If you’re looking for chiropractic care, chances are you’re doing it to relieve pain. A great deal of our practice at Total Chiropractic Care and Wellness is related to pain management. But we’re concerned about the total health of our patients and we recognize that just as diet and exercise can supplement chiropractic manipulation as a pain technique, there are ways chiropractic care can help provide other health benefits. For example, chiropractic care is often considered when trying to avoid back surgery. Not needing surgery can prevent you from taking potentially dangerous or addictive pain medication. But can chiropractic help you sleep? Total Chiropractic wants to examine the relationship between what we do and getting a healthy rest.
Total Chiropractic Helps You Achieve Optimum Health
At Total Chiropractic, we see patients for all types of reasons. Some are car accident victims who’ve suffered whiplash injuries. Some have back pain as the result of a sports injury. Some have chronic pain from conditions like spinal stenosis. No matter what the reason is, we’re dedicated to bringing you to optimum health. We’ll consult with you and create an individualized treatment plan that will touch on many areas of your life. While we aren’t sleep disorder experts, we are fascinated by research that indicates a connection between chiropractic care and better sleep.
The Benefits of Sleep
Your mother always told you to get a good night sleep and she was right to do it. “Sleep services all aspects of our body in one way or another: molecular, energy balance, as well as intellectual function, alertness, and mood,” says Dr. Merrill Mitler, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Research shows that losing sleep can increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, and infection. That’s because your body releases hormones that repair cells while you sleep and regulates your body’s energy, heart rate, and breathing rate. Your blood pressure rate may rise and fall during sleep which may affect cardiovascular health.
Chiropractic and Sleep
But can chiropractic care help improve your sleep? According to Sleep Review Magazine, there’s evidence it can. They cite a 2015 study, that says that chiropractic care can help insomnia. According to the study’s author, a New Jersey-based chiropractor points to a misalignment of the vertebrae in the upper cervical spine where the neck connects to the back of your head. He argues that a disturbing neurological function can have a negative physiological effect on the body which can include chemicals and hormones produced by the body during sleep. But chiropractic adjustments can fix this problem and create proper sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation points out other benefits related to chiropractic care that are also related to sleep. Chiropractors can tell you what sleep position is best for you, or they’ll let you know if a chiropractic pillow or more supportive mattress can help you get the rest you need.
Total Chiropractic Can Make You More Relaxed
If back or neck pain is making you feel restless, Total Chiropractic can help. We aren’t sleep specialists, but we can help you manage any pain that’s blocking you from getting your rest. And we’ll do it in a way that avoids invasive treatment like surgery. To get started, contact us today.
