Sunday night, I found myself with a bad case of insomnia.  It was a terrible experience.  I woke up every 15- 20 minutes from 3 am until 5 am and looked at the clock.  What’s going on and how many people suffer like this?  I finally got up and went for a run.

We have more to do these days and less time to do it.  What can we cut out?  Sleep.

Historically, people went to bed when the sun went down and got up when it came up, giving them 8-9 hours of sleep each night.  Americans are now only averaging 6-7 hours of sleep a night, causing a long term sleep deprivation.

How important is sleep?  All animals sleep, even animals like fish that have to keep moving all the time to stay alive.  When researchers kept rats from sleeping for two weeks, they died!

Is the sleep you are getting enough? Are you sleeping through the night comfortably or are you waking up several times?  What does sleep do anyway?  We used to think that sleep only helped our brains to process information and events from the day.  Sleep gives our brains a chance to file all of the events.   Everyone knows what it feels like when you don’t get enough sleep:     trouble concentrating, trouble remembering, increased stress and trouble staying awake.

Long term sleep deprivation leads to :

Obesity,

High Blood Pressure,

Fibromyalgia,

Diabetes,

Problems Healing,

Depression and

General Poor Performance.

We like to refer to most of these as stress related illnesses, but sleep deprivation is a major cause of stress.

We now know more about what happens during sleep.  We know The body heals itself and repairs itself, we know that our bodies secrete hormones like growth hormones and appetite suppressant hormones,  we know that injuries heal and we live longer.

There are two major types of sleep deprivation,  Not getting to bed or to sleep early enough

and not sleeping deep enough or waking up frequently

Do you wake up tired?

Do you find yourself waking up several times a night?

Do you experience more pain in the morning when you wake up than you did

when you went to bed?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have some sleep issues that need to discussed.  It might be something as simple as needing a new mattress, it might be a more complicated problem like acid reflux, sleep apnea or nervous system stress.

One of the most common side effects of people getting chiropractic adjustments in our office… they sleep better.

5 Tips for a better night’s sleep

1) Turn off the TV at least an hour before bed time.  The flickering lights and stimulating content of television keeps your brain stimulated and slows your ability to get into a deep sleep.

2) Set a bed time, make it a priority and stick with it.

3) Avoid stimulants like caffeine late in the evening. Alcohol will also effect your natural sleep rythms, preventing you from getting into the deep sleep you crave.

4) Check your mattress,  if it bows in the middle, it’s time to replace it.  If it is over 10 years old, its time to consider a new one.  The old advice about sleeping on a firm mattress has been reconsidered.  Sleeping on a comfortable mattress that supports your entire frame is better.

5) Establish a bedtime routine such as checking the doors, brushing your teeth, and setting out your clothes for the next day.

It’s late, I have to get to bed.  Good Night!

Want to learn more about sleep, checkout Dr.Lowe Fox in the Morning, Friday September 3 at 6:20 and 7:20. He’ll be at Sleep Outfitters on Shelbyville Rd talking about sleep.

Their programs go far beyond feeding the homeless on a daily basis;  They provide drug and alcohol abuse counseling, mental health support, job skills training, training on social skills and interpersonal relationships, transitional housing, and helping people to achieve their goal of economic and personal independence.  Finally they give the gift of spiritual counseling and guidance through daily interactions.

When I asked Reverend Bart Smith why Wayside is so successful, he replied that it is because of caring people like you who donate food, donate time, donate energy, donate money to support the Mission.   He also attributes the success of wayside to people who have been touched by the program and their mission. They come back to lend a helping hand to others, to give back what they have been given: A second chance. Please help us support this worthy cause. Help us support Wayside Christian Mission!

Louisville Chiropractor Patrick Lowe is passionate about helping people in his community.

Our goal is to collect a TON (2,000 pounds if you’re wondering) of food from August 23rd – 28th, 2010.

3 Ways to Participate:

1) From August 23-27th, NEW Patients – receive a FREE examination and X-ray for a donation of One Full Bag of Groceries.

2) On August 28th from 9AM- 11AM, EXISTING Patients get a FREE additional adjustment when they bring in a Full Bag of Groceries.

3) Just drop off some food and experience the joy of giving.

GIVE FROM YOUR HEART TODAY!

You have the right to rescind within 72 hours any obligation to pay for services rendered the same day in addition to free of discounted services.

Have the winning ticket.    The more tickets you have the better your chances!

Here’s how you get tickets:

2 Tickets- Come in as a new patient on one of our 15 Freedom Month New Patient Slots

3 Tickets- Bring in a completed Testimonial for our new book

3 Tickets-Complete an Online Review of our office and bring us a copy.  ie City Search, Google or Yahoo.  We’ll have computers set up to help anytime.

12 Tickets- Refer one friend or family member using one of our 15 Freedom Month New Patient Slots

36 Tickets- Refer 2 friends or family members

If you are suffering, why not take the first step to get educated about your arthritis. Lowe Chiropractic and Wellness is offering a free workshop Tuesday July 13th from 7-8PM at our office.

You can download the Arthritis Workshop (23) flyer here.

Come on out and learn the secrets that keep many of our patients pain free.

Contact: Cathy Head at 639-3289 to reserve a spot or you can contact us through our online form.