronger and more resistant to pain. The reason is that touch can increase levels of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for the warm and pleasant feeling that occurs when you are around loved ones. So, that's why cuddling with a partner, parent, or best friend can be so much fun.
In conclusion, touch in any form can have the effect of strengthening the immune system, improving sleep quality, reducing stress, and increasing the body's production of natural pain relievers.
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