The Science Behind Losing Sleep And How Chiropractors in Portland Can Help

Some people are very lucky when it comes to the ability to fall asleep quickly and soundly... and personally, I have never been one of them. I’m writing today to share a variety of reasons, some related to pain, that may be affecting the quality or consistency of someone’s sleep.

As we age our sleep quality tends to change, but the amount of sleep we need to function properly doesn’t change. Three sleep issues that typically occur as we get older; there is an increase in the time it takes to fall asleep, an overall reduction in delta and REM sleep (the incredibly important deep sleep stages), and there is an increase in fragment sleep. These sleep issues fall on a spectrum of reasons ranging from neurological complications, to medications, to stress, anxiety, diet or even something as simple as turning off your screens before you go to bed. Whatever the reason, patients need to be assessed by their Portland doctors by means of a thorough medical history and intake to determine the exact cause.

Chiropractic Care For Improved Sleep in Portland OR

There are many factors that need to be assessed and ruled out before by doctors for patients who are losing sleep to get a proper diagnosis on what is causing their sleep inconsistencies. This is more important than ever before because research is now showing that there are consequences to chronic sleep loss. Alzheimers and Parkinson’s have now been linked to sleep deprivation. In a study published by the Canadian Association for Neuroscience concluded that, up to 80% of individuals who experience REM disturbances are connected to a neurological disorder later in life.

Lack of sleep increases hunger due to altering hormones like ghrelin, a hunger hormone and leptin, a satiating hormone and there is a link between lowered leptin levels and a higher BMI. In fact, a study published in the Public Library of Science: Medicine, a peer reviewed medical journal reported, “short sleep duration was associated with decreased leptin and increased ghrelin, changes that have also been observed in reaction to food restriction and weight loss and are typically associated with increased appetite. These hormone alterations may contribute to the BMI increase that occurs with sleep curtailment”

There is good news for patients who are looking for non-pharmaceutical relief to improve their sleep quality though. An article by the National Sleep Foundation shared that chiropractic care not only reduces your pain, but it may also improve the quality of your sleep stating, “while chiropractors generally aren’t thought of as being experts on sleep issues, one-third of people who have a chiropractic adjustment report that they experience immediate sleep improvement”.

Call our team at North Portland Wellness Group in Portland today to schedule an appointment.

References:

“CDC - Sleep Hygiene Tips - Sleep and Sleep Disorders.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 July 2016, www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html.

“Connecting the Dots between Dreams and Brain Disease.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 29 May 2017, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170529133723.htm.

Taheri, Shahrad et al. “Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin, and increased body mass index.” PLoS medicine vol. 1,3 (2004): e62. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0010062