Catch your Zzz’s

Sleep:  Can’t live without it..literally.  We need it to process the things we learn, to rejuvenate cells, to heal the body through the immune system, and now there’s even statistic on how it affects the cardiovascular system.  Annually, with daylight sayings when we loose an hour of sleep in the spring.  There’s a marked 24% increase in heart attacks the day after.  In the autumn, when we gain an hour of sleep.  There’s a 21% reduction in heart attacks respectively (Dr. Matt Walker).  This also applies toward auto accidents.  All of this change from just a simple one hour change to sleep.  Needless to say, sleep is quite an important aspect of daily living.  In fact, its 1/3 of our life.  Any health professional can agree that a person’s overall health is at its best with adequate sleep.

Which is why through out time, there’s always been debates, studies, discussions surrounding sleep. So many different articles on the best sleeping position, the best pillow, the best mattress, and even the best temperature to fall asleep in. Of course, the best of the best would be whatever works well for your Zzz’s. With so many consumer options to perfect your sleep (including numerous apps available for white noise, sleep tracker, & the likes); sleep has been muddled with seemingly infinite combinations. In reality, its a simple yes/no question: did you sleep well?  with many follow up questions of “do you feel well rested? are you tired/groggy? and did you dream?”

Aside from following the typical rules that have been written serving as a guideline for “good” sleep:  limiting caffeine by a certain time, cutting the alcohol, working out, eating the last meal before 7pm, avoiding triggers such as the news and screen time at night.  There are additional physical factors to focus on.  As a chiropractor, I have to be slightly biased and say the key to great sleep and energy the morning after is the neck positioning during sleep. Why? Your upper neck specifically houses your brainstem, which allows for proper nerve flow and sensory that control your whole body. Neutral positioning of your head, neck, and shoulders allow for a stress free brainstem, leading to a betters sleep for a better morning after, which leads to a healthier you.

How do we achieve that neutral head/neck position? Choice of mattress is a very personal one and it needs not be discussed for the purpose of this piece. Find one that you are comfortable with and can fall asleep with easily based on comfort and temperature. With more and more mattress companies including a free trial run with purchase, its easier to find the perfect mattress to your spinal liking. The pillow, however, can be a little bit more complicated. The ultimate goal of a pillow is proper (and neutral) neck and head support. Imagine as you are upright, a straight line running midline down from centre of your skull, thru the glabella (between the eyebrow), nose, and sternum (aim for midline between your shoulders).  That line as you are vertical needs to be maintained when you are on your side.  Any pillow that influences the integrity of said line is not a good pillow.  Seems simple enough right? When in doubt, ask your local chiropractor for help. Sometimes, your general physical discomfort upon waking up or even pain during the night can be a result of the nervous system misfiring due to the atlas misalignment.

Sleep is as important as eating and breathing. Without it, our bodies will shut down.

Vertigo alone is not a diagnosis

Vertigo is becoming a more common problem for office visits to primary doctors, ear, nose and throat specialists, neurologists and physical therapists. Vertigo is a symptom that causes a person to feel like they are moving when they really are not. Sometimes a person with vertigo can feel like the walls and the floor are moving, resulting in associated symptoms of nausea, vomiting, sweating or walking difficulties. Activities of daily living can become difficult and at times, intimidating.

When someone says they have vertigo, this is a description of a symptom that may be associated with different conditions such as Meniere’s disease, infection, multiple sclerosis, migraine, head trauma, brain tumor and others. However, in a majority of the cases, a structural shift of the head and neck position known as atlas displacement complex can be a contributor to vertigo symptoms. In a neurological sense, the neck position tells the brain where the body is in space. With the neck off-center, the body’s sensory systems will not have the right information, leading to a sense of imbalance.

The top of the neck, where the atlas bone cradles the head, houses more sensory receptors than the rest of the body, and injuries to this area such whiplash and concussion will disturb the balance of the sensory receptors. Typically, a person with vertigo symptoms have had injuries to the upper neck or head. By fixing this misalignment of the upper neck, the major contributor to vertigo can be corrected.

Vertigo

There’s no question if you have it when you have it.