Sleep Disorders

Reasons Good Sleep Is Important

Since our patients live such busy lives, sleep is often last on their list of to-dos of exercise, healthy eating, work, and family time. Sleep is much more than a break. It is critical for repairing and maintaining the body.

Sleep is also crucial for brain health. During sleep, the brain functions like a kidney, removing waste products, including proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. While this drainage happens when one is awake, it occurs twice as quickly during sleep.

Sleep also gives the brain the opportunity to solidify learning and solve problems. In addition to acquiring new knowledge and creating new solutions, the brain needs sleep to build memories. Some benefits of sleep for the rest of the body include increased weight loss, boosted athletic performance, and enhanced immunity.

Health Issues Linked With Poor Sleep

Since sleep is so critical for good health, it is not surprising that there are many issues linked with poor sleep. Here at West Suburban Wellness, our chiropractors see many patients with depression, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. All of these are significant causes of early death and loss of function. They are causes and results of poor sleep.

Depression

Questionnaires and scales used to evaluate depression all include sleep as an item. Lack of sleep is both a symptom and a cause of depression. Recent research reveals that treating sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by breathing that intermittently stops and restarts throughout the night, can reduce symptoms of depression. Therefore, getting enough sleep can have an impact on depression.

Obesity

Lack of sleep leads to changes in the metabolism that increase weight. Since sleep is so essential for brain development, sleep deprivation can impact the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls appetite and calorie expenditure.

Diabetes

Poor sleep quality and quantity are linked with type 2 diabetes. More specifically, research has shown its impact on hemoglobin A1c. Since hemoglobin A1c measures the average blood sugar levels over the past three months, it reliably predicts patients at increased risk of type 2 diabetes due to increased blood sugar levels. Poor sleep quality shifts metabolic hormones that impact how the body processes sugars.

Cardiovascular Disease

Irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, stroke, and coronary artery disease are all more common among individuals with poor sleep than in people with healthy sleep patterns. Sleep apnea isn’t just linked with depression. It’s also linked with atherosclerosis, a specific cardiovascular condition characterized by the hardening of the arteries.

How Chiropractic Works to Improve Sleep

Chiropractic for sleep disorders can provide relief for symptoms by addressing underlying causes. Migraine headaches come with throbbing, pulsating pain on one side of the head that can last for days and nights. Lack of sleep makes them worse. Nausea, visual disturbances, and other disruptive side effects can also make it hard to sleep. A series of case studies showed that patients with migraines, for example, had fewer and shorter headaches after a chiropractic adjustment. They also had more pain-free days and nights, making it easier to sleep.

Setting up for Successful Slumber

When our sleep relief chiropractor, at West Suburban Wellness, performs chiropractic adjustments, they gently coax the spine into a healthy alignment. When the spine is positioned correctly, it is free of subluxations or misaligned areas that can compress or interfere with nerves. Since the nerves travel throughout the entire body, maximizing their function can help respiration, digestion, and circulation. When the brain and nerves can freely govern the body, healthy function, easy movement, and rejuvenating sleep are restored.

As beneficial as they are, our chiropractor for sleep disorders doesn’t stop with in-office procedures. West Suburban Wellness chiropractors are committed to helping our patients remake their lifestyles to promote excellent health, including getting good sleep. Our team provides guidance to help our patients select sleep-promoting mattresses, pillows, and positions and create an evening routine that works for them.

Mattresses for Optimal Spinal Support

While a mattress might seem like a minor matter, when we remind our patients they spend approximately 20-30% of their lives in bed, they are much more willing to consider their mattress choices carefully. While a soft, plush mattress might seem like a good choice since it feels like it would conform to the body, a pliable sleep surface is actually a poor choice. Firmer mattresses provide the necessary spinal support. Top a firm mattress with a down quilt or duvet to combine softness with support.

Neck-Supportive Pillows

A pile of soft, fluffy pillows might seem just what the doctor ordered after a long day. Unfortunately, this image is best left to the pages of a glossy magazine. Neck pillows that do the job right are firm so the head and neck can be appropriately aligned.

Sleep Positions to Minimize Strain

Supportive mattresses and pillows are great tools for sleeping well, but they are only part of the equation. Diving into bed and sleeping on the stomach throws the spine into an unhealthy alignment. Sleeping on the back or side with strategically placed pillows and knee cushions can help restore the spine’s natural curve.

Sleep Promoting Evening Routines

During sleep, tissues rebuild, muscles relax, and the brain reinvents new possibilities. Since sleep is crucial for good health, it must be optimized. Preparation is key. A relaxing evening routine can gently ease the mind and body into restorative sleep. Mindfulness meditation, soothing snacks, and light stretching routines are a few of the methods we teach patients to set themselves up for excellent sleep.