Your Head & Neck Alignment Could Be Affecting Your Sleep

Fri, Aug 7, 2009

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Your Head & Neck Alignment Could Be Affecting Your Sleep

Many things can affect whether in the body to help the person deal with or not we get a sound sleep. Obviously, pain and stress can make us lose sleep but most people would never gues s that head and neck alignment can disrupt our sleep. The key brain chemical that must be present in normal amounts in the brain to give us a restful sleep is serotonin. Chronic stress can cause depletion of Serotonin levels in the brain leading to sleepless nights. Serotonin levels can also drop when the head and neck are not in proper alignment.

Sleep When the head and neck are not in proper alignment the central nervous system of the human body can eventually become out of balance. The brain stem is located at the junction of where the bottom of the skull and the top of the spine come together. This is significant because if something happens that changes the alignment of this area, the brain stem can be affected. It may have been an injury like a slip or fall or an accident that whips the head and neck like what happens in an auto accident.

Sometimes stress on the baby’s head and neck during the birthing process can cause misalignment in this area. Regardless of the cause any misalignment of this area where the head and neck join can have a huge impact on the health of the human body.

Serotonin levels will become depleted when the head and neck are not aligned properly for the same physiological reasons that drop serotonin levels when a person is under high levels of mental or emotional stress for long periods of time. The physiological mechanism that lowers the Serotonin levels is a chronically hyperactive sympathetic nervous system known as sympathetic dominance. The human body can withstand short periods of high stress levels just so long as it is followed by a period of rest.

Stress A stressful situation causes the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system to be activated. Once activated certain physiological changes will occur in the body to help the person deal with the stressful event. Serotonin levels drop and adrenaline levels increase. The levels of these chemicals will normalize when the stress goes away. However, if the head and neck are out of alignment for months or even years then the sympathetic nervous system will just continue to remain in a hyperactive state. This eventually will lead to a sympathetic dominant state and a permanent reduction in Serotonin levels.

Permanently lowered serotonin levels will lead to sleep problems. Sometimes the levels of Serotonin become so low in the human body that the person experiences high levels of anxiety and depression and even panic attacks.

Current studies are being done to see exactly what is occurring at the level of the brain stem when the head and neck are not in proper alignment. Many people can remember a traumatic event in their lives such as an auto accident, bad slip or fall, or even an emotional trauma that seemed to mark a change in their sleeping patterns and the start of a deterioration of their overall health.

If this describes you or someone you know there is a good chance that improper head and neck alignment is the true source of the health problem. Having the alignment of the head and neck restored would be the only true answer to reverse the health problem. The good news is that the head and neck alignment can be easily corrected with a treatment procedure known as NUCCA.

The NUCCA Physical Examination and adjustment:

NUCCA The NUCCA chiropractor will focus his attention on the relationship of the head to the neck. The top bone of the neck, known as the atlas, must be in line with the head, as well as the vertebrae below. Spinal injury or damage can misalign these structures resulting in postural imbalance, pelvic distortion, and leg length disparity. The NUCCA chiropractor will be looking for this during the examination. After reviewing your history, exam findings, and x-rays the NUCCA chiropractor will be ready to administer your first NUCCA adjustment.

Each adjustment is determined from x-ray measurement. Patients lay on their right or left side on the adjustment table. By gently contacting the side of your neck, the doctor will direct your head and neck back torward a balanced, healthy position. Each adjustment experience and healing response is unique to the individual. One thing is universal, the light touch of the adjustment will set your body in the direction for achieving optimum health.

Because each adjustment experience and healing response is unique to the individual, you will be monitored closely for any changes that you might experience which are linked to the healing process. We have stressed the importance of receiving the best possible correction during the first visit. The doctor will take x-rays after your first adjustment to confirm results. This is typically done only after the initial adjustment. What we know is “The better the correction, the better the chance of recovery”.

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