The massages targeted to help improve your sleep

Awarded Best Luxury Wellness Spa in the World last year, the prestigious Almablu Spa at Almar Jesolo Resort in Venice is a haven of luxury and wellbeing. Tackling one of the most common wellbeing issues in modern life, here they guest write for the Hot Tub about their tailored energy massages, drawing on Chinese medicine, to help improve the quality of your sleep…

No matter how tired we are, how many times do we struggle to get to sleep? Or wake up in the middle of the night and lie awake for hours? Insomnia is a very common problem, and with it our energy and mood suffers. It also takes a toll on our ability to function during the day. However, by addressing the underlying causes, changing some daily habits and addressing the sleep environment, we can help limit the frustrations of insomnia and get a good night’s sleep.

Almar Jesolo Resort & Spa has designed two sleep-improving energy massages. They are aimed at treating the cause of insomnia rather than the symptoms. They are designed to reset the circadian rhythm and rediscover the harmony and serenity of a peaceful restorative sleep.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, insomnia and other sleep disorders are the result of an imbalance in the Qi - the flow of vital energy. The philosophy is that in the human body there are two energy phases. When one of the two is altered, a local accumulation occurs in the head. Therefore, in order to get an optimal sleep, that accumulation must be resolved and that’s what these massages aim to do.

Warrior’s Rest Massage

Warrior’s Rest is a massage that starts from the head and stabilises the flow of energy between body and head. The treatment lasts for 50 minutes. It aims to promote the proper rhythms of sleep-wakefulness by restoring balance in the two energy phases.

At the Foot of Mount Olympus Massage

This massage is designed to regulate the sleep patterns using the feet. They represent our support and the roots of the body. Ancient Chinese medicine experts believed the energies of the earth penetrate the soles of the feet in their initiation journey towards the heavens. As with the head, localised disorders can often alter the correct flow of energy with drastic consequences, including a specific deficiency that hamper the sleep onset. Therefore, massaging the plantar area helps to restore the harmony and serenity needed for a peaceful sleep.

In addition to massage, Almablu therapists also suggest useful tips for promoting good sleep at home. Many you will have heard before. However, they’re good practice and there’s a reason they come up time and again.

Sleep tips to try at home

• Switch off your phone and other electronic devices at least one hour before sleeping.
• Drink a good night herbal tea to help relax and prepare for restorative sleep.
• Do physical exercise during the day such as Pilates or yoga to stretch and relax the muscles.