Chiropractic Care in Geelong – the importance of sleep

One of the recommendations our Geelong chiropractors often give to patients is to work on getting good quality sleep.  Whether it be low back pain, neck pain, headaches or fibromyalgia, treatments – including chiropractic care – are more effective when combined with advice and education on improving sleep quality and duration.

Over the past decade the importance of sleep and its beneficial effects on reducing pain has been gaining momentum.  There are a growing number of studies that have demonstrated the link between ongoing pain and poor quality sleep. The relationship between pain and sleep works both ways – on the one hand, people who have ongoing pain have trouble getting a good night sleep and not sleeping well can exaggerate pain symptoms.

There are many reasons why people don’t get enough sleep and techniques and therapies for improving sleep quality are limited.  However, there is pretty good bet that if you can improve your sleep quality and duration, it will have a beneficial effect on pain levels, as well as on other symptoms like low mood, anxiety and depression.

Some tips that our Geelong chiropractors give to people wanting to improve their sleep quality include:

• Limit alcohol intake
• Limit or avoid caffeine intake (especially in the afternoon and evening)
• Try relaxation techniques – like breathing exercises, mindfulness exercises, listening to music
• Have a regular bedtime routine which includes limiting television in the bedroom

If you’ve tried these simple measures, our chiropractors might recommend trying:

• Supplements – Melatonin may be effective supplement so you should discuss this with your GP or naturopath
• Medications – you will need to discuss potential benefits/risks with your doctor

Our chiropractors are here help, so why not to implement some of these strategies into your sleep routine and see if they can help you get a good nights sleep.  If you’re still struggling with your pain, give us a call and we’d be happy to see if chiropractic care might be part of the solution for you.

For more information, check out the Sleep Heath Foundation