In a paper published in the October 18, 2015 issue of the Journal of Sleep Medicine & Disorders, Leonard Vernon, MD, DC, a chiropractor in Camden, NJ, explained why chiropractic may help those suffering from chronic primary insomnia.

In the paper, Vernon explained the brain chemistry involved in insomnia and how a misalignment of the vertebrae in the upper cervical spine, the area where the neck meets the back of the head, can cause changes to occur in the area of the brain. Vernon pointed out how the brain manufacturers certain hormones that effect how sleep and that a disruption of nerve impulses to these areas of the brain could cause a disruption in the release of these hormones.

Vernon cited a 2007 study conducted at Rush University Hypertension Center, in which the manual correction of mal-alignment of the Atlas vertebrae reduced blood pressure.

The vertebral Subluxation is a bio-mechanical spine derangement thought to produce clinically significant effects by disturbing neurological function with a result of having a negative physiological effect on the body. This can include the brain and the chemical and hormones it produces.