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Exercise Improves Sleep and Reduces Pain

More exercise, better sleep, less back pain.

Vancouver Disc Centers knows our Vancouver chiropractic patients appreciate good sleep and less back pain while some may not fully appreciate exercise. These lifestyle practices really do influence each other! Vancouver Disc Centers offers chiropractic care treatment plans to reduce back pain and advise our Vancouver chiropractic patients to incorporate these other practices to get the most out of the Vancouver back pain relief care offered via the treatment plan.

Always looking to the research studies, Vancouver Disc Centers found that these studies explain well just how sleep affects pain and our reactions to pain. One article states that sleep restriction increases sensitivity to pressure pain. (1) So you need your sleep! Another reports that poor sleep and other sleep issues increase the risk for chronic low back, neck and shoulder pain. Another reason you need your sleep! (Vancouver Disc Centers is working to get rid of Vancouver back and neck pain, so sleep well!) Men and women share this risk of poor sleep and increased pain. What might help? Regular exercise and keeping a normal body weight may counteract any mild sleep problems that increase the risk of chronic pain. (2) Sedentary time and moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity influence sleep-disordered breathing, and more physical activity and less sedentary time seems to positively influence sleep. (3) Vancouver Disc Centers never wants to thrust our Vancouver chiropractic patients into hard exercise, but Vancouver Disc Centers certainly encourages, along with spinal manipulation, small steps toward exercise and movement for good reason.

And one good reason is that the research supports the notion that exercise reduces pain and improves physical health. As a matter of fact, exercise reduces pain perception and improves back strength. (4) Exercise improves sleep quality and effectiveness. (5) Exercise with active rehabilitation therapy not only improves back muscle strength, it also reduces pain. (4) (See a pattern here?!) A simple senior elastic band exercise program improves the self-perceived health status and sleep quality for older adults living in community settings. (6) And exercise in the form of Pilates offers statistically significant improvement in pain relief and function to chronic low back pain sufferers. (7) It’s gentle and effective if you’d like to try Pilates; it would be a small yet significant step into the exercise arena! (Let’s talk before you start, of course!)

Lastly, exercise is shown to affect more than pain perception and health. Exercise keeps the body functioning properly. In that, exercise shares a goal with Vancouver chiropractic care at Vancouver Disc Centers! Exercise jumpstarts the autonomic nervous system, the system that controls involuntary body functions like the heartbeat, breath, and digestion. (8) Those are pretty essential body functions! Exercise also activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which controls reactions to stress, mood and emotions, energy use and more. (8) These systems keep us balanced in mind and body. Since exercise is known to be beneficial, curious researchers wondered if late night exercise would be beneficial and, if so, how. Vancouver Disc Centers certainly has some late night exercising Vancouver chiropractic clients, so this article was really timely! The researchers found that late night exercise didn’t disturb sleep patterns but did influence the heart rate and autonomic nervous system function. (8) So exercise whenever you can!

Contact Vancouver Disc Centers to explore options within your Vancouver chiropractic treatment plan to get you exercising as best you can, improve your sleep, and reduce your pain.

 
 
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."