Early Start Leads to Wellness!
As a Madison AL Chiropractor, we feel that getting up in the morning is an essential part of your wellness program. Tissues, cells, and other parts of the body all need to be doing their tasks. They all need to be interacting with each other successfully. Hormones and nutrients need to appear at the same time in the right amounts. Metabolic procedures need to be in harmony. All of these complex procedures are under the immediate management of your neurological system.Chiropractic health care helps your neurological programs operate at optimum performance. By reestablishing alignment to your spine, your body immediately increases actions within your neurological programs. As a result, cells, tissues, muscles, tendons, organs and other parts of the body function better and your body now has the power it needs to wake up starting the day - healthier, rejuvenated, and ready to go!
We all know individuals who get up with the first light of the sun. Some individuals wake up even before daybreak. In comparison, for many individuals getting out of their comfortable bed is an everyday exercise in disappointment. They know they "should" get up, they know they should "be on time", but each day they find themselves choosing the Snooze sleep option "just once more". "Really, this is it," they announce to their aggravated partners and children. "I'm getting up. Just nine minutes more."
What is the difference between those who are able and willing to toss off the covers at the beginning of the day and those who battle mightily fighting the alarm and the snooze button? The characteristics and attributes of your biorhythms - your set of inner clocks - provide most of the answer.
The field of chronobiology - the study of biologic time - investigates various physiologic biorhythms. In animals these rhythms are associated with sleeping,1 eating, metabolic and hormonal regulation,2,3 cellular regeneration, and mating. In plants biorhythms are associated with photosynthesis and movements of leaves and stems. Circadian rhythms describe 24-hour cycles. Diurnal and nocturnal rhythms are active during the day and night, respectively.
There is good news for those who would appreciate the benefits of getting a head-start on their daily routines but nevertheless continually get out of bed half an hour or more late. Circadian rhythms can be modified. It takes time and effort, but it can be done. Will power is not enough, as anyone who has tried to tell themselves to get up earlier on a day-to-day base can testify. Diet plans and frequent, exercise are key to making any long-lasting change in our biorhythms. Add a powerful desire to the mix and long-term results can happen.
Managing your light exposure can help tremendously. Try taking a short walk outdoors early in the day - ideally every day. And leave your sunglasses at home. You want your eyes to receive and process the early sunlight which will help your pineal gland to get in sync with the natural rhythms of sun. You can also use a low watt light bulb in your bedroom before going to bed.
It is equally important to avoid bright light exposure in the evening, especially the blue light tones from computers and televisions. This will help prepare your body to fall asleep more easily, early enough so that you will feel rested in the morning when your alarm goes off. If you need to use your computer in the evening, you might want to try a free program called f.lux which reduces the blue light your monitor normally emits that can interfere with your sleep. Also, minimize the light in your home in the evening, and make sure your bedroom is as dark as possible, wearing an eye mask if you can't otherwise block out the light.
Ideally, you will begin getting out of bed normally with the dawning sunshine, even before your alarm goes off. Some individuals use special alarm clocks that simulate the sun rising, gradually improving the lighting in your bed room to wake up you carefully before any alarm is sounded.
It is also essential to not sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays. Keeping a constant rest routine throughout the week is one key to resetting your circadian rhythms. As a Madison AL Chiropractor, we often talk to our patients about sleep issues, as there are many illnesses such as Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that are directly linked to sleep issues.
1Priano L, et al: Non-linear recurrence analysis of NREM human sleep microstructure discloses deterministic oscillation patterns related to sleep stage transitions and sleep maintenance. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Cos 1:4934-4937, 2010
2Kalsbeek A, et al: Hypothalamic control of energy metabolism via the autonomic nervous system. Ann NY Acad Sci 1212(1):114-129, 2010
3Eisenberg DP, et al: Seasonal effects on human striatal presynaptic dopamine synthesis. J Neurosci 30(44):14691-14694, 2010