There are many reasons someone may not sleep well, ranging from stress and lifestyle factors to medical sleep disorders. Physical discomfort is another common culprit. Neck pain, back pain, muscular tension, and difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position can make it harder to fall asleep or cause you to wake repeatedly throughout the night.
The nervous system also plays an important role in sleep. Your brain and autonomic nervous system continually regulate your level of arousal, while pain, stress, and physical tension can make it more difficult for the body to settle into restful sleep.
Chiropractic care may help by reducing physical sources of stress, improving joint mobility and spinal mechanics, decreasing muscular tension, and making it easier to get comfortable at night. Research is also beginning to explore a broader neurological connection. Studies have shown measurable changes in brain activity and sensory processing following chiropractic adjustments, and some research has reported improvements in certain measures of sleep quality following spinal or cervical manual therapy. One recent study also found changes in EEG brain-wave activity and an increase in light-sleep duration following a period of chiropractic care.
These findings are interesting, but the research is still developing. Chiropractic care should not be considered a treatment for insomnia or other sleep disorders. However, for someone whose sleep is being affected by pain, tension, physical discomfort, or possibly heightened nervous-system arousal, improving spinal and musculoskeletal function may remove some of the barriers that are making good sleep harder to achieve.
Persistent or significant sleep problems can have causes outside the musculoskeletal system, so chiropractic care should complement, not replace, appropriate medical evaluation when a sleep disorder is suspected.