May 24, 2020
I’ve just finished reading the excellent book ‘Why We Sleep’ by Mathew Walker. Professor Walker is one of the foremost experts in the world of sleep and explores 20 years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters. I’ll be honest, the book is very dense and most of it will be too much for anyone that doesn’t have an interest in the subject, despite that fact that its well written.
In saying that he certainly makes a case for just how important sleep is. He argues that sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences. Every major disease in the developed world – Alzheimer’s, cancer, obesity, diabetes – has strong causal links to deficient sleep.
Despite traditionally being a good sleeper myself, reading this book has encouraged me to make changes to improve my sleep even further. For instance, I no longer drink coffee after 12pm and have set a cooler temperature at night and as a result I’ve improved my sleep quality.
To help improve your sleep, Professor Walker has developed 12 tips for healthy sleep. They are as follows;
In step 10, in the book, he does mention having a good quality pillow and mattress, but brushes over that point a little too much for my liking.
I’ll take it upon myself to fill in the blanks.
I have personally observed (and witnessed through countless clients) that the right pillow and mattress are invaluable to the quality of your sleep.
To sum it up, you need a mattress that is firm, and a pillow that is set to the exact right height for your body.
We recommend the ABCA mattress. It was designed simply because there was no mattress on the market that was firm enough that we could recommend.
‘But, I don’t like a firm mattress’ I hear you say.
We believe the reason why some people don’t like a firm mattress is because they don’t appreciate how the pillow relates directly to the mattress.
Getting the exact right pillow height (and having a pillow that allows you to maintain that through the night) is the key to not feeling uncomfortable on a firm mattress. We recommend the ABCA pillow to make this possible. Check out our videos on pillow set up originally posted in April 2018, they explain how to manage this and give options if you don’t have the pillow.
Getting both mattress and pillow right are integral to good sleep. Waking up feeling refreshed (not tired) and having a loose and light body (not stiff and/or sore) are some of the indicators that you’re doing this well.
The ABCA mattress and pillow are available to test and try in our office and can be ordered through us or via https://www.abcaustralasia.org.au/postural-support-products/
Dr Ben Coupe
At Melbourne City Chiropractic we focus on structural/postural correction. Specifically, we utilise a structural corrective technique called Advanced Bio-Structural Correction™. ABC™ is a ‘manual’ or ‘hands-on’ style of chiropractic. Its protocol involves meningeal stretches and spinal, pelvis, hip, knee, feet and rib adjustments.
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