How to Improve Your Sleep Quality

We’ve all been there, tossing and turning until who knows how late into the night, unable to find a comfortable position, mind racing and no sleep in sight, only to wake up the next day completely exhausted and drained as if you had not slept a wink. I struggled with this myself in the past and have learned some important tactics and strategies to improve my sleep which I’d like to share with you.

Table of Contents

Why is Sleep Important?

Maybe it’s pain, high stress like a work deadline, a newborn baby, or even the excitement of Christmas day or something else fun to come, but chronic restless sleep is a major problem for the human brain and body. High quality not just quantity of sleep is crucial to human physiology your body’s ability to recover and heal from the stresses of the prior day.

We all know sleep is important and that adults should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep, and everyone should at a minimum be getting 7 hours of sleep to properly rest and repair the body and brain. Less than 7 hours of sleep, or just disrupted or poor quality sleep, even in the short term produces negative consequences.

Short-Term Consequences

Increased stress responsivity
Somatic pain
Reduced quality of life
Emotional distress and mood disorders
Cognitive, memory, and performance deficits

Long-term consequences

Hypertension
Dyslipidemia
Cardiovascular disease
Weight-related issues,
Metabolic syndrome,
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Colorectal cancer

None of those conditions sound like much fun, and only make sleeping more difficult. Unfortunately for the chronic restless sleeper, drugs are often the only solution provided to them. Ambien is one of the drugs I see prescribed most often. We’ve probably all seen the commercials, but have you seen the side effects list?

Side effects of sleeping pills include:

Daytime drowsiness
Dizziness
Weakness
Lightheadedness
“Drugged” feeling
Tiredness
Loss of coordination
Stuffy nose
Nasal irritation
Dry mouth
Sore throat
Nausea
Constipation
Diarrhea
Stomach upset
Headache
Muscle pain
Confusion
Euphoria
Ataxia (balance problems)
Visual changes

… and that is just the most common side effects. It doesn’t sound like a great trade-off to me.

sleep

What is insomnia?

Insomnia means having trouble sleeping at night, staying asleep, or both. It’s one of the most common sleep disorders. Episodes of insomnia that last a few days at a time are called short-term (acute) insomnia. Ongoing (chronic) insomnia is often diagnosed when you have ongoing problems with sleep. There are many different definitions for chronic insomnia. A commonly accepted one is insomnia which occurs more than 3 nights a week for at least 3 months or lasts for a month or longer. (Johns Hopkins)

A study published in Nature and Science of Sleep found that “numerous factors contribute to sleep disruption, ranging from lifestyle and environmental factors to sleep disorders and other medical conditions.” The authors also note “Sleep disruption is associated with increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (emphasis mine), metabolic effects, changes in circadian rhythms, and proinflammatory responses.”

Of course, any mention of the nervous system gets me excited as a neurologically-based upper cervical chiropractor, and I often see my practice members’ sleep quality and sleep quantity lacking when they start but improve with care, oftentimes after a single adjustment. Sometimes improved sleep is the first benefit of care they receive before they are even feeling better! I’ve even had “wellness” practice members with no chronic conditions or aches and pains notice they are sleeping much better.

How to Fall Asleep Fast and How to Cure Insomnia without Pills?

Many people resort to Melatonin, Valerian Root, or other supplements like Magnesium Glycinate. Melatonin is safe to take, but you don’t want to take it chronically or your own body’s production will decrease. For me, if I’m sleeping poorly a few nights in a row I might resort to Melatonin, but I prefer to just do a daily dose of Magnesium Glycinate as I have found it to be a potent sleep aid with no side effects. Finding the right dose of Magnesium that is effective and doesn’t mess with your digestion is important. Many experts say to take between 200-500mg of Magnesium about an hour before bed after your last meal.

“Why can’t I sleep through the night?”

Waking up once or twice to go to the bathroom is normal. However not being able to fall back asleep is the problem. Walking up more often or not being able to fall back asleep is often a sign of stress. Most people do not have a good “wind-down” routine before bed, they just crash when exhausted, and much of the day’s stress is still churning through their mind. Ideally having a routine to calm your mind and body before bed would not only help you fall asleep faster but stay asleep longer as well. When you’re really struggling to stay asleep consider a meditation or Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) exercise to try and help your body settle again.

If that’s not working it’s best to get out of bed, do some reading, and if tired again go back to bed, if not just prepare yourself for some extra high-quality sleep the next night by following the sleep protocol listed below. When you are striving night after night together with restless sleep do some self-reflection on what may be gnawing at your subconscious and also make sure you are practicing optimal sleep hygiene.

How can I prevent lower back pain while sleeping?

The saying goes: Back is Best. If you just can’t stay on your back there may be some re-training you can do to stay in that position more often or even through the night. If pain is the problem that’s stopping you from back sleeping then there may be a few things to consider:

Your mattress may be too soft. The firmest option is always my recommendation.
You may need to strengthen your core. If you sit at work all day or have had a back injury you likely need to improve your core strength. You’re not actively using your core muscles like you are with lifting and bending, however, you should always have a passive tension from activated core muscles that would stop your back from sagging or shifting too much with sleep.
You may have too much pillow. If you stack pillows under your head or just use one that is too big, then you push your head forward and take the curve out of your lower back, which can make it fatigued and achy. It’s important to find a pillow that fits your unique body dimensions and preferred or most common sleeping position. I recommend the Pillowise Pillow, it’s fitted to your body size and sleeping position and has a money-back guarantee!

Does sleeping on your side cause back pain?

Not necessarily. If you can’t figure out how to sleep on your back, side sleeping is next best. Some people can only sleep on their sides because of arthritic back pain, or even a baby in the belly. However, this can stress the shoulder and clavicular joints. Most side sleepers eventually complain of upper body or neck pain. Again a quality mattress and pillows are essential. Typically you should be using a different-sized pillow for side sleeping vs back sleeping.

Does sleeping on your stomach worsen lower back pain?

Yes! Sleeping on your stomach and turning your face to one side twists the curvature out of your neck, and you’ll start to experience compensatory changes to your lumbar spine (lower back) causing a hyperlordisis in your lower back which can compress your facet joints and create a stiff and achy back in the morning. Patients with facet arthritis are even more prone to this! A stronger core and better joint alignment may help, but I always recommend re-training your sleep positions if you’re a stomach sleeper.

How to alleviate back pain when sleeping?

You can try to prop some pillows up under the knees. Also focusing on core strengthening during the day may provide relief at night. As I mentioned I have helped hundreds of people sleep better just by getting chiropractic care that re-aligns the spine and helps the brain-body connection through the nervous system work better! On average I’ve seen most 3-4 hour/night sleeprs move back closer to the ideal 7-9 hour/night range.

How to “re-train” yourself to sleep on your back?

Sleeping on your back is the best position to help relax your body and decompress your spine. For some people, they just can’t seem to be able to fall asleep on their backs. There are a few tricks you can try to condition your brain and body for back sleeping. you can try:

A good pillow that is “just right” for you, not to think or thin, something that stays cool and holds its shape throughout the night. The pillowise pillow for myself was a game changer. Once I found the perfect fit I often find myself waking up on my back not my side or stomach.
putting pillows under the knees, and along your sides can help stop “just waking up that way” and keep your sleep more sound and restful.
I mentioned several supplements above. Neuroscientist, PhD, and amazing Podcaster Dr. Andrew Humberman has done numerous episodes that you can find here on sleep hygiene and toolkits. I recommend many of these protocols to my patients, and of course, practice them myself as best as possible.

“Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker is another deep dive, and also a guest of Huberman, who wrote the latest researched-backed book on sleep and sleep protocols if you’d like to learn more. Just warning you, the book may put you to sleep!

Can Chiropractic Improve Sleep? A Case Review

Just last week Ken started care in our practice, he was concerned with his neck pain and back pain which had gotten much worse in the past 3 months. He had previously however been struggling with sleep and restless leg syndrome for almost a decade and had to take Ambien nightly to get undisrupted sleep. I saw an indirect connection between his ability to sleep along with the alignment of his spine and the results of his neurological evaluation. Ken was stuck in sympathetic overdrive, where his body was unable to put the brakes (parasympathetic nervous system) on at night (or even during the day for that matter), this also inhibits the healing response in the body as the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the fight or flight response, where the priority is pure survival, not resting, digesting, and healing which is the responsibility of the parasympathetic nervous system. You really need the perfect blend of both to be functioning optimally, too much of one or the other is not good for your health and well-being.

I’m usually pretty confident that practice members who report disrupted sleep will see changes throughout care, but it is impossible to predict how soon and to what extent. However, in Ken’s case, the changes were practically instantaneous. On his third visit after a week of care and only one adjustment, Ken reported he had not had to take Ambien for 6 nights and his restless leg was gone! I mean WOW! The human body constantly amazes me. We still have a lot of work to do on Ken, but I know without a doubt his body is functioning at a more optimal level, allowing it to go through the natural physiological processes that keep it healthy, healing, and happy!

Get Help From Koru

Sleeping disturbances and sleep quality and quantity are affected by many things, but as I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, the nervous system is often a culprit. If you or someone you know is struggling with sleep and looking for a natural solution to their condition(s), I highly encourage you to get your nervous system evaluated and your spine checked for misalignments, it could be just a simple adjustment to get you back on track and sleeping like a baby again! If you’re interested in treating nervous system disturbances, learn more about Koru Chiropractic’s NUCCA adjustments here.

PS. I do provide custom-fitted pillows by Pillowise designed for all sleep positions and mattress types. I’m an authorized dealer, so you can come to me for one or find another Pillowise dealer here. I love mine and many of my practice members have purchased one and love there’s, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee!!

PSS. Let me save you a lot of time and money and let you know it is not very likely that your mattress or pillow is the culprit unless they are over a decade old. Sadly I see many people spend thousands of dollars on the next fancy pillow or mattress, only for the conditions to stay the same or return shortly after switching. If you insist on going that route first check out sleeplikethedead.com for a great nonbiased consumer review of all the products on the market right now.