Can Chiropractic Affect Sleep and Anxiety? Yes.
Sleep and anxiety can come from many underlying causes, for sure. What if vertebral subluxation / presence of a neurostructural shift was one of those reasons? In our experience, many patients sleep better after getting adjusted, and indeed overall sleep quality improves in many of our patients over a course of care. And when a person sleeps better, they are often less anxious. To me, those are some strong life-quality enhancing benefits of neurostructural correction!
Click here to read the abstract of a detailed case study following resolution of sleep and anxiety disorders in a patient undergoing neurostructural care for correction of vertebral subluxations. The full article is available either by journal subscription, or at Path of Life Chiropractic by request.
Brain Clogged? Perhaps we can help open the "drain."
Just when we silly humans think we know a thing or two, we discover new information that changes everything... In 2015, researchers stumbled across a finding that turned over longstanding doctrine in the neuroscience field: the existence of a lymphatic system within the cranium, which serves as a conduit for flushing out fluids containing metabolic waste products from brain tissues (for a deeper read, click here and here). This discovery, in the context of the also-recent discovery of the brain's glymphatic system (click here for a review), which "cleans out" the deepest of brain tissues at a cellular level, suggests the importance of pressure gradients and of the patency of effluent architecture for maintenance of neurochemical homeostasis. So where might Chiropractic care fit in? Well....click here to read the abstract of a hypothesis paper discussing the possibility that subluxation of the top segment of the vertebral column, C1 (also called "Atlas") might create a "clog in the drain" preventing efficient outflow of metabolic waste from the cranial cavity. (Full article available by journal subscription, or by request at Path of Life Chiropractic.) Research will be necessary to elucidate whether this hypothesis "holds water;" however, on an observational basis, the improved mental clarity reported by many chiropractic patients after their adjustment certainly supports this possibility. As with all science.... only time and more research will tell!
Chiropractic care and HRV: Can YOUR Adaptability be improved?
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a powerful reflection of the body's adaptation to stressors in its environment. HRV is ascertained by observing the variation in the time intervals between normal heartbeats, the intrinsic rhythm of which is modulated by the vagus nerve. Low HRV is correlated with, and in many cases predictive of, decreased health; conversely, higher HRV is associated with peak athletic performance and may be predictive of healthy longevity. Anything that improves HRV, then, may be anticipated to improve human health, and may be protective against disease and dysfunction.
HRV can be modulated by both chemical and natural means. For instance, certain drugs are known to have an effect on HRV (statins, SSRIs), and omega 3 fatty acids and green tea can also change HRV, as can exercise training. Recently, the potential benefits of chiropractic care on HRV have been described in several peer-reviewed research papers. One of these projects was the work of Dr. Amy Haas, with the help and participation of her patients here at Path of Life Chiropractic, and editorial contribution by a leader in Chiropractic research, David Russell, BSc (Psych), BSc (Chiro), Cert TT. This work is unique in that it demonstrates sustained (rather than temporary) improvements in HRV that occur progressively over a course of continual chiropractic care delivered to correct vertebral subluxations. While many different interventions can change HRV temporarily, lasting improvements to HRV suggest an overall enhanced ability to adapt, and therefore would be predicted to lead to improved health and well-being.
Read this paper to gain a deeper understanding of HRV as a health indicator and of its potential utility to Chiropractic, and to get a glimpse of what will be a strong area of ongoing and future research and development for the field of Chiropractic care.
It's All Connected... Let's talk about HOW and what that can mean for YOU.
That the nervous system, the endocrine (hormone) system, and the immune system are interconnected is well-established as fact. The human body is the most beautiful and complex symphony, where the interplay of all of the instruments and their notes produces a music that is far more than the sum of its parts. In research science, this is called "systems biology" or "integrative physiology," and is sometimes referred to as a "nested system." Adaptability is a hallmark and requirement of interconnected systems, and anything that hinders the function of one part of the system would be expected to impact coordinated function in other connected systems.
Chiropractic care, by impacting the function of the nervous system, may influence or modulate the endocrine system, the immune system, and interconnected systems beyond those. Want to read more about that? Funny you should ask! Click here https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go... to access a full-text article of Dr. Haas' latest magnum opus, "Vertebral Subluxation and Systems Biology: An Integrative Review Exploring the Salutogenic Influence of Chiropractic Care on the Neuroendocrine-Immune System."
In this paper, we examine existing evidence that Vertebral Subluxation impacts adaptability within various aspects of the integrated systems of the body, and that its correction via the Chiropractic adjustment restores this adaptability, promoting systems resilience. This work, funded by the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation, presents a groundbreaking paradigm-shift for understanding how Chiropractic care can impact the human system, with far-reaching salutogenic (health-promoting) effects.
Whether "it's all connected" is not a question; it most certainly is. The question is, if it's not connected properly (communication amongst systems), what will you do about that?
Take an action step today: call us for a consultation to explore whether Chiropractic care may be the next logical step for you. You may come to discover that getting "re-connected" has benefits far beyond what you've previously expected!
________
Further reading / research:
click HERE to be directed to ReseachGate