As we enter into the fall and winter seasons, there seem to be four things that our kids and families experience that tend to collide all at once. This results in stressed families and a time when kids get sick the most!
This causes our kids, ourselves, and our nervous systems to get completely overwhelmed and stressed out. When we get worn out, we get sick, anxious, and overly emotional. All of this is very biological, physiological, and neurological.
After discussing these four points, we will move on to the most crucial aspect of the topic, which is to provide you with strategies to overcome and manage it. Yes, we can get through winter happy, smiling, and healthy. Your tan may fade, but your health doesn’t need to.
THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT GOES SIDEWAYS WHEN WE HIT THIS SEASON IS OUR SLEEP
We all know if you’re a parent, of young kids especially, that daylight savings goes into effect as we shift into the winter months. The world as God designed it, is wildly intelligent. We are actually supposed to slow down and take it easier in the winter months, which includes getting more sleep.
But what happens is because other things start to ramp up (school and social activities; sports; parties; sugar), we start to get less sleep. Many kids are going to enter this season already not getting enough sleep, so when that issue becomes magnified with daylight savings, and fewer waking hours, we really get into trouble.
You could also attribute sleep challenges to the fact that kiddos are not getting outside enough, thus not getting as much vitamin D and sunlight. You’re simply not getting as much energizing, stress-busting, immune system-building activity, and exercise outside. Here are some natural sleep remedies to help with this challenge.
NUMBER TWO IS DUE TO THE SHIFT OF SEASONS
The truth of the matter is that our central and autonomic nervous system regulates our body’s temperature and pressure sensors. So as we go through all these seasonal changes, spring and fall are the big ones, we really stress out our nervous system because it’s preoccupied. It’s busy regulating temperature, our immune system, due to all these changes happening. When our immune and nervous systems get sidetracked, that can cause our emotions, sleep, and health to start to go sideways too.
NUMBER THREE, SCHOOL IS REALLY WHERE SOCIAL AND SPORTS ALL INTERWEAVE TOGETHER FOR OUR KIDS
School is really busy at that time and sports tend to pick up. Your kids probably have projects, tests, exams, and grades so the pressure is elevated. We could have really just called this “schedules are maxed out” time of year. Not to mention the holiday parties that pop up on the schedule.
NUMBER FOUR IS STRAIGHT-UP SUGAR
Then we put kerosene on the campfire and go from Halloween to Thanksgiving, to Christmas and are full-throttle into a sugar-filled, stress-filled season. All of that adds up to a stressed-out, wound-up nervous system. Our nervous system can only stay stressed out and try to keep up for so long before it wears out and runs out of gas.
Our adrenals and immune system tap out, and our digestive system goes sideways. The moment those key systems in the body get worn out so does our physical systems and our brain. Our brain in today’s conversation is emotions, behavior, focus, and concentration. So if you’re seeing your kids’ sensory, emotional, and/or behavioral challenges really come to a head and get worse that time of year, it’s the system that regulates the body that you’ve got to take care of the most.
SO WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS TO HELP?
The number one thing you’ve got to do is find out how far into it you are. There is a phenomenal type of technology we use called INSiGHT scans that you will find in a neurologically focused pediatric and family chiropractor’s office. Our specialty is measuring, finding, and improving stress on the nervous system, and we can do that in 15 minutes using these scans. Right now is the time to find out if your kid’s nervous system, immune system, and digestive system are exhausted, out of balance, and completely wound up and stressed out.
If you’re reading this and this sounds like your kid – they’re stressed, wound up, worn out and you know that all of those S’s are a part of your life, we can help you overcome. You can get chiropractic care to improve the function of your nervous system which will make it more resilient, and adaptable and improve how it copes with stress.
Here to Help,
Dr. James Peterson + Thrive Family Chiropractic Team
AND PX DOCS
