Find the Right Pillow for a Healthier Night’s Sleep

Sleepless in America?
For more than one in three Americans, getting a good night’s sleep isn’t as easy you might think.  According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation , a combination of daily stress and lifestyle choices (including nighttime activities as well as eating and exercise habits) is causing more than a third of the U.S. population to get fewer hours of sleep than they need.  Not surprisingly, the same proportion report that sleepiness has in some way affected their quality of life. 

The Long-Term Prescription for Quality Sleep.
Many studies have focused on the time we devote (or don’t devote) to sleep.  However, a good night’s sleep is about more than just quantity.  It’s also about quality.  If you’re sleeping poorly, experts point out that developing a sensible routine and avoiding certain behaviors around bedtime can improve your chances of falling asleep quickly and sleeping soundly through the night.  Here are a few of their suggestions:
• Go to bed at the same time each evening and wake up at the same time each morning.
• Exercise regularly but avoid increasing your heart rate within two or three hours of bedtime.
• Eat dinner early enough in the evening so that digestion doesn’t interfere with bedtime.
• Drink plenty or water but avoid drinking hot or cold liquids before or after bedtime.
• Reduce or eliminate caffeine and other stimulants in your diet.
• Sleep on your back and/or your side.  Don’t sleep on your stomach!

When it Comes to Sleep, Little Things Matter More Than You Might Think.  And They Add Up.
While finding more effective ways to manage stress and making adjustments to your lifestyle can take some time, there are several “little” things you can do right away that may improve the quantity and quality of sleep you get.  These things focus on your sleeping environment itself: 
• Make your room is as dark as possible at bedtime.
• Reduce background noise.
• Keep your bedroom at a cool, comfortable temperature.
• Sleep on an appropriate mattress.
• Choose the right pillow.

Is Your Pillow Doing Its Job?
Let’s face it.  You probably don’t give a lot of thought to the pillow you sleep on.  And you probably didn’t give your pillow much thought when you purchased it either.  The truth is that most people don’t.  It’s not unusual for a person (or a couple) to spend thousands of dollars on a high-quality mattress but then buy pillows that don’t support the head and neck properly.  That’s because—while they understand that sleeping on the wrong mattress can quickly lead to a backache—they aren’t aware that poor alignment of the neck and upper back during sleep can lead to other, more subtle problems that they may not associate with the spine. 
If a person’s head is supported by the pillow at a level that’s either too high or too low relative to the rest of the body, the neck and upper back can be placed under stress.   Similar stress can also occur if their upper back is not supported along with the neck (so that the head tilts forward), or if the head is allowed to roll sideways when the person is sleeping on his or her back.  Symptoms include snoring, insomnia and waking up with a headache, stiff neck or numbness in the arms and hands.  If you’re experiencing these sorts of symptoms, you may be sleeping on the wrong pillow.

What Makes a Pillow “Right”?
Choosing a pillow is a very personal decision.  The pillow that’s right for someone else may not be right for you.  Nevertheless, we’ve provided some basic guidelines that will make it easier for you to choose the right one.  The right pillow:
• Supports your head at the proper height whether you’re sleeping on your side or on your back.
• Supports both your head and neck in a neutral position while you’re sleeping on your side (Make sure there is no gap between the pillow and your neck!).
• Provides adequate support for both your neck and upper back while you’re sleeping on your back.      
• Keeps your head tilted in the proper neutral position while you’re sleeping on your back.
• Prevents your head from rolling sideways while you’re sleeping on your back.
• Is easy to move on.
In general, you’re looking for a pillow that supports your neck, cushions your head and keeps your spine in alignment.  It must be comfortable!

Purchasing Tips

• Know what you like.  Do you prefer a pillow that’s “bouncy” or one that can be “molded” to the shape of your head and neck?  How “dense” do you like your pillow to feel?   Is it important to you that the material “breathes” and offers good insulation from heat and cold?  Maybe you prefer a pillow made of synthetic or hypo-allergenic material?  The more clearly you can describe your preferences, the more likely it is that a knowledgeable salesperson will be able to help you find your ideal pillow. 

• Don’t skimp.  Like most things, pillows can differ a great deal in the quality of their construction and materials.  They also (naturally) differ a great deal in their price.  Buy a better quality pillow if you can, since they’re generally made of materials that will provide better support, comfort and durability.  But keep in mind that the first priorities are comfort and function.  Just because a pillow is expensive doesn’t mean it’s right for you.

• Take the time to “test drive” and compare.  Many department stores, mattress retailers and specialty bedding shops will have sample pillows that you can try.  If possible, follow the “Ten Minute Rule” and test drive pillows in your favorite sleeping positions.  Remember—you and your pillow will be spending about eight hours together every night for several years, so it makes sense to choose wisely now.

• Avoid buying a matched set of pillows for yourself and your partner.  Keep in mind that your partner probably needs a different pillow that you do.

Get an Expert Opinion from the Doctor Who Understands Your Neck and Back Best
If you’re not sleeping as well as you used to, or if you’re waking up with a headache, stiff neck or numbness in your arms or hands, we invite you—and your pillow—to visit our office.  As chiropractic physicians, we understand that the way you sleep affects your health.  And that your health affects the way you live your life.  Call today to schedule an appointment.  Sometimes a small thing (like a new pillow) can make a big difference! 

Bibliography

(n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2011, from The Better Sleep Council: http://bettersleep.org/
CBS The Early Show. (2009, February 11). Purchasing the Right Pillow. Retrieved August 10, 2011, from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/19/earlyshow/main2947304.shtml
Gordon, S. J., Trott, P., & Grimmer, K. A. (2002). Waking cervical pain and stiffness, headache, scapular or arm pain: Gender and age effects. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy(48), 9-15.
National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). 2010 Sleep in America Poll Summary of Findings. Retrieved August 10, 2011, from http://www.sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/nsaw/NSF%20Sleep%20in%20%20America%20Poll%20-%20Summary%20of%20Findings%20.pdf

Stay on the Lookout for Trans Fats

You’ve probably heard that trans fats are bad for you. You may even be looking for them on product labels. But what about all the foods that don’t have nutrition labels on them, such as French fries or doughnuts? When it comes to these foods, trans fats may be hiding in plain sight. That’s why it is important for you to have a basic understanding of where you are most likely to encounter them. By knowing a little more about trans fats, you can make more informed food choices.
Trans fats, also known as trans fatty acids, come from the hydrogenation of polyunsaturated oils and are used in place of healthier oils in many foods. Say what? Unless you majored in chemistry, that probably makes zero sense to you, so allow me to explain.
Naturally occurring vegetable oils – such as canola, sunflower, or corn oil – don’t contain any trans fats. People have to intentionally create trans fats. So if we know they are bad for our health, why do we do it? There are several reasons – all of which serve the needs of the food industry, not individuals. Trans fats:
• Increase the shelf life of products
• Make vegetable oils more suitable for repeat use in deep fryers
• Decrease product refrigeration requirements
• Are less expensive than butter or lard
Have you ever noticed that butter is stocked in the refrigerated section of grocery stores, but packaged baked goods like muffins aren’t? Yet the muffins still resist spoiling. Why? It’s because the kinds of pure vegetable oils and butter we cook with at home are often substituted with trans fats when foods are prepared on a commercial scale.
The trans fats come from adding hydrogen atoms (partially hydrogenating) to unsaturated fats. This process raises the melting point of the fat – so that it will be more solid at room temperature and won’t require refrigeration to hold its shape.
Up until 2006, food manufacturers were not required to list trans fats on product labels. Now the FDA requires food manufacturers to list the presence of trans fats.  And although the FDA did not set any limits on the amounts of trans fats that are allowed to be present in our foods, they did say that it should be “as low as possible.
Experts believe that there are nearly 50,000 products on the market that contain trans fatty acids. While the term “trans fats” might not specifically appear on the nutrition label, you will see terms such as shortening and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. The closer to the top of the nutrition label these trans fats appear, the higher the percentage that are present.
Consumer health groups have begun to pressure food manufacturers to remove trans fats from their products altogether. Some have gone so far as to file law suits demanding that a particular product be removed from the shelves unless trans fats are eliminated from the ingredients.
While that battle is fought at the highest levels, individuals can take control of their own health by recognizing the types of food likely to contain high levels of trans fat. Stay on the lookout for trans fats in fried foods, in unrefrigerated baked goods and in snack foods such as cookies and crackers.

Bibliography
Dietary Fats Explained MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 5, 2011, from MedlinePlus Health Information from the National Library of Medicine: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000104.htm
Trans fat. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 5, 2011, from Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
Trans fat definition Cholesterol Information Produced by Doctors For Patients Experiencing High Cholesterol Levels. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 5, 2011, from MedTerms.com: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11091

Does Chiropractic Help Back Pain Associated with Pregnancy?

If you are pregnant and suffering from low back pain, a neighbor or a friend has probably suggested you visit a chiropractor because a chiropractor was able to help them during their pregnancy. The discussion probably left you curious, is that good advice or just a single success story? Additionally, you may be wondering whether chiropractic is safe during pregnancy and how much low back pain improvement the average pregnant woman can expect to get.

After looking at several scientific publications on these exact topics, the appropriate conclusion seems to be that “chiropractic evaluation and treatment during pregnancy may be considered a safe and effective means of treating common musculoskeletal symptoms that affect pregnant patients. The scarcity of published literature warrants further research.” (Borggren, 2007)

So basically the answers are:
• Yes, chiropractic is safe during pregnancy.
• Yes, chiropractic helps common musculoskelatal probelms during pregnancy  (including back pain).
• Your friends experience isn’t just one woman’s story. Many women are finding relief and the results are being sporadically published in medical journals too.
• More research under more controlled conditions is needed for the purposes of educating primary care physicians and obstetricians about chiropractic care during pregnancy.

Here are a few additional details about the prevalence of low back pain during pregnancy and the number of women being referred for treatment.
• 57 – 69% of women complain of low back pain during pregnancy
• Only about 32% of women report these symptoms to their primary doctor
• Only about 25% of primary doctors recommend seeking treatment for the pain.

Clearly this is a big problem with 2 in 3 having pregnancy-related back pain. Also a big problem is that they are generally not talking to their obstetricians and primary care physicians about it and that these professionals are not referring them to effective treatment options.

Chiropractic treatments can be quite effective for pregnancy-related back pain with just a few visits for the majority of women seeking help. In a small study of 17 women:
• Sixteen of 17 (94%) saw clinically important improvements in low back pain with chiropractic care.
• The average pain rating went down from 5.9 to 1.5 (on a scale of 0 to 10).
• It took an average of 1.8 visits and 4.5 days to get clinically important pain relief.

We hope this article gave you hope that many pregnant women do get significant, rapid relief from low back pain. If you are currently pregnant with low back pain, you probably have many questions not answered by this article. Perhaps you’ve never had chiropractic care before or you want to know how we adjust our techniques to work with pregnant patients. The best way to get answers to your questions is with an initial consultation. The only way for us to know whether you are a good candidate is for you to come see us, so call for an initial appointment today.

Bibliography
Borggren, C. L. (2007, Spring). Pregnancy and chiropractic: a narrative review of the literature. J Chiropr Med, 6(2), 70-74.
Khorsan, R., Hawk, C., Lisi, A., & Kizhakkeveettil, A. (2009, Jun). Manipulative therapy for pregnancy and related conditions: a systematic review. Obstet Gynecol Surv, 64(6), 416-27.
Lisi, A. (2006, Jan-Feb). Chiropractic spinal manipulation for low back pain of pregnancy: a retrospective case series. J Midwifery Womens Health, 51(1), 7-10.
Stuber, K., & Smith, D. (2008, ul-Aug). Chiropractic treatment of pregnancy-related low back pain: a systematic review of the evidence. J Manipulative Physiol Ther., 31(6), 447-54.

What Is Your Personal GPS Saying?  As I was reading Joel Osteen’s message today, He used the analogy of a GPS system to describe how we can find our way back to a higher spiritual ground.  Here is an example of how this relates to health.  Poor life style choices can cause a loss of our personal GPS signal preventing us from reaching the ultimate destination of what some would call peak performance, quality of life, happiness, fulfillment and much more.  By receiving chiropractic care, one can restore the body’s disrupted signals which can occur as a result of spinal misalignments (subluxations) in order to once again be reconnected to the GPS system of the body that controls EVERYTHING, the Nervous system.  Have your personal GPS recalibrated today!