So I’m one of those smart chiropractors; the kind that knows you’re not going to go home and do like 15 exercises that I might recommend.
The one homework I have that I know over 85% of my practice actually does: Nap Time for Grown Ups!
In a society where we’re always go, go, go wishing we had just a moment in the day to stop, Doctor’s Orders to take a nap are JUST PERFECT!
Sleep is when our bodies actually get to do their healing – its the first thing that I notice with patients – the more well rested sleep they start getting – the faster they start responding to care and feeling better.
I usually recommend that my patients find 15 minutes twice a day to stop and rest on their neck bone pillow. It gives them a chance to slow down and gives the body a mini healing session. Bonus is that on the neck bone pillow, they get passive stretching to put the neck back into proper alignment for optimal brain/body messaging. This really is a natural way to implement cervical distraction using only the weight of the head instead of an unnatural force. We can also begin to create muscle memory of where the neck should be versus where it currently is.
The more often your body gets a chance to rest, the less overworked it feels and the more healing that will get done. This means you have more energy to do what you need to do!
So, give your body a break every now and then. It needs you to! Doctor’s orders! If you feel like you’re not getting enough sleep, struggle from insomnia, or just don’t feel well rested – it might have to do with your brainstem’s ability to regulate your cycles of wake and sleep.
Call to chat and set up an appointment to see if I can help – I’m always happy to answer any questions and see what your first step should be.
