Why Don't I Sleep Well?

Sleeping for 8hrs would take up 1/3 of our entire life, yet many of us struggle to get the rest we need. In this blog, we'll delve into some common reasons why you might be experiencing poor sleep and how addressing these factors can lead to better rest. While there are numerous contributors to sleep disturbances, we'll focus on lack of sunlight and melatonin production, poor breathing, stress, and pain. Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list, but it highlights key factors that can significantly impact your sleep quality.

1. Lack of Sunlight and Melatonin Production:
   Sunlight plays a crucial role in regulating our internal clock and promoting the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Spending ample time outdoors during the day, especially in the morning, helps synchronize your circadian rhythm and enhance melatonin production. Conversely, inadequate exposure to natural light, particularly exposing yourself to excessive blue light in the evening, can disrupt this process, leading to difficulty falling asleep at night.
   

2. Poor Breathing
   Breathing patterns can influence sleep quality more than you might realize. Conditions such as sleep apnea, nasal congestion, or shallow breathing can disrupt the flow of oxygen during sleep, causing frequent awakenings and restless nights. Practicing deep breathing exercises, maintaining a clear nasal passage, and addressing underlying respiratory issues can improve breathing quality and promote more restful sleep.
   

3. Stress
   Chronic stress and anxiety are notorious culprits for disrupting sleep patterns. Racing thoughts, heightened mental arousal, and increased cortisol levels can interfere with the body's ability to relax and unwind at night. Incorporating stress-reduction techniques into your daily routine, such as mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or journaling, can help alleviate stress and promote a calmer state of mind conducive to sleep. Think about developing a sleep routine which begins 1hour before bed.
   

4. Pain
   Physical discomfort, whether from injuries and chronic conditions can significantly impact sleep quality. Pain signals can disrupt sleep architecture, leading to tossing and turning all the time leads to fragmented and unrefreshing rest. Addressing underlying pain issues through pain management strategies, or therapeutic interventions can alleviate discomfort and improve sleep duration and quality. People ask us about pillows and sleeping positions all the time - there is no standard that fits all, but is most definitely advice we give that is context dependent.

Improving sleep quality involves addressing the individual contributors to poor sleep and cultivating healthy sleep habits. While lack of sunlight exposure, poor breathing, stress, and pain are common factors, other variables may also play a role in your sleep disturbances. By prioritizing practices such as spending time outdoors, improving breathing patterns, managing stress, and addressing pain, you can create a conducive environment for restorative sleep. Remember, consistency and commitment to a healthy sleep routine are key to achieving lasting improvements in sleep quality and overall well-being.

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3 Reasons Your Shoulder Isn't Getting Better

Persistent shoulder pain can be frustrating, especially when efforts to alleviate it seem to yield little improvement. Sometimes thousands of dollars spent on treatment which doesn’t help, it just feels like you’re funding the practitioner’s next holiday…

If you’ve tried shoulder rehab and it’s not working, then we may need to expand your mind on what’s possibly linked rather than sticking to something that isn’t working.

Let’s explore three often-overlooked factors that may be hindering your shoulder recovery journey. It could be that your grip is weak, you’ve had/have chronic neck issues, or your lever lengths make your elbow the primary lever… and although these particular findings might not be a ‘hole-in-one’ per se, they might pose as contributors to your shoulder problem… Let’s unpack these…

1. Weak Grip Strength:

Weak grip strength has been shown to be linked to rotator cuff pathologies. In a recent 2022 paper by Turabi et al, found positive correlations between hand grip strength and rotator cuff activity… The stronger the grip, the stronger the rotator cuff (click here to read more)… and with general averages showing that the average male produces 54-64kgs and the average female produces 34-44kgs of force (click here to read more) it might be worth checking to see if yours is up to scratch.

2. Chronic Neck Issues:

Reflexive stabilisation is something that starts at the spine and moves outward. This refers to the body’s ability to react to forces without you needing to consciously control the reaction… This is how the rotator cuff mostly works. So if you find your shoulder hurting you with innocuous movements, or at times where you’re lifting very low loads, it’s possible that the neck is involved as it is the centrepiece that underpins the efficiency of your reflexive stabilisation.

3.Upper Limb Lever Imbalances:

Leonardo Da Vinci was the first person to show us that the forearm should be five-seventh’s of the length of our humerus (upper arm bone). However, it’s been a few hundred years since then. Today we see much longer forearms, probably to adapt to the changing societal and lieftyle needs. Put simply, the longest lever carries the largest load… Meaning - if you forearm is longer than your upper arm, then the pivot point carrying the largest load will be the elbow rather than the shoulder. So often, we see people being given shoulder exercises but neglecting the tricep and bicep. If the forearm is long, we can’t ignore these two muscles when it comes to solving shoulder pain.

Conclusion:

Of course, these are 3 factors that you may not have considered on your recovery journey. By no means are we saying that these will solve the problem, but if you’re stuck, they’re certainly worth looking at. If you’re not sure, we can help you.

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