Physical touch: Why it matters and how starved are we?

From the moment we are born, we are innately attuned to touch. Skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her baby provides a wide array of benefits for both. It regulates a baby’s temperature, heart rate and breathing, as well as enhanced nutrient absorption, improved brain development and better sleep. As for the mother, she experiences an increase in relaxation hormones, lowering her risk of postpartum depression.

Regrettably, many western cultures are touch-deprived and ethnologists worldwide are quick to recognize this. Of course, there are plenty of reasons why people are inclined to keep their hands to themselves, especially in the litigious world we live in, but research has revealed that we lose much when we radically hold back our tactile capacity.Touch is known to calm our nervous center, slow down our heartbeat and lower our blood pressure.

Studies using PET scans have found that “the brain quiets in response to stress when a person’s hand is held. The effect is greatest when the hand being held if that of a loved one, but it still works even if it is just a stranger.” Even our immune response seems to be somehow governed by touch, with findings that those who are deprived are more likely to suffer from immune system diseases.

Improving sleep and reducing stress; the benefits of co-sleeping with your small children or cuddling with your partner are known to regulate your sleep, reduce stress and lower levels of anxiety.To create stronger trust between individuals. It makes sense to think up ways to incorporate touch into different forms of therapy. Let’s look at a few:One of the most effective ways is through massage therapies. By touching and moving the skin you stimulate pressure receptors that send neurons to your vagus nerve. This nerve helps slow down the central nervous system, putting your body in a resting state and lowering the stress hormone cortisol.

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