Nearly 40 million Americans suffer from long-term sleep disorders each year and another 20 million suffer from occasional sleep problems.
The International Society for Neurofeedback & Research reports that neurofeedback can be used to regulate and improve sleep among those who suffer from sleep disorders.
At Advanced Health & Performance Institute in Orlando and Winter Park, we offer a variety of neurofeedback and other training options to help athletes, students and executives achieve peak performances. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, contact Advanced Health today.
Healthcare providers across the globe who use neurofeedback have reported dramatic improvements in patients who are struggling with chronic sleep problems, conditions that can lead to other health problems.
Here are some sleep disorders that, in most cases, can be mangaed by neurofeedback:
- Insomnia, which is difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep during the night.
- Trouble waking after sleep
- Not feeling rested after sleeping
- Sleeping for too long, typically for more than 10 hours
- Restless sleep, tossing and turning
- Nightmares
- Bedwetting
- Sleepwalking
- Restless leg syndrome
- Grinding teeth while you sleep
- Sleep terrors. This is abrupt and intense fear, followed by difficulty in awakening.
- Narcolepsy, or falling asleep seemingly instantly during the day, even during day activities.
- Poor sleep patterns, or circadian rhythms
Neurofeedback can help these problems because it works to improve brain regulation.
A 75-year-old patient recently reported she slept soundly for the first time in more than 20 years after undergoing neurofeedback training.
Parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have reported they have an easier time getting their kids to sleep following neurofeedback.
People who suffer from depression also have reported they find it easier to start their days and get going after neurofeedback.
Your brain regulates sleep, and science has identified the role of neuromodulator systems in the brainstem in maintaining states of being awake, and helping your brain let you sleep.
Training brainwaves via neurofeedback can decrease or increase brainwave activity. In turn, training can help the brain normalize your sleep pattern.
Evidence has revealed that brain training can impact sleep mechanisms and allow people to sleep better and longer.
Clinicians have reported that they expect sleep patterns to change after appropriate training for the majority of their patients.
Complete sleep assessments are useful as well to determine what may be behind sleep disorders.
Issues such as caffeine and alcohol intake, and other factors such as sleep apnea should be examined and reviewed during neurofeedback training.
Many agree that more work needs to be done in studying neurofeedback and its impact on sleep disorders. In nearly every study related to neurofeedback, changes to sleep are not always highlighted or reported.
But because there is plenty of literature on brain regulation, EEG and sleep, most believe there is a solid basis for using neurofeedback to help patients deal with sleep problems. In fact, scores of experienced professionals have used neurofeedback successfully to help improve patients’ sleep for a quarter of a century.
If poor sleep is causing you problems in your personal or professional life, contact Advanced Health & Performance Institute today to learn how we can help.