How Chiropractic Care Can Improve Your Sleep

Chiropractic care is often the first thought for those who find themselves with back pain or other injuries to the spine, joints, or soft tissues. However, many don’t know that your local chiropractor can also improve your sleep quality. 

When the body is imbalanced, injured, or in a state of discomfort or stress, sleep is impacted. Chiropractic is a natural solution that allows the body to heal and function properly, as it supports relaxation. With comfort and calm, sleep is easier to obtain and keep. 

 

In this post, we’ll detail:

• Why sleep is essential to your health

• The best sleep positions

• How you can improve your sleep quality using natural remedies and guidance

• Chiropractic solutions to support a good night’s sleep

• And more

 

If poor sleep is affecting your life, you can safely and naturally get it under control. Read on to learn all about it. 

 

Sleep’s Role In Your Quality of Life

Rest is essential to body and mind mechanics. When we sleep, the body recovers, restores, rejuvenates, and heals. With all that, our minds get the chance to calm, unwind, and de-stress. All of this is necessary for us to work, be physically active, focus, spend time with family and friends, and confidently contribute to our life and community. 

Without consistent quality sleep, every area of life will suffer. It’s that simple. So, how can you help achieve the rest you need? First, it’s important to know that proper sleep positions are just as important as your posture and movement patterns. 

 

Tips to enhance your sleep posture include:

• Do not sleep on your stomach; it can impair the spine and neck, causing discomfort and chronic conditions

• Side-sleeping should only be done if you can keep your body straight; using a pillow between the legs can help with this, and you should not put your arms under your pillow but outstretched in front of you to avoid numbness and undue pressure

• Sleeping on your back is optimal, as your spine can be kept in a neutral position; place a pillow under your knees or a rolled towel under your low back to support the spine’s natural curve

• Use pillows that keep the cervical spine (within the neck) in line with the thoracic spine (within the mid and upper back); too much pillow height will unnaturally stretch the spine and the neck’s soft tissues, causing discomfort in the neck and shoulders

• Use a firm mattress that caters to your spinal shape; soft mattresses offer little to no support and can constrict the integrity of the spine throughout the night

 

Tips to start now that will help improve your sleep quality include:

• Spend time outdoors and in the sun daily whenever possible to help calibrate your internal clock

• Once it’s dark, stay off the devices which generate blue light that tricks the brain into thinking it’s still day (go ahead and switch all electronics off at night, too)

• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, sugar, and alcohol whenever possible (especially true to avoid them at night)

• Get your exercise in early in the day (exercising at night can generate heightened energy levels, but when done in the morning, it can nurture relaxation later in the evening)

• Have a routine waketime and bedtime

• Don’t eat heavy meals late in the evening, and don’t go to bed hungry 

• Meditate and focus on your breathing (rather than thinking and worrying) when you can’t sleep or find your mind wandering 

• Keep your room very dark and quiet (white noise is also a great option to discourage noises from waking you)

 

These sleep position and lifestyle changes can help maximize your rest quality, allowing you to get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer. Combining them with chiropractic will ensure your body is well-functioning and that you’re taking the right actions for your needs. 

 

Chiropractic Techniques to Benefit Your Sleep

The best kind of care is proactive care. Regular chiropractic adjustments to your neck will help decrease your chances of developing sleep apnea, ensure your body is balanced, and naturally lower your cortisol level, which is your body’s stress hormone. 

However, most of us tend to wait until after a problem arises before getting the care we need. You should make an appointment with your chiropractor as soon as you notice discomfort. Doing so will discourage more pain and further injury and give you peace of mind. 

Chiropractic solutions to help manage pain and promote full function to encourage quality sleep include:

• Chiropractic adjustments– a controlled and targeted spinal manipulation that reestablishes correct placement, reducing restrictions for proper movement patterns and improving comfort  

• Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization– employing specifically designed chiropractic tools to the skin over damaged soft tissues, injuries are targeted and treated, strengthening and supporting imbalances to the musculoskeletal system  

• Functional rehabilitation– a customized program consisting of corrective exercises and stretches that complement your unique needs for a faster and safer recovery process 

• Take-home exercises- combined with your in-clinic treatment strategy, you’ll receive at-home plans designed to support your ongoing well-being, health, and full function 

• And more

 

Visit Our Seattle + Portland Chiropractors for Enhanced Sleep

Tangelo consists of an award-winning team of chiropractors, rehab specialists, and coordinators. Our goal is to help your body run at its highest potential so you can do all the things you love- including sleep. 

We understand the importance of rest, downtime, relaxation, and restoration. Sleep is instrumental in how you perform physically and mentally. Allow us to help you fine-tune your body and mind through safe, natural chiropractic care and rehabilitation. 

If you’re ready to start sleeping how you’re meant to so you can live to your fullest, contact our chiropractors or book with us today!