How Does Pain Contribute to Poor Sleep?
Another cause of poor sleep can be bodily pain. When the body is in pain, it can lead to difficulty falling asleep; chronic pain can make it impossible. Poor alignment in the spine can lead to issues with neck pain or back pain which can lead to difficulty feeling comfortable and finding a good sleeping position. Long-term poor posture can also contribute to tension and discomfort in the muscles throughout the whole musculoskeletal system.
How does the nervous system contribute to sleep?
Another possible cause of poor sleep is nervous system dysregulation. There are two sides to the nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system controls the fight or flight response of the body, helping the body protect itself and be able to get away from danger. Sympathetic activation will cause the body to increase the heart rate, decrease the motility of the digestive tract, constrict blood vessels, raise blood pressure, and prepare the body to be on high alert. The parasympathetic nervous system is the opposing side. If Sympathetic is “fight or flight”, parasympathetic is “rest and digest”. It relaxes your body and increases your ability to digest food, it reduces the amount of work your lungs do during times of rest, and lowers your heart rate. The parasympathetic side of the nervous system is important for helping reduce overall tension in the body and helping attain good sleep.
However, sometimes people can get trapped in fight or flight, and this increased sympathetic activation can lead to insomnia as the body is never truly able to rest.
How can Chiropractic care help overcome sleep disorders?
This is where a chiropractor can help. People can try to relieve stress and pain in the body in many ways, but one of the most effective methods of finding the root cause of pain is chiropractic care. Spinal misalignments can be one of the primary root causes of pain in the body, and chiropractic manipulation helps to correct misalignments that are holding the body in pain. Often patients will report that even after one adjustment they experienced better sleep.
Chiropractic adjustments can also help activate the parasympathetic side of the nervous system and help balance communication through the body, allowing the body to switch through the sides of the nervous system as it needs to as opposed to being stuck in one or the other. This better communication can help increase your sleep quality and better your sleep patterns, helping you fall asleep and stay asleep better.
How else can chiropractic treatment help me?
There are so many other ways that chiropractic care can help the functioning of the whole body. Explore our other blog posts to see other examples, and call today to schedule your chiropractic evaluation and see what chiropractic medicine can do to make your life better!
