Santa Clarita Chiropractor and Functional Medicine Practitioner Dr. Thomas Polucki shares the Top 10 Tips for Better Sleep

By Dr. Thomas Polucki

How well do you sleep at night, or, if you work at night, in the daytime? Are you one of the 40 to 60 percent of Americans who has trouble sleeping?

Stress, aches and pains can keep a person from getting the sleep they need for their bodies to repair and prepare for the next day.

Sleep and heart disease statistics were just published in a sleep study of more than 47,000 participants. The study showed that less than five hours’ sleep or mpore than nine hours’ sleep increases calcium in heart arteries by 50 percent.

Current recommendations remain at eight hours of sleep for most people but not all sleep is created equal.

Because just like menstruating women have a monthly hormone cycle, everyone, men and women, have a daily hormone cycle. And, with few exceptions, our activity cycle is during daylight and our rest and repair cycle is at night.

The peak repair cycle takes place between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., and it is estimated that every hour of sleep during that time is worth two hours of sleep at any other time.

You may think these rules don’t apply to you, and there is a very small possibility you may be right.

But if you take any form of medication or have any of the following symptoms in the past 30 days,
it’s more likely than not that you are sleep-deprived:.

• headache
• irritability
• chronic tension
• chronic pain
• allergy
• infection
• digestive issue
• sleep problem
• hormone issues
• difficulty losing weight

Have you had more than one of these common symptoms in the past 30 days?

Let’s look at what that really means.

Symptoms are not drug deficiencies. They are your body’s alarm system, and continuously ignoring — or worse, disabling — the alarm with toxic medication is a dangerous strategy.

When it comes to sleep medicine, one of the more common side effects of sleep drugs is sleep problems.

RELATED: Read more Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour news articles on KHTS’s website

Occasionally we all may need some help getting to or staying asleep due to mental or emotional stress and there are effective non-toxic options available.

I carry the Muscle Relax PM9 formula in Thriving Lifestyle Choices product line, because if you struggle with sleep from chronic stress, anxiety, tension or sore muscles, mineral and herbal supplementation does not have the addictive effects of many prescription muscle relaxants and sleep aids.

This proprietary formulation of calcium, magnesium, melatonin and nine synergistic herbs has helped my sleep-deprived patients for years and does not make them feel groggy the next day.

Take our confidential online consultation and you may qualify for a free sample.

Here are some helpful tips for better sleep, if you have not already tried them:

• Exercise for 20 minutes in the morning;
• Limit caffeine to the morning, if at all;
• Drink half your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water daily;
• Have your last meal by 6 p.m.;
• Don’t go to bed until you are ready to go to sleep and be ready to go to sleep by 10 p.m.;
• Keep your bedroom a cool 72 degrees and dark, no television.

Pillow Talk

Position is important. While back sleeping is the ideal rest and recovery position, many people sleep on their side and change positions throughout the night.

There is really only one pillow design that will accommodate the restless sleeper. It is called a D-core.

The D-core pillow looks like a regular pillow with a D-shaped depression in the center.

This shape allows for support on the sides, when you sleep on your sides and drops away in the middle when you sleep on your back to relax your neck.

The ‘P’ in Mattress

A mattress needs to provide enough support, without causing pressure points.

Over the past 25 years I have recommended:

• Standard construction with individually wrapped coils
• Water beds
• Memory foam
• Air mattresses

And after bad experiences with all but my initial recommendation of individually wrapped coils, that is my final answer.

Invest in the coil count, not the topper.

Great name-brand mattresses can be found and delivered to your bedroom, with removal of your old mattress at a fraction of store-bought mattresses at US-Mattress.com

Appropriate chiropractic care can help. Here is my current You Tube playlist of Sleep Drug Free Solution testimonials.

If you, a friend, or a family member requires chiropractic care, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family both presently and into the future.

Take the free confidential online to qualify for a complimentary consultation.

About Santa Clarita Chiropractor Dr. Thomas Polucki

Dr. Thomas Polucki is a Board Certified Doctor of Chiropractic, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor and Certified Upper Cervical Chiropractor.

Dr. Polucki provides Functional Medicine services in most cities via remote labs and Internet consultations. He sees patients by appointment at 25050 Peachland Ave., Suite 105, Newhall, Calif., 91321. Visit http://www.drpolucki.com for more information or call 661-753-9340 to schedule an appointment.

Dr. Polucki also hosts the “Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour” on AM 1220 KHTS radio in Santa Clarita
Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon. Click here to listen to the podcasts.

The information in this article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.