Insomnia is a condition characterized by chronic lack of sleep. A combination of factors can contribute to difficulty falling and staying asleep. These range from poor sleep habits to medications and illnesses, such as ADHD, anxiety and depression. More recent research indicates screen time at night, lack of exercise, diet and an over-active mind can also be detrimental. Regardless of the cause, sleep deprivation has extremely negative consequences on function, aspects of health and longevity. When the body sleeps naturally, body systems repair, cells regenerate and visual and verbal information from the day consolidates. If sleep is regularly interrupted, these processes do not occur, resulting in wide-ranging health issues. Insomnia does have a simple cure, and many people live day to day with compromised health, performance and mood. Others medicate with various forms of sedatives or alcohol, which interfere with regular staging and production of necessary REM.

A large percentage of Insomniacs report a “busy” or active mind as the cause of their problem. Sleep is affected by excessive fast wave patterns, as seen in an active mind, anxiety or hyper-vigilance. For those individuals, Neurofeedback treatment is a viable medication-free solution. Although NF for Insomnia is novel, research has found that it can be effective. A recent Meta-analysis of 12 relevant studies by Lambert-Beaudet et.al. (2021) reported encouraging results, but noted that some advances could be due to the Placebo effect. Z-score Neurofeedback (NF) studies (Hammer et.al, (2011), Perez-Elvira et. al. (2018)) are best aligned with treatment protocols and training utilized at Brain Mapz. In addition to the positive outcomes seen on various sleep metrics, improvements continued to increase in the months following the program. This is not surprising given Neurofeedback software works by encouraging the brain to rewire, using repetition. Over time, the preferred slower wave pattern strengthens, and undesirable faster wave weakens.

How QEEG and Neurofeedback can help

The brain has an inherent power to rewire itself, given stimuli and reward, and NF capitalizes on this “neuroplasticity”. A QEEG examination provides personalized results that identify the activity most likely to be contributing to Insomnia. The brain maps display the frequencies which may be lacking, as well as those that are elevated. These areas can then be targeted in the NF program to improve the quantity and quality of sleep. The training software discourages the dysfunctional brain pattern, both intensity/power and speed/frequency, and over an undefined number of sessions, reduction in the deviant electrical activity usually occurs. The net result is a more balanced and flexible brain, with fewer and weaker pathways associated with the undesired pattern.

Another major benefit of Neurofeedback treatment is that it is medication free. This is especially valuable for Insomniacs because they often already rely on various medications to enable them to sleep. When metrics such as power and coherence become more “normal” and QEEG results improve, the maps become “greener”. Positive changes in health can be widespread with better sleep. As one would expect, fatigue and depression associated with the disorder normally reduces over time. But long-standing gut and immune related issues, for example, can also be resolved.