The Chiropractic Approach Towards Sleep Issues

Global Courant

Sleep is important to good health and functioning, so insufficiency of it is a serious matter. Through it, our bodies recharge and renew to prepare for the next day’s challenges. It is one of the most important functions for the brain to operate properly and is required for our nervous system to regulate responses to external stimuli.

Everyone’s individual sleep needs vary, but most healthy adults need an average of eight hours of sleep during the night. However, the quality usually counts more than the quantity when it comes to sleeping. Having enough uninterrupted sleep is more likely to help maintain the body’s natural sleep pattern and result in more restful and restorative sleep.

Inadequate amounts of sleep can take on a raw edge to anyone’s life. This can lead to reduced productivity, moodiness, irritability, poor concentration, impaired memory, decreased learning and logical reasoning abilities, and difficulty in all areas of life due to increased feelings of stress. In some cases, people will not realize that the discomfort, pain, and anxiety they are experiencing throughout the day are outcomes of poor sleep. Frequent need for naps, extreme irritability during daytime, difficulty staying awake when sitting still, looking tired, frequent emotional outbursts, slow reaction times, too much dependence on caffeine, difficulty focusing and concentrating, and poor appetite are some of the crucial signs of abnormal sleeping patterns.

Insomnia is the most common of all sleep-related problems. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that insomnia affects up to 40 percent of the general population every year. Insomnia varies depending on the individual. It can be difficulty falling asleep, waking up often with difficulty falling back into sleep, waking too early in the morning, or poor sleeping quality. Other common types of sleep problems and disorders are sleep apnea, snoring, restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder, and narcolepsy.

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Chiropractic, combined with complementary and alternative therapies, has proven effective in diagnosing sleeping disorders and providing treatments that offer the promise of a better night’s sleep. One of the examples is due to sleep apnea where breathing stops for a short period of time during sleeping. Chiropractic therapy can help clear up the airways and improve the patient’s ability to breathe deeply.

Chiropractic adjustments are made to help in clearing up energy blockages throughout the body and improve circulation to stiff and tired muscles. This helps to improve natural deeper relaxation for a more restful sleep at night. Naps are reduced during daytime and the mood is much improved.

Chronic pain from physical ailments may stem from the spinal cord, which can affect the brain that causes sleeping disorders. Many of the underlying causes of poor sleep such as stress, back pain, neck pain, and headaches can be corrected through chiropractic therapy.

Whether a person suffers from insomnia, sleepwalking, or inability to fall asleep in time, lack of sleep can make everything else in life so much harder which can be detrimental to a person’s health. Chiropractic treatment is a good option if you don’t want to rely on prescription drugs. Getting a good night’s sleep might be the simplest way to live a fulfilling life. As the old Chinese proverb says, “Only one cannot sleep does one know how long the night is.”