Chiropractic Care for Insomnia and Better Quality Sleep

If you struggle with sleeping well, chiropractic care might be just what you need. How can a chiropractor help you get better sleep?

Good Sleep Is Critical to Good Health

Getting quality sleep is one of the best things you can do to improve your health. Why is sleep so important?

1. Improves Memory

Disrupted sleep affects how the brain processes and forms memories. It also affects your performance at work, school, and life in general. Disrupted sleep also affects your hormones, which can affect your ability to understand things.

2. Helps with Weight Loss

People who get adequate sleep have a lower risk of obesity. People who sleep for less than seven hours a night tend to have a higher body mass index than those who get seven hours or more. Researchers believe this is because inadequate sleep causes inflammation and interferes with hunger hormones. People who sleep more also tend to consume fewer calories.

3. Improved Athletic Performance

Not only does adequate sleep help you maintain or reach a healthy weight, but it also improves your athletic performance. It improves endurance, boosts energy, and speeds up your reaction time. Sleep also supports healing, so you’ll recover faster from workouts and injuries. 

4. Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease

People who get adequate sleep tend to have lower blood pressure and a lower risk of heart disease, in general.

5. Better Social and Emotional Intelligence

Sleep might not boost your IQ (although it could!), but it will improve your social and emotional intelligence. These are indicators of how well someone interprets social signals and communicates with others. They have more fulfilling social interactions, better relationships, and are better able to control their impulses.

1. Helps with Depression

People who get enough sleep have a lower risk of developing depression. Sleep disturbances put you at greater risk for mental health issues in general.

2. Improves Your Overall Health

Getting enough sleep reduces inflammation and boosts your immune system. You’ll feel better, and your body will be stronger and better able to deal with health threats when you get enough sleep.

Common Causes of Poor Sleep

Sleep issues can be caused by just about any reason. However, people who consistently lack quality sleep tend to fall into one of several categories. The most common sleep disturbances include:

• Shift work
• Frequent traveling that causes jet lag
• Noisy environments
• Partners who snore or are restless sleepers
• Pregnancy
• Hormonal shifts, especially during menstruation or menopause
• Mood disorders
• Chronic pain
• Inability to shut off the mind and relax

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

The most common symptoms of sleep deprivation include:

• Mood changes
• Behavioral changes
• Difficulty concentrating
• Problems with planning, judgment, and organization
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations
• Disorientation
• Decrease in body temperature
• Headaches
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
• Aches and pains

Improve Sleep Quality Naturally with Chiropractic Care

There are several ways that chiropractic care improves your sleep quality naturally. For example:

• Relieves Muscle Strain: Chiropractic care helps you feel more comfortable in your body. One of the most common reasons people struggle to fall asleep is their inability to get comfortable. If changing your environment isn’t enough to fix this, the sleep problem might be internal and not external.
• Alleviates Pain: It reduces chronic pain and allows your body to relax. If a nagging issue with pain affects your sleep or you’re dealing with an acute injury, chiropractic care can help.
• Empower You to Improve Your Sleep: Chiropractors are great for making recommendations and empowering patients to take control of their health. They can recommend sleeping positions suitable for your body and help you get comfortable and feel your best upon waking.

At-Home Tips to Get Better Sleep

There are several things you can do to improve your sleep. For example:

• Design and Commit to a Sleep Schedule

Make eight hours of sleep a priority every night. This might ultimately be a little too much or too little (experts recommend adults get seven to nine hours), but you can adjust once you’re used to a regular sleeping schedule. 

Your sleep schedule should ensure that you go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. This reinforces your body’s natural sleep schedule.

• Avoid Heavy Meals and Certain Foods a Few Hours Before Bedtime

You should avoid going to bed hungry or overstuffed. Large meals make you uncomfortable and make it difficult for your body to relax.

Also, avoid caffeine and alcohol in the hours leading up to bedtime. 

• Design a Restful and Relaxing Environment

You might not have complete control over what you’re exposed to overnight as far as noise or light, but you should take advantage of the control you do have. Keep your sleeping space cool, quiet, and dark as much as possible. Consider tools like earplugs, room-darkening shades, white noise machines, fans, and more if you need help making your environment comfortable.

• Avoid Napping

If you enjoy an afternoon nap but find it interferes with nighttime sleeping, you should cut out the nap and make your bedtime earlier. If you do nap, make sure it’s for no more than an hour and that you do it early enough in the day that it doesn’t push your bedtime back too far.

• Exercise

Physical activity during the day ensures your body rests better at night. However, you shouldn’t exercise too close to bedtime because it can rev you up too much to fall asleep.

• Manage Stress and Thoughts

If anxiety or your thoughts keep you up at night, you need to find ways to deal with stress and slow your mind down. This might include:

• Journaling, especially right before bedtime
• Mindfulness meditation
• Getting your environment better organized and managed
• Dealing with relationship stress
• Listening to calm music 

Conclusion

Whether your sleep problems have just arisen or you’ve dealt with chronic insomnia for years, chiropractic care can help.

Dr. Eric Neumann D.C.

Dr. Eric Neumann grew up in Alberta, Canada where he majored in Chemistry at the University of Calgary. During his time at University, he obtained licensure as a Massage Therapist. It was clear that hands-on healing would be his calling. After suffering multiple sport-related injuries he became interested in Chiropractic. Dr. Neumann graduated from Western States Chiropractic College in 2009. He has since specialized in the treatment and management of acute spinal injuries.