Posted by Dr Harley Rushton on 27 September 2012 - 1:19pm
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Sleep and Your Health - A Chiropractor’s Approach
Sleep is one of the most important, yet overlooked and/or neglected, activities you will do each day. If you aren’t getting enough of it, then this most likely means your body will not be able to perform many highly important processes to keep you healing and healthy. Our bodies possess a natural inbuilt ability to self-heal and self-regulate, and most of this is done while we are asleep!
Sleep is one of the most important, yet overlooked and/or neglected, activities you will do each day. If you aren’t getting enough of it, then this most likely means your body will not be able to perform many highly important processes to keep you healing and healthy. Our bodies possess a natural inbuilt ability to self-heal and self-regulate, and most of this is done while we are asleep!
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The chiropractic approach to better health is to locate and help remove interferences to the nervous system that may inhibit wellness. Our nervous system plays a vital role in this as it allows us to adapt to our environment and make the best choices for longevity. Because sleep disturbances are commonly nervous system oriented, they can often be effectively treated with chiropractic care. If there’s any interference to our nervous system it can reduce how well it works thereby affecting how healthy we can be, so it’s important to keep that side of things happy by getting your nervous system/spinal alignment checked by a Chiropractor. Not only are Chiropractors trained to care for spinal and musculoskeletal problems that can lead to sleeping difficulties, they are also qualified to provide patients with advice on nutrition and ergonomics (eg. mattress and pillow selection) in order to get a better, more comfortable, night’s sleep.
Unfortunately, with our high stress and fast paced lifestyles these days, a sound sleep is often viewed as a luxury, instead of a necessity as it should be! When we sleep, our brain, nervous system and body work together to heal, detoxify, regenerate and prepare us for the next day. When we don’t get enough quality sleep these will be affected greatly. It can also mean that our biological rhythms are altered, leading to hormone imbalances. This can have effects on our fertility and appetite as well as physical and mental wellbeing. If Cortisol (our stress hormone) levels in our blood are too high it can also affect your quality of sleep and will commonly cause waking in the early hours of the morning. If this is prolonged it can lead to depression, adrenal fatigue, anxiety and chronic fatigue syndrome. Some common signs of sleep deprivation include poor concentration and memory, tiredness upon waking or during the day, teeth grinding, frequent waking, sleep talking, depression, irritability and a compromised immune system.
Ways to improve your sleep can include keeping a regular sleep schedule, every day of the week! Have a routine before bed and avoid work or computer and TV screens an hour before sleep. Avoiding mentally stressful activities will reduce adrenalin and cortisol release in the body, allowing for a deeper sleep. Diet is super important so make sure you get some advice on this topic and try to have your last thing to eat eat 2-3 hours before bed. Ideal conditions for sleep include darkness, so no lights, including outside lights or electronic equipment, temperature around 25 degrees Celsius and no noise. Pillow, mattress and sleeping position is very important also. These are usually case dependant so advice from your local Chiropractor can help find what’s ideal for you.
Try these tips and you might just find yourself sleeping to better health!
Sweet dreams,
Harley