Many of my chiropractic patients find it difficult to get adequate sleep each night due to chronic pain.
The combination of pain, stress, frequent caffeine consumption, and other factors lead to a hard-to-break cycle. When you’re in pain and don’t sleep, you drink more coffee. The caffeine keeps you awake and then you worry about not sleeping, which causes additional stress. And the circle goes around and around.
It takes an external intervention to break these kinds of cycles.
Treating the Pain That Keeps You Awake
The dangers of opioids and even some over-the-counter pain medications are well documented. Finding relief from chronic pain can leave you frustrated.
Medications can not heal the source of your musculoskeletal pain. A pill will not realign your vertebrae or correct a tilted pelvis.
Chiropractic adjustments, however, can.
If you treat the underlying cause of chronic low back or shoulder pain, you can find long-term relief. Regular chiropractic care improves your sleep.
Why Sleep is So Important
The deepest level of the sleep cycle, stage four, is when the body restores energy levels, heals torn muscles, balances hormones, strengthens the immune system, and quite literally keeps the mind healthy and sane. It is during this stage that melatonin is produced.
Interruptions to this stage of sleep lead to long-term health problems. Some studies have linked a higher incidence of heart disease and even diabetes to patients who have chronic insomnia. Sleep deprivation can lead to brain and thinking difficulties, make you more prone to injuries, and in extreme cases, death.
Natural Remedies
In addition to regular chiropractic visits to address the underlying source of your pain, there are some natural remedies that can improve your sleep.
Turmeric for Pain Relief
The chemical called “curcumin” found in turmeric dramatically reduces inflammation and pain by inhibiting certain enzymes that can cause muscle damage. You should be careful about taking “curcumin” extracts, as these commercially available products are often hard for the body to absorb and require massive doses to be effective. For most consistent results, a clinically studied extract called BCM-95 is blended with turmeric essential oil for improved absorption and is recommended.
Boswellia for Pain Relief
This is a perfect partner to curcumin. It blocks inflammation and has the potential to stop joint damage due to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
A recent study examined a curcumin-boswellia combination versus the prescription medication, Celebrex, in patients with osteoarthritis. It found that nearly 65% of patients taking the herbs improved their pain levels dramatically, compared to 35% with Celebrex.
Melatonin Supplements for Improving Sleep
Taking a melatonin supplement can encourage better sleep, but only if you take it regularly and consistently. There are some natural botanicals that contain melatonin, cherry extract, for example, but most patients opt for an over-the-counter product from their local health food store.
Speedy Recovery
Call NowHelping your body heal itself through holistic chiropractic care is our mission. By addressing the source of your back pain with deep tissue massage and chiropractic adjustments, we can quickly help you break the pain-stress cycle that keeps you awake at night. Your sleep will be better after a visit to our chiropractic office.