Did you know we spend about one-third of our lifetime asleep? This may be hard to believe, considering many of us struggle to get a good night’s sleep. Restful sleep is essential for optimal health and can impact performance during the day, including our ability to think, react and recall information.
If you’re kept awake at night by stress or nagging pains, our team at The Chiropractic Health Center of Glastonbury can help.
Reasons for Insomnia
According to the National Sleep Foundation, we need different amounts of sleep with age:
- Newborns & Infants: 12 – 17 hours
- Toddlers & Preschoolers: 10 – 14 hours
- School Age & Teens: 8 – 11 hours
- Adults & Seniors: 7 – 9 hours
Our sleep position and mattress can have a direct impact on whether or not we get the recommended hours of sleep per day. How do these factors affect spine health?
Sleep Position
Sleeping on one’s back is the best position for spinal alignment, as it places the least amount of stress on the neck and back. On the other hand, stomach sleepers place a great amount of undue stress on the cervical spine.
Whether facing left or right, the muscles are stretched to one side, which can lead to stiffness or headache in the morning. Over time, the natural curvature of the neck and spine are pulled out of alignment, leading to chronic pain.
Mattress & Pillows
If you sleep on your back, make sure the pillows are not stacked too high. This extreme angle forces the head forward and pulls on the neck muscles. When it comes to mattress firmness, the two extremes of hard and soft both present downsides:
- Hard Mattress: Body tenses when it should be relaxed for sleep
- Soft Mattress: Body is not supported, sags into the limp mattress
If you’ve been losing sleep over neck or back pain, talk to a chiropractor to determine the level of mattress firmness that’s best for your condition.
Chiropractic Care
Some people rely on sleeping pills to fall and stay asleep through the night. Unfortunately, these medications can become addictive or lead to “rebound insomnia,” which can happen when our bodies become immune to an overused medicine and its effectiveness wears off.
The goal of chiropractic care is to naturally relieve pain and improve spinal health through gentle amounts of pressure applied to the affected area. These manual techniques restore range of motion and eliminate discomfort or stiffness in the body.
Safe for Infants?
Chiropractic care is proven safe and effective for people of all ages. As many parents know, most babies do not begin sleeping soundly through the night until the age of three months. Yet, we need our most sleep at this age.
A chiropractor can perform very minor adjustments to improve your infant’s spinal health and development for better sleep. Regular care also helps prevent other common pediatric ailments, including colic and ear aches or infections.
To relieve your chronic sleep problems, schedule an appointment with The Chiropractic Health Center of Glastonbury today!
