There are a lot of reasons that attribute to sleepless nights. We live fast-paced lives that can hinder our ability to stay disconnected from electronics close to bedtime or sometimes in the middle of the night when we cannot rest.

We eat on as random of schedules as we do sleep causing late-night snacking and full tummies at bedtime. We live in two-parent working households creating full schedules without a breath for relaxation.

Insomnia affects 50-70 million Americans. And these are only the cases that are diagnosed. A lot that are diagnosed may be individuals that sleep a full seven or more hours but are not receiving a quality night sleep.

What is the difference and how does quality matter? Quality is defined as the excellence of something or a distinctive attribute. Without a complete, quality-filled seven or eight hours, the sleep is unfortunately all for nothing.

Anxiety, chronic illness, or back pain is just a few issues that can creep into the bedroom as you try to sleep. Many feel lost as to how to gain back control when issues seem un-treatable. Through chiropractic and massage therapy, insomnia can be helped to create a healthier sleep routine and cycle. Either through healthcare benefits or treatments at home, you can move towards a quality night sleep.

Chiropractic Care   

Through the treatment of neuro-muscular disorders, chiropractors seek to improve functionality and reduce any pain restoring integrity to the spine.

Many may believe a chiropractor can only aid spinal or back pain including sciatica leg pain. Or it could be viewed as temporary relief during a muscle strain or maternity health. But a chiropractor can also help with any issues caused by headaches, arthritis, or injury sustained from an accident. Asking your general practitioner to refer to you a great chiropractor in your area is a perfect place to start. You can also find chiropractic treatment in Scottsdale if you’re currently living in Arizona.

A mattress is one of the first lines of defense for painful conditions like sciatica, hip, spinal, or lower back conditions while a supportive pillow aids any neck issues. Sleep deprivation issues can stem from any of those painful conditions but many disregard arthritic pain or headaches to the neuro-muscular disorders treatable through chiropractic care. And all of these conditions can lead to more health problems if treatment is not sought.

• Headaches: Irregular sleeping patterns for any sort of underlying health conditions can increase or cause headaches including migraines. The S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health found sleeping six hours or less increased the chance and frequency of triggered headaches including migraines or tension-related. With irregular sleeping patterns comes many sleep disorders that are treatable through a sleep study if healthcare does not achieve expectations.
• Arthritis: 80 percent of sufferers report sleep deprivation issues. Keeping a sleep diary may help track patterns. The Arthritis Foundation recommends a sleep study if after treatment, medication, and exercise do not alleviate symptoms.
• Back pain: The American Chiropractic Association sites 80 percent of individuals have suffered back pains or injuries at some point in their life with 31 million Americans dealing with back pains at any given day. Pain that worsens at night can be even trickier to try and find a comfortable resting position. Americans spend $50 billion annually on back pain relief ($190 billion through healthcare claims). It is also the second leading cause for missing a day’s work with 20 percent of doctor visits relating to back strain and pain.

“According to the National Institutes of Health, insomnia can be related to neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease or emotional disorders depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress syndrome. Other possible causes include arthritis, asthma, headaches, hyperthyroidism, gastrointestinal disorders or menopause.”

Chiropractic care can help infants, with 40 percent of parents noticing a difference after just one chiropractic visit.

Massage Therapy            

“Massage therapy is the manual manipulation of soft body tissues and muscular structure of the human body.” Home remedies help create the illusion of relaxation with essential oils, lighting, and general atmosphere. But sometimes to fully relax, hiring a massage therapist or trying a few trigger point exercises at home can aid the quality-loss of sleep.

Healthcentral.com describes massage as a helpful, natural way to “combat insomnia by promoting the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain. It is believed that the area of the brain that facilitates the body entering into deep sleep uses serotonin to communicate. The brain also uses serotonin to produce melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone which tells the brain to ‘slow down’ and to prepare to sleep.”

You may associate massage to the back but other treated areas can help penetrate issues through the use of essential oils and massage.

Did you know there are trigger points in your feet that help alleviate other painful symptoms in your body? Trigger points in reflexology therapy on feet can help relax the spine, heart, head, neck, and other internal organs. Think about the weight your feet carry. Now try to imagine how relaxing it feels to have a foot massage to relieve the pain. There are simple ways to incorporate small advances at home with foot therapy to help alleviate stress in your body but a licensed massage therapist, reflexologist, or acupuncturist study and understand the trigger points to focus on closely. Your doctor can give recommendations of how to best be treated.

Head massage helps balance what Chinese medicine discusses as the “yin and yang” or imbalance of energy flow. Sleep Junkies website has a step-by-step instructional to disperse the yang helping you sleep better throughout the night.

Though both chiropractic and massage therapy are proven ways to leading a more natural, healthy living, not everything is full-proof when dealing with insomnia issues.

If you benefit from massage and chiropractic care, you may still have a sleep disorder that is preventing you from getting the quality of sleep you deserve.

If you are struggling with any of these issues, contact the Alaska Sleep Clinic for a free consultation.