We’ve all had that “sleep deprived” feeling at some point. There’s no denying it. If you’ve been working for a while and are trying to balance work and family, it’s common to have trouble getting a good night’s sleep. Sometimes, it’s hard to let go of the day, but if you want to improve your sleep, you’ve got to keep going.

I’ve found that the best way to increase my own sleep and to help others get better sleep is to incorporate massage therapy as part of their daily routine. The constant movements of the massage strokes have a calming effect on the body and mind. In addition to reducing stress and letting go of day-to-day anxieties, massage has been proven to improve sleep.

A large number of scientific studies have shown massage therapy benefits sleep; however, there have been no formal studies conducted on self-massage.

“Massage therapy may not work for everyone,” said the author of the study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital. “But for anyone who’s always had trouble sleeping, particularly the elderly, more research is needed to determine whether massage therapy can improve sleep in this population.”

If you’re having trouble with sleep, there’s good news. The results of a study conducted by Mass General Hospital, published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, found that swedish massage in Old Bridge Township, NJ  increased sleep by 30% and decreased the time it took to fall asleep by 15 minutes on average.

The study, conducted by Dr. Pamela Palesh and her team, found that sleep duration increased from 6.19 hours to 7.20 hours (which is similar to an eight hour night) and sleep latency decreased from 18.5 minutes to 13.8 minutes.

“It’s time to try self-massage to see if it helps your sleep.”

If you’re not used to receiving massage at home, it might be a bit uncomfortable at first. However, there are a variety of massage oils and self-massage tools available that can help ease you into it.

Below, I’ve compiled a few of the best self-massage tools and oils to help you incorporate a self-massage routine to improve your sleep, and hopefully, your overall wellbeing.