or your body to recuperate after a busy day, you need to get a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, numerous people do not get the recommended amount of sleep at night. Some people face trouble falling asleep, while others might have trouble staying asleep once they doze off.
Studies reveal that several sleep issues stem from insomnia. Even though you may think you need to take prescribed medications to make it effortless for you to fall asleep at night, this is not always true. A chiropractic expert can help you address your sleep issues. This blog will examine the role of a chiropractor in alleviating sleeping disorders such as insomnia, but before that, let’s find out more about the condition.
It is a common sleeping disorder that can make it quite tough to stay asleep, hard to fall asleep, or cause you to wake up quite early. In this condition, you may feel tired when you wake up. Moreover, it affects your energy level, mood, health, quality of life, and work performance.
The required amount of sleep differs from person to person, but most people generally need around seven to eight hours a night. Studies reveal that many adults typically experience short-term insomnia caused by stress or a traumatic event lasting for a few days or weeks. However, some people also have long-term insomnia that lasts for several months.
There are generally four types of insomnia; let us find more about them:
Acute insomnia is considered one of the most common types of insomnia. It is a short-term condition that lasts for a few days up to a month. A change in stressful events generally causes it. Moreover, the condition is also known as adjustment insomnia.
In some cases, it can become a long-term or chronic condition. The condition is said to be critical if the patient experiences difficulties sleeping at least three days every week. Chronic insomnia could be either primary or secondary.
Since there is no specific cause of primary chronic insomnia, it is known as idiopathic insomnia. Secondary chronic insomnia also referred to as comorbid insomnia, is quite common than primary insomnia and occurs due to several underlying medical conditions.
It generally occurs when the patient has difficulty staying asleep or waking up quite early and difficulty going back to sleep. It is usually caused by severe medical conditions or psychological conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
This sleeping problem is commonly found in children. Studies reveal that around 25% of children will experience it at some point in their childhood. It is generally characterized by children having difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep leading to poor sleep quality.
The condition is very similar to improper sleep hygiene practices in adults, where the ability and opportunity to sleep are present, but poor practices lead to sleep loss.
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It may be the primary issue, or it may be associated with several conditions. As we read, it is usually a result of stress, life events, or habits that hampers sleep. Treating the underlying cause can resolve the condition; however, it can last several years. Some common causes of insomnia are the following.
Tension about school, work, health, finance, or family can keep your mind active all night, making it tough to sleep. Trauma such as divorce, death or illness of a loved one, or a job loss can also lead to insomnia.
Studies reveal that circadian rhythms act as an internal clock that guides things such as the sleep-wake cycle, body temperature, and metabolism. Obstructing your body’s circadian rhythms can lead to insomnia. Its causes include jet lag from traveling across different time zones, regularly changing shifts, working quite late.
It generally includes an irregular bedtime schedule, naps, using your bed for work, watching television, irregular eating patterns, an uncomfortable sleep environment. Moreover, using smartphones, video games, computers, and several other devices just before going to bed could also affect your sleep cycle.
Consuming a light snack before bedtime is fine, but eating too much may cause you to feel physically uncomfortable while lying down. Research suggests that people experience heartburn, a backflow of acid, and food from the stomach into the esophagus after consuming food can also keep you awake.
As mentioned above, chronic insomnia is associated with medical conditions or the use of certain drugs. Treating the sleeping disorder may help improve sleep, but sometimes it may persist for quite a long time. Let us find some more causes:
Anxiety disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder may affect your sleep. Awakening too early can be a major sign of depression. Furthermore, insomnia sometimes occurs with different mental health disorders.
Many prescription medicines, such as antidepressant blood pressure medicines, can interfere with sleep. Several over-the-counter medicines such as pain medications, weight-loss products, or allergy medications contain stimulants that affect sleep.
Soft drinks, tea, and coffee are considered stimulants. Consuming them in the evening or late afternoon can keep you from falling asleep. You all might know that nicotine in tobacco products is another stimulant that can affect sleep. Furthermore, alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it prevents deeper stages of sleep. Sometimes it may cause an awakening in the middle of the night.
You are not alone if you face issues falling asleep or staying asleep. The American Sleep Association (ASA), in their report, states that around 50 to 70 million people in the United States have some sort of sleeping disorder that can prevent you from getting the sleep you require to stay healthy and active throughout the day. We all have several doubts, and we ask questions such as, can a chiropractor help with insomnia? Fortunately, chiropractic care is proven to be a great solution for better sleep. Let us find some of the ways that chiropractic care can help.
Undoubtedly, stress is bad for the immune and body systems. Chiropractors help patients alleviate stress in numerous ways. A chiropractor for insomnia will prescribe several exercises and stretches to help patients work out their anxieties and ease tension in muscles.
Massage therapy is considered another common technique chiropractors suggest to help prevent stress. Primarily as it helps the body relax and feel good at the same time.
These experts can treat stress by enhancing your overall health and physical comfort. Studies reveal that immune function and chronic pain cause stress by reducing the quality of life. Chiropractic adjustment can help you improve your immune system, thereby improving your quality of life.
One of the major goals for chiropractors is to help patients treat conditions such as insomnia without the use of medications; these experts do this holistically by recommending environmental changes that can help their patients sleep better.
When you go to the chiropractor, the expert you visit may ask you questions about the environment where you sleep, the sounds you hear, the lights in the room, and several other factors. Based on your answers, your doctor may make a few recommendations to make your environment at home more helpful to sleep.
If insomnia is a new disorder for you or you have been suffering from this sleeping disorder, Realign Spine can help you. We will be happy to answer all your queries and help you overcome the condition. Our chiropractic care center deals with numerous conditions such as herniated disc, sciatica, chronic neck, migraines, headaches, and many more.
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