The Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Better Sleep
Hello, parents, we want to talk about sleep—or rather, lack of sleep. Let's talk about how critical sleep is to your child's health and wellbeing.
Children's immune, digestive, and cognitive systems depend on sleep to function properly. Their social-emotional growth and development are also impacted. The fact that approximately 50% of children have problems falling or staying asleep is concerning.
There aren't enough conversations taking place about this!
Reduced energy levels, anger, and difficulties with concentration are all effects of sleep deprivation. Children face much greater difficulties since their developing brains are still figuring out how to control their emotions, attention, and behavior.
Did you know that during the first few years of life, the brain grows more neurons and connections during sleep than it does later in life?
The brain rejuvenates, heals, and gears up for the next day as we sleep. It is necessary for learning and the development of the brain. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to encounter parents and kids who are exhausted, which can result in bad behaviors like adults drinking too much coffee and youngsters acting out.
As pediatric chiropractors with a neurological specialty, we place a high value on helping our patients sleep well. One of the main issue that needs to be addressed is sleep.
The slogan "America runs on Dunkin" is troubling in light of this. Because we aren't getting enough sleep, it is revealing a serious issue with our culture's addiction to coffee, Starbucks, and energy drinks!
As they require it most during this period of brain development and learning, we need to give our children and teens the highest priority when it comes to developing good sleep habits.
So our aim is to help you identify the underlying causes of your child's sleep issues and struggles.
Families with young children, grade schoolers, teenagers, and even you, parents, if you have trouble sleeping, should find this content useful.
If you've tried everything to encourage your child to fall asleep, including magnesium, melatonin, essential oils, diffusers, lavender, probiotics, every kind of white noise machine, and blackout curtains, I can guarantee the one thing I'm about to talk about is the missing piece.
Sleep and Neurological Disorders: A Correlation
As pediatric chiropractic specialists, we have expertise with children and sleeping disorders.
Our office specializes in treating neurological conditions like epilepsy, autism, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, ADHD, sensory, and other spectrum disorders, as well as colic and indigestion.
We have discovered in the case history of those children, their trouble sleeping is the very first issue we need to address.
The very first thing we need to concentrate on is sleep, regardless of whether we are working with brand-new, little newborns or older kids with some very serious life-affecting problems.
Instead of only treating symptoms, we, as pediatric chiropractors, concentrate on the underlying problem. Our goal is to get your child to sleep soundly so that they can develop better motor planning, speech, behavior, and mental health.
The Main Cause of Sleep Problems
Let's clarify what may be causing your child's sleep issues and what we can do to help, so lean in with me. We'll keep things basic, even if this could get a little deep into neuroscience.
A sympathetic fight-or-flight nervous system that is overactive, stressed out, and overstimulated is the root cause of both falling asleep and staying asleep.
It's natural for our bodies to be in high gear throughout the day, with the neurological system slightly more prone to flight or fight as we go about our daily activities.
But as evening draws near, our body's autonomic and central nervous systems start sensing our circadian cycles and begin activating what is known as the parasympathetic system.
The rest, sleep, and digesting side of the nervous system is the counterpart to the fight-or-flight system and is referred to as such.
We can relax and get ready for sound sleep with the help of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Unfortunately, children who endure early life stressors, including delivery techniques like forceps, vacuum extraction, C-sections, or induction, may sustain physical damage to the brainstem and upper cervical spine's nerves and muscles.
The vagus nerve, which is in charge of digestion and relaxation, is housed and protected in this region of the body.
The vagus nerve emerges from the brainstem area, travels through the neck and into the thorax, and serves to regulate our heartbeat, respiration, and digestion.
Additionally, it affects our social, emotional, and cognitive processes, slowing down the brain when it is activated.
Children who have a malfunctioning vagus nerve may have trouble relaxing their bodies and minds, which might keep them awake and prevent them from falling asleep.
This is an indication of vagus nerve dysfunction, also referred to as a subluxation, which is just our chiropractic name for stress that is stuck to the brake pedal with the vagus nerve turned down.
This is a common occurrence in newborns who experienced physical trauma to the upper neck during delivery or in accidents, as well as in people who constantly feel pressure and tension in their neck and shoulders as a result of activities like staring at their phone or working on a computer for extended periods of time.
This problem, often known as "tech neck," is a significant contributor to why children's nervous systems may get caught in sympathetic fight-or-flight overdrive, hindering the proper functioning of the brake pedal (parasympathetic nervous system).
How Can Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care Help Regarding Sleep and Other Neurological Conditions?
We emphasize consultation and case history as pediatric chiropractors who focus on neurological care to allow us to better understand your child's challenges.
We understand that these problems, which can range from colic to sleep problems to sensory and behavioral difficulties, frequently result from an overactive sympathetic fight or flight system and a vagus nerve brake pedal shutdown.
Cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and brain-based difficulties may result from these problems.
Our unique approach to adjustments, known as neuro-tonal adjustments, which activate the vagus nerve and the rest and digest system, forms the basis of our care.
Activating the vagus nerve and reestablishing fundamental components of health, such as sleep, are the goals we set throughout the first week, month, and 100 days of dealing with chronic disorders.
65% of our patients reported seeing improvements in their sleep and overall well-being as a result of our approach to care within the first month.
Sleep improvement impacts mood, cognition, digestive health, and other factors. This is particularly true for older kids who have neurological issues. These outcomes have become typical in our office.
We understand that sleep, digestion, and immune problems are all under the control of the nervous system and the vagus nerve, and that recovery occurs in the order in which children get sick.
We can reestablish the function of the vagus nerve and the rest and digest system by addressing the sympathetic fight or flight subluxation and decreasing nerve stress and noise.
We think that neurologically focused chiropractic care could be the solution for your child's health if you've tried other methods without success.
We sincerely encourage you to contact us and discover more about our approach and how it can improve the wellbeing of your child.
Your child may be in a fight-or-flight state if they experienced physical trauma during delivery or if they had a rough start.
By measuring the level of stress on your child's nervous system, our INSiGHT neurological testing can identify whether their vagus nerve is shut down or malfunctioning.
This will provide you with the information you need to assist your child in getting the peaceful sleep they deserve.
INSiGHT Scanning Technology
In order to assess and identify the stress on your child's nervous system, our office uses INSiGHT scans. We are able to measure the stress and determine its specific location, quantity, and intensity.
This makes it possible to develop a personalized care plan to correct the subluxations and relieve stress.
Initial Exam STRESSED
When the neurospinal system is stressed a decrease in function results. INSiGHT scanning allows us to look deeply into the spinal nerve connections and understand the impact these subluxations have on the overall health of the patient. Note one sided red and blue lines.
Follow Up Exam HEALTHIER
Getting rid of subluxation can result in amazing natural neurological healing, which enhances the digestive, immunological, and motor systems. Your child will perform more effectively overall, have better sleep, and be able to regulate their emotions better. Note more balanced, less red and decreased blue lines.
We're aware parents and children are frequently worn down and emotional, but this is not normal.
The most effective solution for children's sleep issues is neurologically focused chiropractic care, which is more successful than other natural remedies like magnesium or melatonin. We encourage you to contact our office right away if you've done everything and continue to experience sleep problems.
To ensure your child's overall well-being and health, make sure they get the sleep they need. As your child learns to sleep soundly, the entire family will experience greater sleep and happier moods.
Please share this information with other families who might be experiencing difficulties with sleep. We are here to restore hope, provide answers, and get results for families seeking a natural, drug-free approach to optimal health and well-being.
