I was recently scrolling Instagram when I stumbled upon a short face massage for when your nervous system is feeling overwhelmed. As a chronically anxious soul, I was intrigued, so stopped what I was doing and followed the movements. It took just 60 seconds but I was amazed at how relaxed my face felt afterwards; I was entirely unaware of how much tension I’d been holding there. 

After that initial experiment, I began to do it every evening, right after applying my face oil, wondering if it would help quiet my racing mind and help me sleep better. Spoiler alert: it did. I often experience bruxism (aka teeth grinding) and usually wake up clenching my jaw, but I’ve found this happens less frequently since doing my bedtime massage. What gives? 

When we start to feel stressed, our sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight response) is activated. That can lead us to hold stress in the body, including the head, neck, shoulders and jaw.

“Some of the reasons we hold stress in the face are anxiety, worry and emotional overwhelm,” explains Britta Hochkeppel, naturopath, holistic therapist and founder of Vita Serena.

“Staring at computer screens also weakens the eye muscles and enhances the build-up of muscle tension in the forehead region. We tend to hold most of the facial tension in our jaw and the forehead region, in between the eyebrows and above.” 

Unfortunately, many of us are unaware we’re even doing it, which can lead to further complications.

“We subconsciously constantly tighten our muscles, and as a dentist and facial aesthetician I deal with tension-related conditions affecting the facial muscles every day,” says Dr Raffaella Gabassi, a facial aesthetics practitioner and cosmetic dentist.

“Mainly I come across tension headache, migraine, temporomandibular joint disorders, bruxism and clenching, but also frowning and tension around the eye area and mouth.” 

There are around 43 muscles in the face, which is a lot of places to hold stress in. Needless to say, a tense body isn’t conducive for a good night’s sleep – how often have you woken up frowning, feeling poorly rested? It’s thought that massaging the muscles stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (our rest and digest state), which is responsible for relaxation and stress relief.  

Reduced anxiety

“There’s scientific evidence to suggest that face massage can reduce anxiety,” advises Ben Warren, mental health research fellow and CEO of Stress Reliever’s Club.

“One study showed that face massage helped reduce anxiety in elderly patients who’d been hospitalised for acute coronary syndrome, while another found it reduced symptoms of anxiety in women undergoing IVF treatment.” 

Lower stress

Researchers suggested that massaging increased levels of oxytocin, coined the ‘love hormone’, which is though to lower stress levels. Additionally, in Chinese medicine, parts of the face are linked to organs in the body, and it’s thought that the liver is connected to the space between the eyebrows.

“When the liver is out of balance, it can lead to symptoms such as irritability, anger and anxiety,” explains Warren. 

Better liver function

“Studies have shown that there’s a connection between liver function and anxiety. The liver plays a key role in the body’s stress response by regulating the release of stress hormones such as cortisol. When the liver is not functioning properly, it can lead to an increase in stress hormones, exacerbating symptoms of anxiety.”

So, massaging between the eyebrows is thought to reduce these feelings of anxiety. 

Contracting our facial muscles is totally normal during sleep, and is higher during REM, the sleep stage where we often have vivid dreams. Can massaging the face before bed help muscles stay relaxed throughout the night?

“There’s no evidence that relaxing the facial muscles before bed helps them stay relaxed during sleep,” advises Dr Gabassi.

“However, it’s a well-known fact that all forms of muscle relaxation – from soaking in a warm bath to head, shoulder and full body massages, as well as mind and body exercises such as meditation and yoga – are contributing factors to a calmer inner and outer body. The same would apply to the facial muscles.”  

I’ve been doing this somatic face massage religiously as it works well for me, but Dr Gabassi suggests first working intuitively and taking some time to figure out exactly where you’re holding the tension – mine is often in my forehead and jaw.

“As individuals, we tend to carry stress differently on our faces,” explains Dr Gabassi.

“My advice is to be aware of where the stress is felt the most. Is it around your temples? Then apply gentle pressure with circular movements with your fingertip for a few minutes. Try to feel your face for areas of soreness like the large muscles around your jaw, and the forehead.  

“After the main points of tension have been addressed move on to other areas, such as around your eyes and mouth. Various techniques can be explored just by watching YouTube videos, or can be thought up by a reflexologist. I believe that using whatever technique of self-massage that you feel helps you the most is all you need.”

While I’m in no way suggesting a quick pre-bed face massage is a magic cure for insomnia, there’s plenty of scientific evidence to show that it can help to reduce stress, which should put you in better stead for more restful sleep. 

Images: Getty