Stress, Sleep, Pillows and Your Overall Well-Being
It’s unfortunate that so many of us are familiar with the negative impact that stress has on our sleep; causing us to toss and turn, ruminate with thoughts, lay there wide awake, unable to fall asleep, or waking constantly throughout the night. This is especially prevalent during our current climate with all of the uncertainties and changes surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Sleep is important for so many aspects of our well-being - mentally, emotionally and physically.
Mentally: it is during sleep that your brain processes and stores your experiences from the day, and is therefore necessary for learning and memory.
Emotionally: sleep deprivation can impair the way the brain regulates our emotional responses.
Physically: on a more noticeable level, a restless night can leave us feeling lethargic, stiff and sore.
On a less obvious, but important level, poor sleep can impact negatively on the immune system. This is because it is during sleep that the immune system releases the proteins necessary to fight infection and inflammation within the body.
It is important to note that it’s not just the amount of sleep that you’re getting, but also the quality of that sleep. Broken or light sleep will not allow your body to enter the stages of sleep in which the body performs all of the functions necessary to keep you healthy.
Vital to good quality sleep is providing your body with the appropriate support. In terms of your pillow, it needs to support your head and neck in a way that will promote a healthy sleep posture, that is, the appropriate alignment of your spine and airways. Each of us has our own individual physical needs, as well as our own unique sleep preferences, hence the importance of finding a pillow with the right fit - one that will provide the best conditions for you to have an optimal night’s sleep, thus allowing your body to perform the functions that are supported through sleep.
At Be Well, we stock a range of pillows, produced by Flexi Pillow, for children and adults alike. They are adjustable and vary in material and density to suit different needs and bodies. And who better to recommend a pillow for your unique needs than your Osteopath? They are in a position to be able to assess your body’s functioning and requirements in terms of supporting a healthy sleep position for optimum sleep and, therefore, better functioning throughout the day.
If you have been putting off upgrading your pillow to one more suited to your needs, now could be your opportunity to improve your sleep and overall well-being. You can contact the team at Be Well Health Group in Grovedale on (03) 5244 0063, or via email at info@bewellhealthgroup.com. Please note: our reception times have altered during this COVID-19-affected time. We will endeavour to get back to your enquiry as soon as we can.
Be safe and Be Well.