The Benefits of Napping

Although our chiropractors at Chiropractic Clinic Houston regularly stress the importance of living an active life – running, walking, weight-lifting – we would also like to take a moment to stress the importance of rest. The body needs to be given time to recuperate, to recharge its batteries. Without proper rest, one will suffer from serious exhaustion, and perhaps get injured at the prospect of pushing too hard during exercise. There is an aristotelian mean, and that mean may vary subtly from person to person; but regardless, it is important for each person to find that mean for his or her self. Napping is a wonderful way for the active person to give the body necessary time to rest and recover. Whether you’re in need of back pain treatment, or knee injury treatment, or something similar, rest is vital for the recovery process. Take for example two individuals: the first is a tennis player with a bad back; the second, a college football star with a bad back. The tennis player, although playing the less physical sport, may choose to forgo rest in the hopes that his back will return to normal on its own, with no conscious, deliberate effort on his part to heal the injury – no rest, no icing, no seeing a chiropractor. Unfortunately, his back injury will get worse. Perhaps it may be on a serve or during a rally with an opponent of similar skill. The point is, his back is going to get worse, and it may leave him sidelined for good. The football player, on the other hand, is cognizant of the degree to which playing injured may lead to further injury. He rests, he sees a chiropractor, and he stays off the football pitch. He takes naps during the day to keep his mind off his urge to play football again. It is a coping mechanism that allows him extinguish anxiety. With time, depending on the severity of the injury, the football player will recover, and will return to the football pitch. These two men are polar opposites. The tennis player chose to focus only on the immediate, ignoring his body and his future athletic performance in favor of playing in the present, despite his body telling him that he should take time off to recover. The footballer, however, listened to his body. He knew that, although playing football in the now is fun, that his body is telling him that he should rest, so as to not further aggravate the injury. Read more!