When Sleep Feels Impossible: What Your Body Is Really Trying to Tell You
By Dr. Sadie Laronde, D.C. | Wholistic Chiropractor | @drsades
You crawl into bed, ready for rest…
but your mind starts spinning.
Your body’s tired, yet it feels like your system won’t let you power down.
You toss, turn, check the clock, and whisper to yourself: Why can’t I just sleep?
Here’s the truth—your body isn’t fighting you.
It’s protecting you.
Sleep Is a Conversation With Your Nervous System
Most of us think of sleep as something we do. But sleep is something that we’re all designed for naturally. It’s a nervous system reflex and response when your body feels safe, in balance, and connected to the the natural rhythms of the day.
When your nervous system is stuck in a survival state (fight, flight, or freeze), it keeps the lights on inside your body. Your heart rate stays elevated, your muscles hold tension, your breath stays shallow.
Some of this problem stems from our modern lifestyle - high stress, high screen exposure, high demands at work - little movement, self-care and exercise.
More of this problem is connected to learned experiences from trauma throughout our lives. This isn’t laziness or a broken body. It’s your system saying: “It’s never truly safe enough to rest.”
As a chiropractor who works with the nervous system, creating new pathways of safety from the body up to the brain can be the little boost it needs. Prioritizing rest as self-care is one of the best things you can do for long-term brain health.
The Way You Sleep Tells a Story
Have you ever woken up with neck pain or that overall stiff feeling of “Maybe I just slept funny?”
How you sleep often mirrors your nervous system state.
Curling tightly or clenching your jaw? Your body may be bracing even while you rest.
Sprawling wide or sleeping on your stomach? Your body is in survival and may be trying to protect your sensitive organs.
Restless, tossing and turning all night? Your body may be storing extra anxious energy and tension throughout the day it’s trying to rid itself of during the night.
Wake feeling sore everyday? Hydration, muscle function, pillow, mattress and posture should all be considered factors.
If waking up feeling off, funny or with a nasty kink in the neck has happened more than a couple times in your life, we highly recommend getting your spinal alignment assessed!
Waking Up Throughout the Night
Waking multiple times at night isn’t always insomnia—it’s often your nervous system doing surveillance. It scans your internal and external environment for safety cues.
For many people, especially those with trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress, sleep can feel vulnerable. Your body never fully releases control, so it wakes you to “check in.”
The goal isn’t to force yourself to sleep harder—it’s to teach your system it’s safe enough to rest.
Try this:
EMDR Eye Roll: a simple 3 breath with intentional eye movement exercise. More effective than simply focusing on your breath, it stimulates higher parts of the brain, calming the lower (reptilian) brain connected to survival.
Inhale - looking up without moving your head and exhale - looking down. Repeat three times then check in with your body and breath. Repeat this as many time you need until you slip back into sleep.
Supporting Rest: Melatonin, Brain Waves, & Magnesium
Melatonin is your body’s natural sleep hormone, released when darkness signals your brain to wind down. But light exposure, chronic stress, and nervous system hyperarousal can suppress it.
Soft evening lighting, candlelight, and darkness help restore melatonin naturally. When your system relaxes, your brain shifts from beta (alert) waves into alpha, then theta, and finally delta—the deep sleep state where healing happens.
Magnesium is another ally: it calms muscles, regulates neurotransmitters, and supports the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) system. Magnesium-rich foods—leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, cacao—or an epsom salt bath can support deep, restorative sleep.
The Spine–Sleep Connection
Your spine isn’t just a stack of bones—it’s your nervous system’s main highway.
When spinal tension builds from stress, posture, or old injuries, it can interfere with your body’s ability to regulate, breathe, and rest deeply. Chiropractic adjustments restore communication between brain and body, reducing the “noise” that keeps you wired.
Many patients report sleeping more deeply and waking truly rested. When the nervous system can function at its best, it’s common for people to feel the positive shift in their quality of rest.
Restless Legs, Mouth Breathing, and Fatigue
Restless legs often point to an overactive stress response—your system moving energy it couldn’t release during the day. Gentle stretching, breathwork, or even a short shake before bed can help.
Mouth breathing during sleep is another sign of an activated state—it keeps your body ready for “action.” Nasal breathing during the day and gentle tongue-to-palate posture can retrain your system for calmer rest.
And if you wake tired, it’s not a moral failure. Fatigue is information. It’s your body whispering: “I need restoration, not more stimulation.”
A Nighttime Routine to Support Your Nervous System
Think of bedtime not as “shutting down” but as “coming home.” Here’s a simple wind-down practice:
Stretch gently—hips, shoulders, and spine. Movement cues safety.
Dim the lights—mimic sunset to help melatonin rise naturally.
Roll your eyes slowly upward and downwards— this eye roll activates the vagus nerve and calms the brain.
Breathe through your nose—feel your breath slow and deepen.
Journal one gratitude—signals your nervous system, “We’re safe enough to soften.”
Consistency matters more than perfection. This isn’t about performing wellness—it’s about re-establishing rhythm and trust with your body.
Sleep as Ceremony
In many Indigenous traditions, sleep is sacred. It’s when your spirit travels, your ancestors speak, and your body integrates the stories of the day.
Restoring your relationship to sleep restores your relationship to natural rhythms—the moon, the night, the ebb and flow of rest.
Your task isn’t to force sleep. It’s to create the safety that allows it.
With love & liberation,
Dr. Sadie Laronde, D.C.
Wholistic Chiropractic & Nervous System Healing
Instagram: @drsades | @theeffecthealing
