What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a common condition characterized by an inability to fall and stay asleep. Although this can be a condition on its own, insomnia is often a side effect of other mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or, injury to the upper cervical spine. Patients can usually self-diagnose insomnia but it’s important to get to the root cause of the condition to maximize your treatment outcome.
Signs and Symptoms of Insomnia
Subluxation or misalignments in the upper cervical spine are an often-overlooked cause of insomnia, particularly in patients who don’t have other pre-existing medical conditions.
The upper cervical spine is surrounded by a network of muscles and nerves, all of which can be impacted by the pressure of misaligned vertebrae. When one or more vertebrae are misaligned, it can lead to pain and localized inflammation around these nerves and muscles. For some people, this source of discomfort is enough to trigger the onset of insomnia. For others, insomnia sets in when misalignment-induced inflammation begins to disrupt the neural pathways of the central nervous system. If this inflammation is not addressed, it can result in imbalances in sleep hormones like melatonin and, ultimately, sleep disorders like insomnia.
How the Upper Cervical Spine Effects Insomnia
Subluxation or misalignments in the upper cervical spine are an often-overlooked cause of insomnia, particularly in patients who don’t have other pre-existing medical conditions.
The upper cervical spine is surrounded by a network of muscles and nerves, all of which can be impacted by the pressure of misaligned vertebrae. When one or more vertebrae are misaligned, it can lead to pain and localized inflammation around these nerves and muscles. For some people, this source of discomfort is enough to trigger the onset of insomnia. For others, insomnia sets in when misalignment-induced inflammation begins to disrupt the neural pathways of the central nervous system. If this inflammation is not addressed, it can result in imbalances in sleep hormones like melatonin and, ultimately, sleep disorders like insomnia.
How Our Upper Cervical Treatment for Insomnia Works
Our insomnia specialist, Dr. Gordon Elder, is an expert in a chiropractic treatment known as the Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Technique. This technique focuses on identifying and targeting spinal misalignments to restore natural position and function to the spinal column and surrounding nerves.
Dr. Elder employs a two-step approach to identifying and healing when treating insomnia. First, patients will undergo a 25–30-minute screening process to determine whether a vertebral misalignment is causing pressure on the surrounding nerves. This consultation typically involves the use of advanced 3-D imaging diagnostic techniques to pinpoint the exact location of any misalignments in the upper cervical spine. You’ll receive a brief report on the results of the screening process and have an opportunity to ask Dr. Elder any questions about your spinal health.
Next, a series of gentle, low-force adjustments will be performed by Dr. Elder to realign any misaligned vertebrae to their natural position, removing a key source of discomfort and allowing the body’s natural healing mechanisms to restore proper nerve flow. Following the initial adjustment, patients are encouraged to return for regular, gradually spaced-out check-ups to ensure their adjustment has stayed in place. Over the course of 3-5 months, most patients average between 10 and 15 appointments with Dr. Elder.
If insomnia is severely affecting your ability to participate in everyday life, get in touch to speak with Dr. Elder about treating your condition. Located in Lubbock, Texas, Blair Chiropractic Clinic also services Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, El Paso in Texas, and Hobbs in New Mexico.
Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.