Neck Pain

Naturally, you can hurt your neck in a car accident or other major trauma. And everything makes sense. Your head was thrown forward and you were really hurt. But what about those other times? Like when you wake up and your neck hurts. Typically, the thought there is, "I slept wrong." I hear this often.

When we sleep, we are supposed to be relaxed. When muscles are relaxed, our body can be in virtually any position comfortably. However, when there is active stress in our mind as we go to sleep, our muscles react to this tension by tensing. Just as we are tense during the day, we can be tense during the night, EVEN AS WE SLEEP!

If you are someone who remembers your dreams, there are probably those dreams that you can recall that were extremely stressful. The type of dream where you wake up with your heart racing, so glad that whatever you were dreaming of really wasn't happening. But while you were dreaming, it was happening, as far as your body was concerned. The racing heart, the adrenaline pumping, the muscles tensing...this was your body's experience for at least part (perhaps even for most, or all) of the night. No wonder we can so easily wake up sore!

It is very important for us to have a practice or a ritual that helps us clear tension before going to sleep. In the book Dynamic Health by Dr. M.T. Morter Jr., he gives an exercise that can be done prior to bed, which does just this. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and health. The exercise recommended in the book is a very specific way to neutralize stress before bed.

While you will need to get the book or come to my office to learn the specifics, it is critical that you do not fall asleep in a state of tension. So, here is a little practice that will be of great benefit to you. Think over what has happened in your day, and forgive yourself, your co-workers, friends, and even politicians and people on the news, for all of your and their transgressions. If you had any particularly intense experiences (being accosted on the street, having a fight with your partner, etc.) then get some exercise in to burn off some of that adrenaline. Forgiveness is very powerful and healing.

Even by just doing this, you should find yourself feeling more relaxed and settled, and with that, you can hopefully get a night's sleep that rests and rejuvenates you, instead of stressing and straining your musculoskeletal system!

As I said before, the exercise (and, in fact, much of my understanding of health), comes from Dr. M.T. Morter Jr., a great chiropractor and healer.

To learn more about me, please visit my website at www.pinkertonchiropractic.com

You can visit Dr. Morter's site at www.morter.com