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:
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 oxytocinand neurotensin. And therapeutic massage has been shown to improve inadequate sleep patterns, as well as:
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
A good portion of the population deals with night back pain. But there is another group that can attribute their back pain to sleep apnea. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that 26% of adults between 30 and 70 have this disorder. Sleep apnea back pain can turn into a vicious cycle. Unrestful sleep caused by sleep apnea can make an individual more susceptible to pain. Back pain can cause sleep problems, and the cycle begins again.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a chronic sleep disorder in adults in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. Symptoms include:
Excessive sleepiness during the day
Snoring
Abrupt waking during sleep
Risk factors include:
Obesity
Smoking
Diabetes
Narrow airway
History of sleep apnea in family
There is ongoing research about risk factors for sleep apnea.
The Sleep Apnea and Back Pain Connection
Back pain could be a symptom of a vertebral fracture. Sleep apnea has been found to be associated with a higher risk of vertebral fractures. Research has found a connection between obstructive sleep apnea and vertebral fractures in women. The study found that women with a history of obstructive sleep apnea had an increased risk of vertebral fracture compared to individuals with no history of sleep apnea. Research is looking into how sleep apnea impacts bone health, specifically in the vertebrae. Doctors believe there are multiple ways in which sleep apnea can affect bone health like:
Smoking can increase the severity by lowering the functionality of the airway causing inflammation.
CPAP machines or continuous positive airway pressure, have proven to be beneficial.
Treatment options need to be discussed with a healthcare provider if diagnosed with this condition. Treatment is important because if left untreated it can lead to serious health issues increasing the risk for:
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Metabolic syndrome
Post-surgery complications
Better Sleep
If experiencing sleep apnea neck or back pain, make an appointment to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis. A treatment plan that works for the individual will be developed to ease symptoms, resulting in back pain alleviation and better sleep.
Body Composition
Proper Sleep and Fat Loss
Losing fat mass is strongly linked to proper sleep. For the body to lose fat the body needs to be in a caloric deficit, which means more energy gets used than the amount of energy the body takes in. This can be accomplished by restricting calories through diet and burning more calories through exercise. This can be referred to as calories in/calories out.
Losing sleep can sabotage fat loss goals significantly altering the body’s hormonal profile. This includes hormones that regulate appetite. Ghrelin is associated with hunger, and leptin is associated with feeling full. Ghrelin spikes right before a meal prompting an individual to eat. Losing sleep interferes with the body’s ghrelin/leptin balance. Thisresults in an increase in ghrelin and a reduction in leptin levels.
Disclaimer
The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP, CIFM, CTG* email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com phone: 915-850-0900 Licensed in Texas & New Mexico
References
Intro: Rheumatology International. (May 2013) “Prevalence and severity of insomnia in chronic low back pain patients” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23124732/
How Sleep Apnea and Back Pain are Related: Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. (September 2020) “Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Risk for Incident Vertebral and Hip Fracture in Women” asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jbmr.4127
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