Health experts agree you should practice good sleep hygiene to feel rested and rejuvenated. Use these tips and adopt these habits for a better night’s sleep.

-Examine Your Sleep Habits and Enviroment
Generally, sleeping on you back or your sides are best. However, in either position, the idea is to support your natural neck alignment. At Broadway at Burrard Chiropractic we supply posture pillows to our patients to help support their bodies while they sleep. Retire to bed the same time each night and rise at the same time each morning- even on weekends.

-Exercise and Meditation: A Perfect Pair
Regular exercise relieves stress and improves sleep. But avoid rigorous exercise three hours before bedtime as this can actually keep you awake. Meditation is a perfect complement to exercise. It’s an effective way to relax both mind and body.

-What You Eat Impacts Your Sleep
A high fat diet can cause sleep problems, so cut back on saturated and trans fats. Good bedtime food choices are bread, yogurt, and banana. Avoid protein heavy snacks since protein produces energy.

-Quick Fixes Not Always the Best Choice
Unfortunatley, many people want a fast solution to insomnia and see sleeping pills as the best answer. But these medications can be habit forming and come with numerous side effects.

-How Much Sleep Should I Get?
The National Sleep Association recomends 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. But in its 2008 Sleep in America Poll, the association’s results show the average person only gets 6 hours and 40 minutes.

     Chiropractors can help you prevent running-related problems by assessing your gait, as well as the mobility of the joints in your feet, legs, pelvis and spine. Should you suffer stress and strain from running, a chiropractor can also provide treatment for your pain.

Shoe Shopping Tips

-Shop in the afternoon or evening, as your feet tend to accumulate fluid and swell throughout the day.

-Not all shoes are created equally. The same shoe sizes can have different fits depending on the maker. Make sure you try several sizes to find the most comfortable shoe.

-Avoid buying shoes that you feel need a break-in period.  Shoes  should be comfortable from the first time you put them on.

-Running shoes are an investment in your health. Better quality shoes may cost more but will pay off in terms of support and sturdiness.

-Most importantly, your running shoes must be comfortable- go for a short jog inside the store to test them out!

-And lastly, to prevent injury, don’t forget to replace your runners every 400 to 60 miles or 6 month, whichever comes first.

From the Kinesiotaping website:

The Kinesio Taping® Method has taken the Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine world by storm. This amazing taping method was developed by Dr. Kenzo Kase over 25 years ago in Japan. Kinesio Taping® has quickly become the gold, or should we say “platinum” standard, for therapeutic rehabilitative taping. The proprietary method of taping uses a uniquely designed and patented tape for treatment of muscular disorders and lymphedema reduction.

The Kinesio Taping® Method involves taping over and around muscles in order to assist and give support or to prevent over-contraction. The first technique gives the practitioner the opportunity to actually give support while maintaining full range of motion. This enables the individual to participate in their normal physical activity with functional assistance. The second technique, which is most commonly used in the acute stage of rehabilitation, helps prevent overuse or over-contraction and helps provide facilitation of lymph flow for an entire 24 hour period.

www.kinesiotaping.com

If you have acute pain, it’s best to apply ice first.  If you suffer from chronic sore muscles, heat can be used for comfort.  After the acute stage of pain and inflammation (usually limited to the first 72 hours following an injury), alternate heat and cold, .i.e 5 min hot/5 min cold/5min hot.  But try each suggestion and see which provides the best and longest lasting relief from soreness.

Dr. Wright & Dr. Hunsberger would like to welcome you to our new blog space.  We will be posting new and current information about Chiropractic and health and wellness.   Our topics will consist of current events, rehabilitation, injury prevention, spinal maintenance and products that we endorse.  Periodically we will be having guest bloggers that will ad comments on other health topics.  Our goal is to help you stay healthier and enjoy your life.