Chiropractors Know: Better Sleep Means Less Back Pain
By Stepy Kamei
When you think about the things you can do to improve the health of your back, or prevent back pain from occuring, sleep probably isn't the first thing that jumps out at you. However, it turns out that your sleeping habits and patterns tend to have a much bigger impact on back health (not to mention your overall sense of well-being, physically and mentally) than many of us realize. Chiropractors often notice a link in their patients between amount and severity of back pain and amount of sleep they get on an average night. If you want to start taking better care of your back and spine, you'll want to start taking your sleeping habits much more seriously.
Insomnia and Back Pain: A Vicious Cycle
Some patients find that their sleep troubles begin after they've developed back pain. Others may find that when they get less sleep, they tend to experience more intense back pain during the day. Still, many people find that they can't quite tell which health issue is causing the other one. Is their back pain interrupting their sleep, or is their lack of sleep making their back pain worse? This is why it's important to address both of these issues as being equally important and impactful on your health.
If you suffer from back pain, the discomfort you feel may make you toss and turn during the night, which can prevent you from getting enough rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is vital for feeling refreshed and awake during the day. Without proper REM sleep, the body is often much more sensitive to feelings of pain, soreness, and stiffness in the muscles. In this way, back pain and sleeping problems feed off of each other in a manner which is harmful to your health.
Correcting These Health Issues (Can Be Easy)
For starters, you'll want to talk with your primary healthcare provider to make sure a more serious health issue, such as depression or diabetes, isn't to blame for your discomfort. You can also greatly benefit from seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis. During a typical session of chiropractic, you will have your spinal column examined for any misalignments, which are referred to as subulxations. These subluxations can create pain and stiffness in the back, and can also disrupt your sleeping patterns. A chiropractic adjustment can correct these misalignments and bring you back to a healthier state of being.