Sleep is considered to be one of the most important things to help your body function. We all know this but why is sleep so important? Why do we have to do it? This may be something that many of us don’t actually know. We all know that we do feel better after a full nights rest but why?

There are a lot of different things going on while we are actually asleep. We enter one of two different kids of sleep, REM or non-REM. Non-REM sleep is the one you are in the longest and it is the one that your body uses to store long term memories. REM sleep is the one where you dream the most. You go through this sleep cycle anywhere form 3 to 5 times a night.

While you are sleeping and entering in and out of each sleep cycle your body does other things. Your body temperature naturally lowers a couple degrees while you are sleeping to help keep it asleep. This is why you sleep better when the temperature in your house is lower. Your breathing becomes much slower and more routine while you are sleeping. When you are awake your breathing is always different based on the level of activity you are doing. During non-REM sleep your pulse and blood pressure decrease which gives your heart and veins a chance to rest from the stress of daily living.

When you close your eyes and start to drift into non-REM sleep, your brain cells settle down from their daytime activity levels and start firing in a steady, more rhythmic pattern. When you start to dream, your brain cells fire actively and randomly. In REM sleep your brain activity looks similar to when you’re awake. When you are in REM your brain does a “cleaning” of your thoughts. That is why you remember things better after a good nights rest and you also preform better.

When you are sleeping one of the most important things that happens is your body works to repair muscles, organs and other cells. The chemicals that strengthen your immune system start to be carried through your blood stream. When you are young you spend about a fifth of your night in really deep sleep and by the time you reach 65 years old it is much less.

While you are sleeping your hormones start to level out the way that they are suppose to. For example, your growth hormone levels go up along with cortisol, which helps your stress go down. Scientists thing that insomnia can be tied to your hormone-making system. When you don’t get enough sleep your leptin and ghrelin levels can go up which causes hunger and weight gain.

So how can Chiropractic help with sleep?

When most people think about Chiropractic care all they think they do is crack your back and help with pain in your back. Most don’t understand the importance of what Chiropractic care can do for your sleep. Because Chiropractors focus on your spine and fix misalignments, it boosts your spines overall health. When you get an adjustment it helps with pain and tension, which in return helps relax your body and helps you fall asleep and stay asleep easier.

Chiropractic care is also focused on helping your central nervous system, which is a huge factor in the function of your body and sleep. The more efficient your body is, the less wasted energy you have and in return the easier it is for you to sleep!

If you are having issues falling or staying asleep make sure to give us a call or schedule online HERE. We will help our patients in any way we can to get them to rest better!

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