Why Is Touch So Important?
Touch is the only sense we cannot live without and is fundamental to the way we feel and the way we communicate and bond with people. It is vital to our health and wellbeing and affects both the giver and the recipient physiologically and psychologically. So let’s take a deeper look at why we need to touch and its benefits.
Touch is the most developed of the senses at birth
Touch is the first of the senses to develop and begins in the womb around weeks 7-8 of the gestation period. A baby’s body will then start to develop the network of nerves that make up the sense of touch. Incredibly by week 32, almost every part of the baby’s body can feel cold, heat, pain and pressure. This means at birth, the sense of touch is the most developed of all the senses. It is a critical survival sense as it enables the baby to swallow, suck and cough, and to take in the amniotic fluid while in the womb. As they get older babies that do not experience enough touch can fail to thrive. This is called ‘marasmus’ and in the worst cases may lead to the death of the child by the age of 2!
Common benefits of touch include:
- Comforts and heals
- Boosts immunity
- Manages anxiety and depression
- Improves sleep
- Lowers blood pressure
- Relaxes and calms
- Eases pain
- Enhances sense of wellbeing
Oxytocin
When we have connection, we create a hormone called oxytocin. We’re actually born with lots of it and it’s vital for life, though the levels of the hormone that we have will fluctuate. There are a number of ways we can produce oxytocin including comforting and supporting someone, and one of the best ways is hugging. Scientific studies have proved that by upping our oxytocin levels we can actually lower blood pressure and heart rate.
If we look at this in more depth, we start to understand why touch has all these benefits. Once oxytocin is released, it in turn triggers the release of nitric oxide and ANP with the resulting dilation of the arteries and reduction in blood pressure. Oxytocin is the ‘calming and connection’ hormone, sometimes known as the cuddle hormone which decreases anxiety, making us feel peaceful with a strong sense of wellbeing. It also stimulates the relaxation response, which is the ultimate antidote to stress and so overall we feel better physically and emotionally. We also get an ‘emotional sense’ of who we are through touch and our sense of self-worth is influenced through the way we are touched.
Ways of increasing oxytocin production:
- Massage
- Holding hands
- Self-massage
- Giving out hugs
- Stroking pets
- Connecting with partners, friends and family
- Making eye contact
Skin is our largest organ with 640,000 sense receptors, making it very sensitive and responsive. When you hold someone’s hand the warmth radiates through your whole body and stimulates the relaxation response as does a relaxing massage. Self-massage can include rubbing your hands together and then cupping them over your closed eyes and then experiencing how calm you feel as your eyes and facial muscles relax.
A cat or a dog can be good for your health and wellbeing
Try to embrace all human contact; make eye contact with people when you are out, when shopping for example. If you live alone pets are a wonderful way of fulfilling our need to connect and make contact. An interesting aspect of touching is that it benefits not only the person being touched, though also the one doing the touching.
As a massage therapist and instructor, I have experienced the incredible therapeutic value and positive impact that touch/massage has on people’s all-round health and sense of wellbeing. From babies to the elderly we all need positive touch in our lives. To learn more about the courses I run on ‘the Power and Importance of Touch’, particularly for the elderly please visit prosperwithmassage.co.uk or call me, Helen on 07545 227272
