This Blog will answer the question, Does Sleep Affect your Health?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are those rare individuals (approximately 1 in 10,000) who can function effectively on less than six hours of sleep per night. Looking back at the history of Chiropractic, there is such a man. He dedicated his life to helping those in the worst of health to regain and maintain a quality of life. This man is Dr. Clanence S. Gonstead (1989-1978). Dr. Gondtead was a man of great mechanical and technical knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a\nyoung man in school, he suffered from a debilitating acute arthritis. This\nlimited his ability to move so significantly, that his aunt coerced him to see\nher doctor, a chiropractor. Several in-home adjustments and he was back on his\nfeet with a complete recovery. Soon he was off to be a chiropractor himself.\nThe story of Dr. Gonstead\u2019s successful practice continued to grow. I share this\nwith you because his busy days drew into busy nights. He worked six and\none-half days a week seeing over 250 patients a day. He was not a man to slow\ndown either. To this he added more work hours helping people from all over the\ncountry. It is said that often his last patient would be 2:30am the next\nmorning. Dr. Gonstead\u2019s need for sleep is an exception to most of us needing a\ngood eight hours per night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Studies\ncontinue to show the ill effects of sleep deprivation. These include the body\u2019s\ndecreased ability to recharge and repair itself from the day\u2019s task, injury,\nillness or other calamity. This makes the body susceptible to increased risk of\npain complexes, heart disease, digestive problem and even cancers. These\nstudies determined \u201cmore than 40 percent of Americans are sleep deprived,\ngetting less than 5 hours of sleep per night.\u201d The Centers of Disease Control (CDC)\ncategorized \u201csleep deprivation\u201d as a public health epidemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\ncombined 300 studies on sleep show-getting under seven hours of sleep per night\nwill increase your risk of weight gain by affecting specific hormone balances.\nIf you are getting less than six hours, even for one night, this can affect\ncognition and the ability to think clearly the next day. Do you risk that daily\nwith tasks and school, home or work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It could\nbe that your sleep is being disrupted by a breathing or oxygen uptake condition\nsuch as apnea. This should be addressed at the causation. Seek treatment with a\nhealth care provider who can get to the foundation of your problem. Your sleep\nmay also be disrupted, or limited, due to pain complex. Proper quantity and\nquality of sleep can help reduce pain by raising pain tolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How can\nyou help optimize your body\u2019s rhythms to maximize the benefits of an eight hour\nsleep night? Well, getting to sleep before midnight is of key importance.\nGetting to bed too late will disrupt the pineal gland and create an imbalance\nof brain chemistry that helps proper sleep rhythms. Also spending brief periods\nin natural sunlight (15-20 minutes) upon waking and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
around\nthe noon hour. These periodic therapeutic doses of sunlight reset circadian\nrhythms of the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some tips\nto assist your journey to better sleep:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-Keep\nyour sleep place\/room void of light and electronics while sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-Avoid\nT.V., computer, smartphone or other visual electronics at least 60 minutes\nbefore bedtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-Avoid\ncaffeine late in the day-caffeine can stay in your system for 8+ hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-Avoid\nmedication with stimulants such as cold\/allergy drugs late in the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-If you need an alarm, do not put it next to your bed near your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The answer to Does Sleep Affect Your Health is-YES! Your local Tempe Chiropractor can give you tips on how to optimize your sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n