Fatigue, sleep disorders and osteopathy

Sleep is not a waste of time

It represents more than one third of your life. Sleep is crucial for growth, brain maturation, development and preservation of your cognitive abilities. It has a fundamental role in the restoration and conservation of metabolic energy. In other words, your sleep rebalances the losses encountered so that you can fully undertake your daily physical and intellectual activities.

More and more French people voluntarily abandon their sleep for other activities

We know today that the reduction of sleep time or the alteration of its quality (night wakings, difficulty in falling asleep...) favor :

  • mood disorders
  • memory loss
  • weight gain
  • cardiovascular risks

You must respect your own needs

It is commonly described that you fall asleep in about 30 minutes with an average sleep time of 7 to 8 hours. Your night consists of 3 to 5 cycles of 90 minutes alternating between a sleep where your state of alertness is light to deep.

What about osteopathy?

The interest of the osteopathic approach is to obtain lasting results by a natural method of regulating your sleep.  

To achieve this, your osteopath must take a rigorous history followed by a complete osteopathic clinical examination, in order to identify the cause(s) disturbing the balance of your body. In order to optimize a lasting result on the quality of your sleep, your osteopath must elaborate an adapted treatment plan over 2 to 3 sessions.

Sleep disorders are very often linked to a disturbance of the neuro-vegetative system (NVS) on which the osteopath can intervene.    

Osteopathy alone cannot cure you of your sleep disorders. A good lifestyle and a good environment are necessary.

Some advice from your osteopath to sleep better  

We are not all equal when it comes to sleep. The first step is to listen to yourself and understand your needs.

  • Turn off phones, tablets and computers one hour before bedtime
  • Avoid dealing with your problems before going to sleep
  • Avoid heavy meals in the evening
  • Avoid the consumption of exciting products from the beginning of the evening (coffee, black tea, cola...)
  • Avoid sports 2 to 3 hours before going to bed
  • Set a bedtime that fits your rhythm
  • Do not overheat your room
  • Warm your extremities to regulate your heat  

Osteopathy has proven to be an alternative of choice in the non-drug treatment of sleep disorders. However, this is only indicative and each case is different. The treatment may take longer and some complementary exams may have to be done to detect possible disorders such as sleep apnea.

For the final word, your osteopath would tell you that the bed must remain associated with the notion of sleep or cuddling and not be an annex of the office.

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