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Sleep Hygiene

Back Clinic Sleep Hygiene Chiropractic Team. The ideal sleep environment is cool, quiet, and dark. However, research has shown that continuous sleep can be interrupted by uncomfortable room temperature, light, and noises. Proper sleep hygiene specialists may also recommend that you select a comfortable mattress, pillows, and bedding, in addition to moving or hiding a visible clock. This prevents the sleeper from focusing on time passing while trying to fall asleep. Dr. Alex Jimenez describes sleep hygiene as a variety of different habits which are often necessary to achieve a proper quality of sleep to rise with full daytime alertness.

Sleep is essential for an individual’s mental and physical health and well-being because it plays an important role in the body’s natural healing and repairing functions. Therefore, the most important sleeping measure is to maintain regular sleeping patterns. According to Dr. Jimenez, heavy meals before bed, caffeine or alcohol before bed, and even improper sleeping postures accompanied by pain and discomfort can be frequent poor sleep hygiene practices that can interfere with the sleep quality of many individuals. Therefore, the various articles on sleep and sleep hygiene can help provide a useful insight towards improving sleep and overall health.


Sleep Affects Gut Health: El Paso Back Clinic

Sleep Affects Gut Health: El Paso Back Clinic

Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa are the microorganisms that naturally live in the digestive tract. Sleep affects gut health and vice versa. A healthy gut microbiota consists of all kinds of microorganisms that produce thousands of compounds and coexist harmoniously. A healthy diet and lifestyle are the biggest factors influencing bacteria variety, and maintaining a varied diet preserves microbiota diversity. Everybody’s gut microbiome is different; the more diverse the gut microbiome, the healthier sleep will be. The Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic Team can develop a personalized nutritional plan to improve gut health and sleep patterns.

Sleep Affects Gut Health: EP's Functional Chiropractic Clinic

Sleep Affects Gut Health

Not having a diverse gut microbiome has been linked to autoimmune diseases, Parkinson’s disease, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Not getting healthy sleep is associated with many diseases and disorders, including:

  • Gastrointestinal disorders
  • Infections
  • Diabetes
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Neurological disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Cancer

Changes in sleep patterns influence the central nervous system and the immune system, which affect different organ systems. For example, studies have shown some gastrointestinal disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome – IBS could be associated with increased REM sleep or the fourth part of the sleep cycle when vivid dreaming occurs. In Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, long-term immune response activation can result in poor sleep, insufficient quality sleep, or other sleep problems. The deepest stages of sleep are when the brain and gut communicate to repair the body, restore nutrients, and remove and release toxins.

Sleep Cycle

During sleep, the immune system produces proteins called cytokines that perform functions during the inflammatory response, either by increasing or blocking inflammation, depending on the body’s needs. Cytokines help promote sleep, fight infection, or stop inflammation in chronic inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

  • Insufficient sleep significantly alters cytokine production, and infection-fighting cells decrease in numbers when sleep deprived, making it harder for the body to fight infections and lessening protection. This increases the inflammatory response and keeps the immune system on.
  • Chronic or long-term immune response activation can result in sleep disturbances or disorders.
  • Some disorders include small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and inflammation caused by microbiome abnormalities or dysbiosis.
  • The gut barrier function begins to malfunction, leading to bacteria and pathogens leaking into blood circulation/leaky gut, triggering immune responses.

Ways to Improve Sleep

One of the main ways to improve sleep quality and gut microbiome health is to practice healthy sleep hygiene. According to the National Sleep Foundation, individuals should:

Nap Smart

  • Naps can be a great way to refresh the mind and body and replenish energy levels during the day.
  • Naps don’t make up for little sleep at night.
  • Keep naps to 20-30 minutes for optimal benefits without disrupting nighttime sleep.

Optimal Sleep Environment

  • Comfortable ergonomic mattress and pillows.
  • Blackout curtains.
  • Temperature between 60 and 67 degrees.

Quit Electronics Before Bed

  • The bright lights from phones and screens can make it difficult to fall asleep fully.
  • Use an alarm clock with a soft night light and keep the bedroom tech-free.

Create Sleep Routine

  • Take a warm shower, read a book, or do light stretches.
  • Create a wind-down routine to relax before bed to signal the body that it’s time for sleep.

Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol Before Bed

  • These substances make it harder for the mind and body to fall or stay asleep.

Food As Medicine


References

Chabé, Magali et al. “Gut Protozoa: Friends or Foes of the Human Gut Microbiota?.” Trends in parasitology vol. 33,12 (2017): 925-934. doi:10.1016/j.pt.2017.08.005

Deng, Feilong, et al. “The gut microbiome of healthy long-living people.” Aging vol. 11,2 (2019): 289-290. doi:10.18632/aging.101771

Gut Bacteria Research: Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine. (2019). “Gut Bacteria: Optimize Gut Health With a Plant-Based Diet,”

Ianiro, Gianluca, et al. “How the gut parasitome affects human health.” Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology vol. 15 17562848221091524. 30 Apr. 2022, doi:10.1177/17562848221091524

Lozupone, Catherine A et al. “Diversity, stability and resilience of the human gut microbiota.” Nature vol. 489,7415 (2012): 220-30. doi:10.1038/nature11550

Sleep and Gut Microbiome Study: PLoS One. (2019). “Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans.

Sleep Hygiene Information: National Sleep Foundation. (2019). “Sleep Hygiene.”

Vaishnavi, C. “Translocation of gut flora and its role in sepsis.” Indian journal of medical microbiology vol. 31,4 (2013): 334-42. doi:10.4103/0255-0857.118870

Sleeping Health: El Paso Back Clinic

Sleeping Health: El Paso Back Clinic

Healthy sleep is vital for having enough energy, thinking clearly, and managing everyday stresses confidently. Chronic unhealthy sleep patterns and/or insomnia can lead to and contribute to various health issues. This includes daytime fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, delayed reaction time, constantly getting sick, and memory problems. Sleeping health problems can get worse with every night of poor rest. Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic provide treatment, training, and tools to realign and relax the body and restore healthy sleep.

Sleeping Health: EP's Chiropractic Specialists

Sleeping Health Problems

Lack of sleep disrupts and slows down nerve impulses and transmissions throughout the body. This can lead to health problems that can include:

  • Excessive fatigue
  • Brain fog
  • Slow responses
  • Physical performance problems
  • Inability to remember
  • Low sex drive
  • Chronic illness
  • Over time the risk of developing a serious medical condition increases and can include:
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • High blood pressure
  • Diabetes
  • Weakened immune system
  • Stroke
  • Heart attack
  • Seizures

Staying On

There is some research that insomnia is associated with hyperarousal or the state of staying on. It often starts with a stressful event that sets off the body’s systems, causing the inability to relax completely. Body discomfort and pain symptoms can also present when the mind and body can’t relax. The entire body can tighten/stiffen, causing aches, soreness, and pain. Continuation of sleeping health problems of the cycle leads to more stress.

Healthy Sleep Benefits

Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep every night to operate optimally. The benefits of healthy sleep include:

  • Healthy immune system function.
  • Thorough tissue and muscle repair.
  • Remembering and recalling things comes easier.
  • Improved insulin regulation, helping to manage food cravings and weight.
  • Enhanced regulation of cortisol.
  • Improved mood and outlook.

Chiropractic Treatment

Chiropractic care, massage, and decompression therapy can help break the cycle. Breaking the process is necessary to help the body recover and rehabilitate properly. Treatment retrains the body to relax; stretching and pulling the muscles increases blood circulation, as well as advanced and improved brain signals telling the body to relax. A chiropractor will evaluate the individuals sleeping patterns and recommend various solutions. The benefits for individuals with sleep issues include:

  • Alleviates muscle tension.
  • Stimulates nerve circulation and blood flow.
  • Relaxes the whole body.
  • Enhances central nervous system function.
  • Relieves pain and discomfort.
  • A chiropractor will also provide the following:
  • Sleeping position recommendations.
  • Postural stretches and exercises.
  • Recommendations on supportive mattresses.
  • Ergonomics for work, home, and bed.

Chiropractic’s Evolution


References

Hale, Deborah, and Katherine Marshall. “Sleep and Sleep Hygiene.” Home healthcare now vol. 37,4 (2019): 227. doi:10.1097/NHH.0000000000000803

Liu, Amy. “Sleep Training.” Pediatric annals vol. 49,3 (2020): e101-e105. doi:10.3928/19382359-20200218-01

What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency?www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleepdeprivation#:~:text=Sleep%20deficiency%20is%20linked%20to,adults%2C%20teens%2C%20and%20children.

What Makes You Sleep? www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/body-clock

How Sleep Affects Your Health www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/health-effects

Riemann, Dieter. “Sleep hygiene, insomnia, and mental health.” Journal of sleep research vol. 27,1 (2018): 3. doi:10.1111/jsr.12661

Adjustable Bed Benefits: El Paso Back Clinic

Adjustable Bed Benefits: El Paso Back Clinic

Getting healthy sleep can be difficult when dealing with back problems or recovering from surgery. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to get and stay comfortable long enough to sleep on a regular flat mattress. It is worth considering an adjustable bed as an alternative. Because of their lifestyle and health benefits, these beds are growing in popularity to meet an individual’s spine, posture, and sleeping needs.

Adjustable Bed Benefits: EP Chiropractic Functional Clinic

Adjustable Bed

An adjustable bed can raise and lower a mattress’s orientation to different angles, allowing the upper body to rest at a slight incline, such as 30 to 45 degrees, with support under the knees as they bend at a slight angle. The body can feel better in an inclined or semi-upright position rather than lying flat. Individuals with back or neck problems or joint conditions like shoulder arthritis have reported feeling better in this position.

Features

The number of adjustments varies from model to model. Available features include:

  • Adjustable firmness for the low back/lumbar area.
  • Adjustments may be made by remote control.
  • Some offer massage options.
  • Zero gravity – NASA invented the zero gravity position to reduce pressure on astronauts during takeoff. In this position, the head and knees are raised above the heart, making the body feel weightless.
  • Adjustable beds are sold in single, queen, and king sizes.
  • Split queen and king sizes allow the settings to be customized for each side of the bed.

Benefits

Snoring

  • Over 90 million Americans snore during sleep.
  • The main cause of snoring is the blockage of the windpipe while sleeping, which can be caused by several factors, but most commonly by the weight of the neck on the windpipe, preventing the individual from breathing properly.
  • An adjustable bed allows for an inclined position, decreasing the pressure on the windpipe, reducing snoring, and allowing for a more relaxing sleep.

Asthma

  • Asthma can disrupt healthy sleep and make breathing difficult at night.
  • COPD and chronic lung conditions can worsen over time, impacting sleep quality.
  • Lying flat often irritates these lung conditions.
  • Sleeping with the head and feet in a raised position makes breathing easier.

Posture

  • Unhealthy posture causes soreness, stiffness, tightness, headaches, and other health issues.
  • Adjustable beds provide postural support to the spine and can improve posture and increase overall health.

Back Problems

  • 80% of individuals deal with various back issues and symptoms.
  • Adjustable beds provide support and alignment to the spine by allowing the mattress to conform to the body’s contours.
  • This can prevent sciatica, enabling the nerves to relax and rest without added body pressure.
  • For those with sciatica, pain can be alleviated by using a raised leg position to take the stress off the nerves and increase circulation.
  • Lowering the bed up and down can help stretch the back.

Digestion

  • An adjustable bed can help with digestion issues.
  • An inclined position prevents indigestion and acid reflux and helps the body process food more efficiently.
  • A six-inch raise is recommended to increase digestion.
  • Individuals who go to bed on a full stomach should raise the incline as there is more digestive activity.

Inflammation, Swelling, and Injury Recovery

  • When dealing with neuromusculoskeletal injuries, doctors often recommend elevating the injured part of the body to speed up recovery.
  • An example is propping up the feet and maintaining elevation for a certain period.
  • An adjustable bed lifts or raises the mattress and elevates the limbs while maintaining a neutral/natural sleeping position.

Pregnancy

  • Physical and hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause back discomfort symptoms, sciatica, circulation issues, and swelling.
  • Pregnant women can use the zero gravity position to reduce swelling, alleviate back pain, and improve circulation.
  • This position also makes back sleeping safer for the mom and baby.

Individuals should research all the styles and features available to find what works for them.


Ten Benefits


References

Ancuelle, Victor, et al. “Effects of an adapted mattress in musculoskeletal pain and sleep quality in institutionalized elders.” Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil) vol. 8,3 (2015): 115-20. doi:10.1016/j.slsci.2015.08.004

Söderback, I, and A Lassfolk. “The usefulness of four methods of assessing the benefits of electrically adjustable beds in relation to their costs.” International journal of technology assessment in health care vol. 9,4 (1993): 573-80. doi:10.1017/s0266462300005493

Tetley, M. “Instinctive sleeping and resting postures: an anthropological and zoological approach to the treatment of low back and joint pain.” BMJ (Clinical research ed.) vol. 321,7276 (2000): 1616-8. doi:10.1136/bmj.321.7276.1616

Verhaert, Vincent, et al. “Ergonomics in bed design: the effect of spinal alignment on sleep parameters.” Ergonomics vol. 54,2 (2011): 169-78. doi:10.1080/00140139.2010.538725

Sciatica Sleep: Decompression

Sciatica Sleep: Decompression

Sciatica Sleep: Poor sleep can leave the body feeling off and unable to function. Not getting the proper amount of sleep can decrease health, decrease work or school productivity, and cause burnout. If it becomes chronic, it can have serious side effects on the brain and body that include:

  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Memory problems
  • Body discomfort, pain
  • Exacerbation or trigger disease

Sciatica Sleep

When sleeping, certain positions/postures can place added pressure on the spine, irritating the nerve. The best sleeping positions maintain the spine’s natural curve and are different for everybody. For example, many individuals sleep on their side. They do not start sleeping this way, but they end up on their side and wake up in pain to find their sciatica flaring up. Other individuals can turn on a specific side, and the symptoms fade or go away.

Positions

The best sleeping position for one individual may not be the best for another. A lot of this depends on the placement of the injury/pinching that can affect how certain sleep positions work, causing no symptoms, while other sleep postures generate all kinds of symptoms, especially pain. Individuals are recommended to sleep in the position that works for them, provided with the correct posture.

Side Sleepers

  • Side sleepers are recommended to place a pillow between their knees for healthy sleep and pain avoidance results.
  • A pillow between the legs helps to prevent twisting.
  • A firm pillow will work or a soft pillow folded in half.
  • It is also recommended to consider a small pillow under the waist to maintain the alignment between the ribs, hips, and the spine.

Back Sleepers

  • Back sleepers can benefit from a pillow under the knees to maintain a neutral curve of the spine.
  • This keeps the legs slightly elevated helping prevent the legs from tilting the pelvis and pulling the spine out of a neutral position.
  • Individuals that sleep on their back but end up on their side, are recommended to use a large pillow or body pillow placed on the side they turn on to prevent this.

Stomach Sleeping Not Recommended

  • Sciatic pain can become worse with sleeping on the stomach.
  • Sleeping on the stomach can collapse the spine and the pelvis as there is no support underneath. This causes damage to the nerves, increasing symptoms and pain levels.
  • Try to avoid sleeping on the stomach until the sciatic nerve has healed or try to train the body to sleep on the side or back.

Sciatica Sleep Decompression

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Can Help Sciatica Sleep Symptoms

Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy relieves pressure on the sciatic nerve, spine, and surrounding muscles by pulling/stretching them in small increments. The decompression creates negative pressure within the discs that floods the area with an abundance of nutrients to activate and expedite the healing response.

  • The chiropractic physical therapy team uses motorized medical equipment with sensors linked to a computer-aided system to perform the procedure.
  • The equipment is designed to adjust the pull force accordingly to prevent muscle resistance.
  • The adjustable table also allows the spine to be stretched at different angles to target all areas of the back.

Relieves Pressure On The Sciatic Nerve

  • Decompression stretches the nerve out and increases the space around the impinged and inflamed nerve.

Pain Relief

  • Decompression relieves tension in tight, spasming, or injured muscles.
  • Stimulates the nervous system to release the body’s natural pain killers.
  • Spinal tissue healing from fluids, cells, and other substances that enter the damaged tissue.

Restores Disc and Joint Alignment

  • Decompression realigns the joints and discs, preventing pain, inflammation, mobility/flexibility problems, and dysfunction.

Encourages Sleep

  • There are toxins in the body, decompression causes these toxins to be expelled.
  • This causes exhaustion because the body needs time to adjust after expelling the negative energy.
  • After a short time, energy levels will return.
  • The decompression relaxes the entire body which allows for more restful sleep.

DRX9000


References

Kim, Shin Hyung et al. “Risk factors associated with clinical insomnia in chronic low back pain: a retrospective analysis in a university hospital in Korea.” The Korean journal of pain vol. 28,2 (2015): 137-43. doi:10.3344/kjp.2015.28.2.137

Radwan, Ahmed, et al. “Effect of different mattress designs on promoting sleep quality, pain reduction, and spinal alignment in adults with or without back pain; a systematic review of controlled trials.” Sleep health vol. 1,4 (2015): 257-267. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2015.08.001

Santilli, Valter, et al. “Chiropractic manipulation in the treatment of acute back pain and sciatica with disc protrusion: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial of active and simulated spinal manipulations.” The spine journal: official journal of the North American Spine Society vol. 6,2 (2006): 131-7. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2005.08.001

Healthy Sleep, Physical Activity, and Muscle Recovery

Healthy Sleep, Physical Activity, and Muscle Recovery

Healthy sleep plays a vital role in the body’s overall health, as it ensures muscle growth, recovery, and illness prevention. This is especially true for home D.I. Yers’ fitness enthusiasts, weekend warriors, athletes, and physically active individuals. When sleeping, the body goes into recovery mode, releasing hormones and other chemicals to repair and restore muscle. A healthy night’s sleep provides the rest the mind and body need to perform at optimal levels.

Healthy Sleep, Physical Activity, and Muscle Recovery

Healthy Sleep

Sleep is vital for recovering from workouts. This could be construction work, exercise, gardening, sports, landscaping, any activity that uses bodyweight or works against some form of resistance. The muscles cannot repair themselves properly without proper sleep. Sleep aids the muscles in releasing protein-building amino acids, helping them grow in size and strength.

  • Growth hormone is released during non-REM sleep that stimulates tissue growth and repairs muscle.
  • During REM or rapid eye movement sleep, blood pressure drops, breathing slows and deepens, the brain relaxes, and blood supply to the muscles increases, feeding them oxygen and nutrients.

Unhealthy Sleep

Sleep maintains the muscles’ sharpness, coordination, function, and muscle movement patterns that improve physical performance. The body needs to sleep for at least 7 hours a night for muscles to grow properly. Not getting healthy sleep decreases protein synthesis activity and increases the activity of degradation that leads to muscle loss.

Less Sleep Leads To Eating More

Hormonal changes occur when the body sleeps less, causing individuals to feel hungry more often, increasing the amount of food taken in because after eating, the body does not feel full right away, so the individual continues to eat. Without sleep, the body decreases the production of a hormone that indicates when the body is full and activates a hormone that causes hunger. Insufficient sleep also lowers the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Because of this, the muscle fuel glycogen is not adequately replenished. Without the regular restoration of glycogen, individuals have less energy, insulin sensitivity decreases, increasing the risk of diabetes.

Physical Health

Unhealthy sleep also impacts overall physical health. Individuals that do not get healthy sleep have an increased risk of developing:

  • Irritability
  • Anxiety
  • High blood pressure
  • Obesity
  • Kidney disease
  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Mental health issues
  • Depression

Body Composition


Nutrition Before Bed

Nighttime Snacks

  • Research has found that certain foods that contain tryptophan or melatonin can help with sleep.
  • These include turkey, bananas, milk, rice, grapefruit, oats, cherries, walnuts, and almonds.

Cut Back on Carbohydrates Before Bed

  • Consuming carbohydrate-rich foods before bed can impair growth hormone activation during sleep.

Reduce or Remove Afternoon and Evening Caffeine

  • Caffeine can impair sleep, sometimes without knowing it.
  • Avoid caffeinated foods or beverages before bed.

Eliminate Energy Drinks

  • These drinks can contain elevated levels of caffeine and other substances that can result in overstimulation.
  • This hyper-active state can cause individuals to decline in performance.
  • Overconsumption of energy drinks has been linked to adverse effects, including strokes, seizures, and death.

Eliminate Sugar

  • Sugar raises blood sugar, which triggers the pancreas to release insulin, fueling the cells causing overstimulation.
  • Eliminating sugar after dinner can help the body fall asleep.
References

Dattilo, M et al. “Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis.” Medical hypotheses vol. 77,2 (2011): 220-2. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2011.04.017

Morselli, Lisa et al. “Role of sleep duration in the regulation of glucose metabolism and appetite.” Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism vol. 24,5 (2010): 687-702. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2010.07.005

Murray, Bob, and Christine Rosenbloom. “Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes.” Nutrition reviews vol. 76,4 (2018): 243-259. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuy001

Sleeping With A Bulging Disc

Sleeping With A Bulging Disc

Sleeping with a bulging disc can be challenging for the body to achieve the proper rest. And sleeping in an awkward position can add stress to the spine, making the bulge worse, which can cause tingling, numbness, pain, and digestive problems. This can disrupt the sleep cycle and prevent proper healing of the spinal injury.

Sleeping With A Bulging Disc

Sleeping With a Bulging Disc

When sleeping, most back pain occurs in the lumbar or lower back, in one of two places where the spine meets the pelvis. Around 95% of lower back herniations happen in the L4-L5 spinal segment or the L5-S1 Lumbosacral joint. Any back pain can turn into a vicious cycle of:

  • Inconsistent sleep
  • Chronic pain
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Work/School performance
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Immune system compromisation
  • Mental health problems
  • Depression

Sleeping with a bulging disc requires maintaining the ears, shoulders, and hips aligned to keep the spine aligned.

Sleeping on The Back

Back sleeping done correctly is the best way to sleep for the spine’s health. The important thing is to ensure the entire back is supported when sleeping. If there is a gap or space between the mattress and the back, the weight and gravity force the spine to lower in an unnatural way to fill the space. This can cause back muscle soreness, injury, and sciatica. A thin pillow, blanket, or towel can be used to fill the space, giving the spine the support it needs. Back sleepers can also benefit from a pillow or two under the knees to elevate the legs and help maintain the natural curve of the pine.

Sleeping on The Side

Side sleepers can try pulling the legs up toward the chest, and placing a pillow between the knees can provide relief when sleeping with a bulging disc. Pulling the legs up in the fetal position can relieve pressure on the discs. It is recommended to switch sides to keep the spine balanced. This helps maintain hip alignment, which helps keep the spine in a neutral position.

Sleeping On The Stomach

It is recommended to avoid sleeping on the stomach. This pulls the spine down into an unnatural curve that can cause and exacerbate back pain. For individuals that naturally stomach sleep, it is recommended to place a pillow under the hips and lower abdomen to prevent unnatural spinal positioning.

Chiropractic Relief

Utilizing the right sleeping position can provide pain relief and thorough rest. However, sleeping with a herniated disc is far from what is needed to get back to a normal healthy sleeping pattern. This depends on the location of the bulging disc, severity, and cause. A chiropractor can:

  • Determine the cause.
  • Relieve the pain.
  • Help heal the bulging disc.
  • Realign the spine.
  • Maintain long-term relief without recurrence.
  • Help the individual develop an optimal sleeping routine and positioning.

Body Composition


Sleep and Growth Hormone In Children

Growth, in all ages, is primarily controlled by growth hormone. The hormone is regulated by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland which plays an important role in sleep. Growth hormone has been found:

  • It peaks during the beginning of deep sleep.
  • There are multiple smaller peaks during the other stages of sleep.
  • Those who have a delay at the beginning of deep sleep have delayed rises in growth hormone levels.

For children to grow they need to have proper levels of growth hormone. This means they need to have the proper amount of sleep for proper body composition. Research has found that increased levels of sleep resulted in less overall fat mass and a reduced percentage of body fat allowing their bodies to grow.

References

Al Qaraghli MI, De Jesus O. Lumbar Disc Herniation. [Updated 2021 Aug 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560878/

Desouzart, Gustavo et al. ‘Effects of Sleeping Position on Back Pain in Physically Active Seniors: A Controlled Pilot Study. 1 Jan. 2016: 235 – 240.

Kose, Gulsah et al. “The Effect of Low Back Pain on Daily Activities and Sleep Quality in Patients With Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Pilot Study.” The Journal of neuroscience nursing: Journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses vol. 51,4 (2019): 184-189. doi:10.1097/JNN.0000000000000446

Sener, Sevgi, and Ozkan Guler. “Self-reported data on sleep quality and psychologic characteristics in patients with myofascial pain and disc displacement versus asymptomatic controls.” The International Journal of prosthodontics vol. 25,4 (2012): 348-52.

Inadequate Sleep

Inadequate Sleep

Individuals talk about how they don’t sleep much because they have so much to do and can operate/function on only 5 or 6 hours of sleep and are surprised when they develop serious health problems and mental health issues. However, inadequate sleep is a big deal. Depriving the body and mind of proper sleep leads to all kinds of health problems that include:

  • Daytime fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Difficulty concentrating and thinking clearly
  • Memory issues
  • Delayed reaction time and response
  • Weakened immune system
  • Decreased libido

Inadequate Sleep

Over time the adverse effects become worse, increasing the risk for severe medical conditions that include:

Chiropractic

Chiropractors focus on whole-body health, are specialists in the musculoskeletal system, and take a multifaceted approach to treat fatigue and inadequate sleep. They can help with sleep problems and other health factors by bringing the body back into alignment/balance, improving circulation, nerve energy flow, and nervous system function. This includes chiropractic adjustments and therapeutic massage.

Spinal Adjustments

  • Misalignment of the cervical spine could be contributing to issues breathing and getting into a deep sleep.
  • Spinal realignment can help with better sleep.

Posture Analysis and Sleep Positions

  • Posture is a significant part of optimal health, especially when breathing correctly.
  • A chiropractor can analyze and correct any posture misalignments.
  • They can also advise how best to sleep, so the airway does not become obstructed during the night.

Health Factors

  • A recommendation for fatigue and inadequate sleep is to lose weight if overweight or obese.
  • A trained nutritionist or health coach can help develop healthy eating and lifestyle habits.

Less Stress and Plenty of Sleep

The combination of spinal adjustments and therapeutic massage can generate significant benefits to help keep the body healthy. Chiropractic adjustments have been found to release stress-reducing hormones like oxytocin and neurotensin. And therapeutic massage has been shown to improve inadequate sleep patterns, as well as:

  • Relax the body
  • Reduce Stress
  • Reduce muscle tension that causes restlessness
  • Relieve pain and discomfort
  • Release positive hormones
  • Increase mobility

Body Composition


Lack of Sleep Makes It Harder To Lose fat

  • Irregular sleep throws off the ghrelin and leptin cycles, making the body hungrier.
  • Sleeping less has been linked to eating more, increasing energy intake.
  • Sleeping less can cause reductions in Basal Metabolic Rate by as much as 20%, reducing total energy output.
  • Being tired also reduces spontaneous movements, reducing total energy output.
References

Jamison, Jennifer R. “Insomnia: does chiropractic help?.” Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics vol. 28,3 (2005): 179-86. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2005.02.013

Jehan, Shazia et al. “Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity: Implications for Public Health.” Sleep medicine and disorders: international journal vol. 1,4 (2017): 00019.

Kashani, Fahimeh, and Parisa Kashani. “The effect of massage therapy on the quality of sleep in breast cancer patients.” Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research vol. 19,2 (2014): 113-8.

Kingston, Jana et al. “A review of the literature on chiropractic and insomnia.” Journal of chiropractic medicine vol. 9,3 (2010): 121-6. doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2010.03.003