FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Sleep Awareness Week is March 5-11

Don’t Let Lack of Sleep Reduce Your Quality of Life

SHELBY TOWNSHIP – An old Chinese proverb states: “Only when one cannot sleep does one know how long the night is.” Almost everyone can relate to these words at some point in their life. Sleep is critical to good health and functioning, so lack of it is a serious matter.  

“Proper sleep is extremely important – as important as oxygen or food,” says Dr. Karl Johnson, a doctor of chiropractic who practices in Shelby Township. “Sleep restores, rejuvenates and energizes the body and brain. Through sleep, our bodies recharge and renew for the next day’s challenges. The third of your life that you should spend sleeping has profound effects on the other two thirds of your life.”

 According to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), only half of the respondents could say they sleep well on most nights, and three-quarters said that they frequently have sleep problems. It is estimated that 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders each year, and an additional 20 million have occasional sleep problems. In younger people, stress and worry commonly cause insomnia. Older people suffer from a natural decrease in melatonin – a sleep-inducing hormone. Pressures from job and family, illness, side effects of some medications, and aches and pains caused by uncomfortable beds or pillows can also rob us of sleep. 

Lack of sleep affects the immune and nervous systems, memory, judgment, attention, patience, thinking and reading ability, and the ability to understand directions. It can be especially dangerous for those who drive. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that sleep deprivation is responsible for 100,000 vehicle accidents a year, resulting in 1,500 deaths and 71,000 injuries. 

As wellness experts, doctors of chiropractic can provide patients with a different approach to their sleeping problems – without the use of sleeping pills, which leave many people in a mental haze the next morning. To start, here are a few helpful tips Dr. Johnson, the Michigan Association of Chiropractors, and the American Chiropractic Association recommend for the sleepless in Seattle (or any city, for that matter):  

Children 

For more information on chiropractic treatment and its relationship to general health and wellness, contact Dr. Johnson at (586) 731-8840 or visit his website at www.wellnesschiro.com.

The Signs of Insomnia Are: 

* Taking more than 30 to 45 minutes to fall asleep

* Waking up many times each night with difficulty returning to sleep

* Waking up early and being unable to get back to sleep

* Waking up feeling tired 

What Causes Insomnia? 

According to the National Institutes of Health, certain conditions seem to make individuals more likely to experience insomnia. Examples of these conditions include: 

* Advanced age (Insomnia occurs more frequently in those over age 60)

* Female gender

* A history of depression 

If other factors (such as stress, anxiety, a medical problem, or the use of some medications) are present along with the above conditions, insomnia is even more likely. 
 

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