At Premier Chiropractic Center, serving Bessemer, AL, and the nearby region, our chiropractor stresses the importance of sleep on pain as well as overall health and well-being. It’s important you look for the signs of sleep deprivation and take steps to alleviate the problem. And that may just begin with chiropractic care!
Having Trouble Remembering
The hippocampus, the cerebellum, the amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex all impact your memory. When you don’t get enough sleep, it affects your prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which is why you have issues with your memory.
While you might remember the name of your first childhood pet, sleep deprivation may cause you to not remember what you did this morning, and you might struggle to recall a word or a fact you usually know.
Plus, sleep is necessary for memories to be engraved in your mind. Therefore, you might struggle to remember something that recently happened due to a lack of sleep.
Experiencing Depression
Do you have periods of time when you feel worthless or as if life is hopeless? Do you have crying spells for no reason? These, among other signs, are symptoms of depression. And you could develop them when you don’t get enough sleep.
Sleep deprivation changes brain activity, especially the levels of different neurotransmitters, which can lead to depression. When you’re not sleeping enough, it can also affect the amygdala, which is responsible for emotions.
If you currently have depression, you can make it worse by not getting enough sleep at night.
Increasing Hunger Levels
You could feel hungrier more often when you lack sleep. This is why sleep deprivation is often associated with weight gain. When you don’t get enough sleep, your appetite increases as a result of a hormonal imbalance between ghrelin and leptin.
Ghrelin is produced in your stomach whenever you’re hungry. The levels of this hormone tend to increase in between meals. The levels go down after you eat. This hormone is responsible for signaling the brain when you’re hungry and your body needs to eat. If your body is making too much of it, not only may it trigger your body to want to eat when you’re not hungry, it may signal the body to crave sugary or fatty foods.
Leptin, on the other hand, signals your brain when your body is full, and you need to stop eating. Obviously, when you have abnormal levels of these hormones, they could signal your brain to eat even when you’re not hungry or to continue eating long after you’re full.
Moodiness
You might be more moody than usual if you’re lacking sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, your cortisol levels decrease. This is a stress hormone, and when it’s lacking, you might be more vulnerable to stress.
Low Libido
Both men and women may experience low libido from not enough sleep. You might have less energy and feel more tired than usual, which interferes with your desire to please your partner.
How We Help
Premier Chiropractic Center specializes in chiropractic adjustments, which are known to improve your nervous system function and can improve your ability to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Alignments can also increase your circulation to reduce the prevalence of nutrient deficiencies that can contribute to sleep deprivation. Pain can also hinder your ability to get all the sleep you need. Adjustments can alleviate this pain.
Our chiropractor may also provide therapeutic exercises that are known to help with the healing process and can reduce your pain.
At Premier Chiropractic Center, serving Bessemer, AL, and the neighboring communities, our practitioner offers treatments to assist you in getting a better night’s sleep. This is especially the case if you’re suffering from any of the aforementioned problems or others.
Book an appointment with us today by calling 205-519-4024 or using our form.
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