When you think of chiropractic care, you probably think of treating your physical symptoms, like decreasing your back pain or improving your flexibility. However, chiropractic care can play a supporting role in reducing your anxiety and improving your mental health. How?
The mind-body connection is strong, and when your body is in pain, your mental health can suffer, leading to anxiety, depression, and stress. Treating your physical symptoms can improve how you feel about yourself, of course, but there’s a much stronger connection between chiropractic care and managing anxiety.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is when you experience feelings of fear, dread, or uneasiness. It’s common to feel anxious just before certain activities, like giving a big speech, a job interview, or taking a big test. In these cases, anxiety can be useful, giving you the focus and energy you need to succeed.
For some people, though, anxiety happens more often than “occasionally.” When you experience anxiety frequently, it doesn’t go away, or starts interfering in daily life, you likely have an anxiety disorder. While many things can cause an anxiety disorder, people who experience chronic pain or ongoing stress may develop anxiety that doesn’t resolve easily.
Anxiety Symptoms
When you’re anxious, you may experience some or all of these physical symptoms:
- Rapid breathing
- Restlessness or an inability to stay still
- Difficulty concentrating
- Unable to fall asleep
- Rapid heartbeat
- Sweating, trembling, or shaking
- Feeling nauseous
- Having cold or sweaty hands or feet
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
You may experience these symptoms some of the time, like only feeling dizzy when you think about a stressor. But you may experience certain symptoms all the time, like an inability to fall asleep.
Experiencing these symptoms over time takes a toll on your physical and mental health, which can lead to a downward spiral. The more anxious you are, the more you experience these symptoms, which makes you more anxious, and so on.
How Does Chiropractic Care Ease Anxiety?
One small study looked at the impact of chiropractic adjustments on a patient’s self-reported anxiety levels and found that people reported experiencing less anxiety after receiving chiropractic care. A second study looked at the impact chiropractic care has on overall health and found that patients experienced a “significant” reduction in anxiety.
The second study looked more closely at how chiropractic care helped patients with anxiety symptoms, noting that other studies on chiropractic treatment have found a positive relationship between brain chemistry and chiropractic care. Specifically, chiropractic treatment can increase alpha brain waves, which help us feel calm and relaxed. Researchers also speculate that alpha waves play a role in reducing anxiety and depression.
The study found that in the four weeks following chiropractic care, patients experienced an increase in alpha waves and reported feeling significantly less anxious and depressed, improving their quality of life. The authors theorize that the post-chiropractic treatment increase in alpha waves helps patients feel less anxious about their pain or discomfort.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Managing Anxiety
Chiropractic adjustments won’t cure or eliminate your chronic stress or anxiety, but they can help you manage your symptoms, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being.
Lower Blood Pressure
Chronic stress, anxiety, or depression are feelings that directly impact your physical health. A nervous system that’s always “on guard,” like when you’re stressed or anxious, can lead to high blood pressure.
After chiropractic care, you’re likely to feel less stress and anxiety. This helps your nervous system relax, lowering blood pressure and improving your overall health.
Reduce Muscle Tension
You may know you’re constantly stressed or anxious, but you may not realize you carry that stress and tension throughout your body. Muscle tension in your neck, shoulders, and back, and even chronic headaches, are all indicators that your anxiety is manifesting as physical symptoms.
Chiropractic care, like chiropractic massage or other adjustments, relieves muscle tension, helping you feel more relaxed and less stressed.
Helps You Sleep
One of the more common symptoms of anxiety disorders is an inability to sleep. Whether that’s staying up all night due to racing thoughts, bad dreams that interrupt your sleep, or just not sleeping well, poor sleep has a negative impact on your physical and mental health.
Chiropractic care can improve many of your anxiety symptoms, making it much more likely you’ll get a good night’s sleep multiple nights. Over time, this will improve your overall health, which, in turn, helps you manage your anxiety.
Which Chiropractic Treatments Will Help With My Anxiety?
Your treatment plan will vary based on your symptoms and goals. However, some of the typical chiropractic treatments that can help with managing your anxiety include:
- Spinal adjustments. Spinal adjustments can help bring your spine into alignment, reducing any pain or discomfort you feel in your back, hips, or thighs.
- Massage therapy. Massage therapy will reduce muscle tension throughout your body and help you feel more relaxed.
- Medical massage. Medical massages are a targeted approach that focuses on a specific medical condition.
- TMJ adjustments. TMJ can be painful, making it difficult to chew, yawn, and even speak. TMJ chiropractic can help reduce that pain and the anxiety that often accompanies it.
Handle Anxiety With Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractic care won’t cure your anxiety, but it can help you get back some control over the symptoms. The gentle adjustments will provide physical relief that also improves your mental health and overall well-being.
The compassionate team of chiropractors at Flourish Chiropractic Spa is here to help you thrive. Schedule an appointment today.
