Everyday, thousands of people get treated by a chiropractor for a wide variety of common ailments. This often includes: back pain, neck pain, whiplash, sciatica, shoulder pain, arthritis, overuse injuries and chronic pain.  Chiropractic is a safe and effective method to treat these issues and can also be used to help manage chronic pain and keep people free from pain and dysfunction.  Although it is common knowledge that chiropractic care can help reduce pain and improve range of motion, there are 5 less commonly known side effects of chiropractic care, that often go unnoticed.

Better Sleep

Our sleep can be impacted by many factors including pain and discomfort that can interrupt our sleep.  Because chiropractic care can help restore proper function to the spine and other joints, thereby reducing pain, patients who attend receive chiropractic care, often report noticing remarkably better sleep.  Not only does chiropractic care help improve sleep because of reduced pain, it also helps reduce tight muscle and stress that builds up in our bodies.  When this is worked on, and relieved by chiropractic adjustments, people can fall asleep faster because their bodies are not holding in all the stress anymore.

Better Digestion

The body is controlled by our nervous system, which sends signals to our organs and other tissues without us even knowing.  Because chiropractors treat and adjust the spine, where the nervous system lives, some patients notice improvements to other functions in their body such as digestion.  Spinal nerves that control digestion can become irritated causing improper firing of signals to the digestive tract, leading to constipation in some cases. When the spine is adjusted, particularly in the mid to upper low back area, patients can experience better digestion as a result.

Improved Energy Levels

When our bodies get stuck in pain, it can suck the energy right out of us.  Suddenly simple tasks, require more effort because we need to move in a less efficient way, due to the pain and dysfunction that is present in our joints.  When our bodies begin to move more freely after having chiropractic care, we can notice an improvement in our energy levels because our bodies are moving the way they were designed.  Think of it like a car, when one tire is slightly deflated, the car becomes less fuel efficient because of the imbalance created.

Improved Immune System Function

Although the mechanism is not quite fully understood, those who are adjusted regularly by their chiropractor report having less common ailments like colds, coughs and the flu.  When they do get sick, they are sick for less often and their symptoms are usually far less severe.  Because the nervous system controls our immune system, when people get adjusted, their immune system can also start to function better because the interference is reduced.  Remember, the nervous system can become irritated or dysfunctional due to spinal problems.  Correcting these spinal issues, leads to improved nerve function and improved nerve function means that your immune system can work better too.

Better Cognition

Brain fog, headaches and eye strain can all affect our cognition, where we have trouble focusing and our efficiency at certain tasks becomes hindered.  All of these symptoms are signs that the nervous system is stressed.  Chiropractic adjustments help reduce the stress on the joints muscles and nervous system.  This allows the signals to get through to our brain so we can be sharp again and stay focused on long tasks.  If you are sitting at a desk all day, there will likely be built up tension in the neck perhaps also from improper posture.  Chiropractic can help improve posture, which directly relates to cognition and the ability to focus.

If you are thinking of seeing a chiropractor, and are suffering from any of the above issues, be sure to mention it to your chiropractor so they can keep track of the improvements as you go through the care plan.  If you stick with it, you will feel much better overall and notice the positive side effects of chiropractic care.