Can Chiropractic Care Improve My Sleep Quality?
If you're like me, sometimes I experience lack of sleep. I mostly contribute my inability to fall asleep or lack of sleep quickly to my brain going a million miles a minute (it might help if I turned off my electronics more than 5 minutes before bed!).
But what if it's not just my digital life that's controlling my sleep schedule and my quality of sleep?
Well, rest assured (pun intended!) that you're not alone. According to Statistic Brain [SOURCE], 40 million people in US have low sleep quality. Unfortunately for employers, these lack of sleep are estimated to cost $18 billion in productivity! That's just CRAZY!
You can probably relate somewhat to those statistics. Maybe you do suffer from a diagnosed sleep disorder which may be lack of sleep, or maybe you just find yourself being overly tired from time to time. How many of us have almost dozed off during work? Probably not as prevalent if you have a labor intensive job, but if you have a desk job, I can bet you've at least been close to falling asleep at some point!
How many times have you tossed and turned in the middle of the night or have woken up because you were having a restless sleep? Well maybe it's not your mattress, although it certainly could be, but your body may be telling you that something is out of sync! It's time to listen to your body.
What happens to your brain when you experience low sleep quality?
This infographic from Mic.com [SOURCE] explains what happens to your brain when you experience lack of sleep.
So how can chiropractic care improve my sleep quality?
Obviously from the infographic above, it's clear that our brain needs sleep. So if you're feeling lethargic or you find yourself constantly tossing and turning or experiencing a restless sleep, you should consider a chiropractic adjustment.
How can a chiropractic adjustment help improve your sleep quality? Well, if you are familiar with chiropractic medicine, then you are probably aware that your spine and your brain are connected. Your spinal cord is connected to your brain and they need to communicate to properly function. The spinal cord passes through the spinal vertebrae. Different nerves branch off of the spinal cord through an intervertebral foramina, or IVF, to the rest of your body.
If your spine is out of alignment, the vertebrae may be putting stress on your nerves, causing a lack of communication between the spine and the brain. It may also cause pain or restlessness in some parts of your body. These misalignments may be a contributing factor to sleep quality or lack of sleep.
A chiropractic adjustment will target the areas that are out of alignment and return them to their normal state, allowing the spinal cord to properly communicate with the brain. Chiropractic care typically involves additional soft tissue techniques that will also allow your muscles to relax which can also improve sleep quality .
Studies on Chiropractic Care and Sleep
In the study by JR Jamison, of the 221 chiropractic patients that participated, one third saw immediate improvement in their sleep quality following a chiropractic adjustment. 1
Although lack of sleep may have other underlying causes, consider a chiropractic adjustment! You might finally experience improvement in your sleep quality!
Until next time...
Be Natural. Be Honest. Be Healthy.
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Resources and Sources
Most direct links to sources are provided in context.
1. Jamison, JR. Insomnia: does chiropractic help? - J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2005 (Mar-Apr); 28(3): 179-86
