Poor Sleeper?

I am personally a huge fan of getting good quality sleep. I make it a priority in my life to be consistent with my sleep schedule. Recently that was challenged. I had the opportunity to travel for some continuing education so I decided to leave the night before the seminar so I could sleep and wake rested and ready to learn. My flight was supposed to leave at 8pm and arrive at my destination by 11:30pm. Which is very late for me, but I planned for it. What I did not plan for was for my flight to be delayed 3 hours!! I didn’t get to my hotel until 3:30am! Yikes that threw me off. Luckily my body was able to adapt and rest and be ready to rock for my seminar. But I don’t know how others do that day after day. Night after night! Unfortunately it is estimated over 1/3 of Americans suffer from sleep deprivation.

What can happen when you don’t get good sleep? Not getting enough sleep can greatly affect an individual during the hours they are awake. Here are a few things someone who is sleep deprived may experience:
Lack of energy
Brain fog
Poor or risky decision making
Reduced attention span
Worsening memory
Poor mental attitude
Some bigger issues that people suffer from especially when they are chronically sleep deprived:
Obesity
Diabetes
Mental health disorders
Hormone imbalances
Cardiovascular disease
Immunodeficiency
Pain

What does it mean to have a good sleep schedule? I like to tell my patients to completely unplug a minimum of 40 minutes before bed, but best practice would be over an hour before bed. Unplug means: no phones, no tablets, no tv… really get off all technology. Creating a healthy night time ritual will be different for everyone, but I like to advise washing your face, brushing your teeth and then either read or journal for a bit to calm the brain.

What can Chiropractic care do to help improve your sleep? I love when people initially come into the clinic with something like lower back pain, but then realize that they have been sleeping better every night since starting care. It’s a beautiful conversation about what chiropractic is all about. It is about restoring FUNCTION. When we find the misalignment in the spine and correct that with a gentle adjustment this allows for the nervous system to be free of interference and restore homeostasis in the body.

Moral of the story, chiropractic care is vital to your overall health and wellness. By restoring alignment to the spine, this allows the body to function. If you or someone you love is struggling with sleep deprivation, please give us a call today.