Dr. Miner's Weekly Wellness Wisdom



If you are blessed with deep, restful sleep, you probably do not think about it that often. If you do not sleep well, that is a different story.

The first main thing with sleep is that almost always if you are having problems with sleep it means you are not moving or exercising enough during your day. You may currently workout, but, if your body has adapted to your regular level of intensity when you exercise, it is time to kick up the intensity. It will make an almost instantaneous improvement in your sleep when you expend more energy during your day.

Sleep is a very chemical process. It is your nervous system that controls and regulates the chemical process of sleep. Regular adjustments help keep stress off your nervous system so you can sleep better.

There are hundreds of chemicals involved with sleep, which is one reason sleeping pills are a bad idea, they short circuit your chemistry so you never reach the deep REM levels of sleep with them.

The major chemical related to sleep, melatonin, is often referred to as the sleep hormone. A key thing to understand about melatonin is it shares a very close relationship to serotonin because it is converted from serotonin. Most of you are familiar with seratonin because it is known as the "feel good hormone" that is related to most anti-depressant medications. Again, with exercise and Chiropractic adjustments you produce more serotonin, no need for meds.

If we do not have enough serotonin, we will not be able to produce enough melatonin. Decreased melatonin means that we experience a decrease in our ability to reach the deeper, more healing levels of sleep. You should also be aware that light stops serotonin to melatonin conversion. This is why I strongly urge you to sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your production of both melatonin and serotonin.

There should also be as little light in the bathroom as possible if you get up in the middle of the night. Keep the light off when you go to the bathroom at night! As soon as you turn on that light you will, for that night, immediately cease all production of the important sleep aid melatonin.

Sweet dreams!

Love and Health,


Dr. Allen Miner
Health Quest Chiropractic