Can A Calgary Chiropractor Help Me Get Better Sleep?
Struggling to get a good night’s sleep? You’re not alone. Over one-third of Canadians between 5 and 79 years old fail to obtain the daily recommended amount of sleep, making restful nights harder to come by. Sleep isn’t just a luxury—it’s essential for physical and mental health, supporting everything from immune function to mood stability.
Chronic sleep issues have been linked to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and even depression. If you’re tired of waking up exhausted, it might be time to consider chiropractic care as part of the solution. Curious how a Calgary chiropractor can help you finally get the rest you need? Here’s a Chiropractor’s Guide to Better Sleep.
The Importance of Quality Sleep for Health
Why Sleep Matters
Sleep is essential for everything from mood and energy to immune health and focus. A full night’s rest not only recharges your body but also keeps your mind sharp and your mood balanced. Without enough sleep, you may feel sluggish, irritable, or even struggle with simple tasks, which can throw your whole day off balance. Quality sleep fuels your body to handle daily stresses and stay on top of physical and mental demands.
Sleep also gives your immune system a boost, helping it fend off colds and infections. So, when sleep is disrupted, all these systems can be thrown off, which is why it’s essential to make sure you’re getting the quality rest you need.
Long-Term Risks of Sleep Deprivation
Missing sleep isn’t just about feeling tired—it’s also a risk to your long-term health. Over time, chronic sleep deprivation increases your chances of serious health issues, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even mental health struggles like anxiety and depression. The cumulative effect of poor sleep means that each missed night of rest stacks up, gradually weakening the immune system and putting stress on the heart.
Sleep deprivation also impacts memory and cognitive function, making it harder to focus or retain information. Research even shows that sleep deprivation can contribute to weight gain by disrupting hormones that control appetite, leading to more cravings for high-calorie foods. If you’re feeling constantly exhausted, the risks associated with poor sleep are too high to ignore.
How Chiropractic Care Can Support Better Sleep
The Role of Chiropractic Adjustments in Sleep Quality
Chiropractic adjustments aren’t just about easing back pain—they can also improve sleep quality! By relieving tension and promoting muscle relaxation, adjustments help your body wind down more naturally at the end of the day. Misalignments in the spine can put pressure on nerves and muscles, making it harder to relax fully, but chiropractic care addresses these issues directly. With improved alignment, the body’s natural blood flow is restored, and you’ll likely notice reduced pain and improved mobility. Hopefully that answers the questions of how chiropractic care can help with sleep.
For many patients, regular chiropractic care helps them fall asleep faster and wake up less frequently during the night. When your spine is properly aligned, your central nervous system functions more smoothly, which means your body is better prepared to relax and recharge.
Assessing and Improving Body Position and Posture
Poor posture and sleep position can make a huge difference in how well you sleep. Misalignment in your posture can lead to tension and strain that follows you right into bed, making it hard to get comfortable. The impact of posture on your well-being cannot be understated. Chiropractors can assess your posture and recommend changes, such as switching to a side-sleeping position or choosing a mattress that better supports your spine.
Good sleep posture isn’t just about comfort; it’s also about ensuring your muscles and joints aren’t overworked while you sleep.
Here are a few tips for improving your sleep posture:
Side-sleeping: Try placing a pillow between your knees to support your hips and lower back.
Back-sleeping: Place a pillow under your knees to maintain the natural curve of your spine.
Avoid stomach-sleeping: This position can strain your back and neck, making sleep less restful. With the right sleep position, you’ll reduce tension and start the day feeling more refreshed.
Chiropractic Solutions for Common Sleep Disorders
Managing Insomnia with Chiropractic Care
Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, can make falling or staying asleep feel impossible. This condition is often linked to stress, chronic pain, or discomfort, which can be worsened by spinal misalignments. Chiropractic care offers a drug-free approach to managing insomnia by addressing these physical discomforts. You can read a review of the literature on chiropractic and insomnia here. Through targeted adjustments, chiropractors relieve pain caused by subluxations (misaligned vertebrae), making it easier to relax and drift off. In fact, many practice members at Axiom Chiropractic are sleeping better thanks to chiropractic care.
Research also suggests that spinal adjustments may help balance brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which play a role in sleep regulation. For those who find themselves tossing and turning due to physical discomfort, chiropractic care can be a valuable tool in restoring a natural, restful sleep pattern.
Chiropractic Support for Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that disrupts breathing and often leads to interrupted, low-quality sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type, occurs when soft tissues in the throat relax and block the airway during sleep, which interrupts breathing and wakes you up. Chiropractic adjustments, especially in the neck and upper back, can reduce muscle tension and improve airflow, helping prevent these blockages.
Additionally, chiropractors can recommend breathing exercises to strengthen soft tissues around the airway, reducing the chance of obstruction. By improving spinal alignment and releasing tension, chiropractic care can help create a more stable environment for easier, uninterrupted breathing during sleep. Anyone dealing with sleep apnea should talk to a doctor about a full sleep analysis but can consider chiropractic care as a complementary way to manage symptoms.
Lifestyle Tips from Chiropractors for Better Sleep
Creating a Restful Sleep Environment
A sleep-friendly environment makes a big difference when it comes to rest quality. For starters, your bedroom should be cool, quiet, and as dark as possible. Blackout curtains, white noise machines, and adjustable thermostats can all contribute to a more restful sleep space. You’ll also want to avoid using electronic devices in bed; the blue light from screens can interfere with your body’s natural melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep.
Here are some quick tips for setting up a restful sleep environment:
Dim the lights: Lower lighting in the evening to signal your body it’s time to wind down.
Remove electronic devices: Keep phones and laptops outside the bedroom or in a drawer.
Invest in comfortable bedding: Soft pillows and a supportive mattress can make all the difference.
Establishing Healthy Sleep Habits
Good sleep habits go beyond what happens in the bedroom—they’re part of a daily routine. Setting a consistent bedtime and wake-up time helps regulate your body’s internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up refreshed. Avoid naps if you’re struggling to sleep at night, as daytime sleep can throw off your natural rhythm.
Regular exercise is a fantastic way to promote sleep, but try to work out earlier in the day, as evening exercise can be too stimulating for some people.
Understanding the best sleeping position for your spine is also critically important.
For better results, keep a sleep diary where you track how well you slept and any potential factors that might have impacted your rest. This can help you identify patterns and make adjustments for a better night’s sleep.
Chiropractic Care as a Natural Solution for Better Sleep
Sleep is essential for feeling energized and ready to take on each day, but sometimes it can feel frustratingly out of reach. Chiropractic care provides a natural, drug-free way to improve sleep by addressing both physical and environmental sleep barriers. From reducing pain and improving posture to supporting healthy breathing, chiropractic adjustments help create the ideal conditions for quality sleep.
If you’re struggling with insomnia, sleep apnea, or simply want a better night’s sleep, chiropractic care can be a great addition to your routine.
A Calgary chiropractor can help you discover the root causes of your sleep issues, guiding you toward a more restful and rejuvenating night’s sleep—without medications. Keep in mind, in Calgary, chiropractors do not prescribe medication or perform surgeries
Why not give your body the support it needs for better rest? Reach out to Axiom Chiropractic and start your journey to quality sleep today!
There are a number of factors when it comes to what affects your sleep and why you cant stay asleep. I'm here to talk to you about something that is overlooked when it comes to having trouble sleeping and getting a better night's sleep. Keep watching and find out how a chiropractor can help with sleep!
