Article and video originally posted at WNDU.com (April 3,2012) Click here to see article

"New treatment helping people with insomnia"

Reporter: Maureen McFadden

How did you sleep last night? If you have trouble getting enough Z's, you're not alone.

60 million Americans have insomnia and sometimes even sleeping pills don't help. Now a new experimental treatment could point the way to a good night's sleep.

45-year-old Howard Shelley couldn't sleep more than three hours a night.

Howard Shelley, Suffered from insomnia, describes the sleeping problems he had, "I wouldn't sleep that soundly, I would wake up."

Up to 50-percent of Americans like Howard report insomnia on a weekly basis. Now a new therapy could help.

Howard participated in the first clinical research study using brainwave optimization- essentially using your own brain waves to balance brain function, to improve sleep.

Charles Tegeler, MD, Neurologist, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, describes what the process is like, "It's kind of like pushing the reset button in that you get back to a balanced level to start with."

Doctor Charles Tegeler says insomnia can be caused by stress or trauma that throws off the brain's natural rhythms and balance.

Here's how it works is, sensors attach to the scalp and connect to a brain-mapping computer that detects brain waves. The brain waves are then broken down into frequencies and evaluated. Dominant frequencies are then assigned a musical tone and played back to the patient through ear phones.

Shelley describes what he sees the process, "It's kind of consonant, kind of dissonant, strangely ethereal."

As the brain listens to the sounds, changes can occur in the neural network.

Shelley explains how it helped him, "It works. After the third session, I got a great night's sleep. After that, little by little, the insomnia kind of went away. I'm sleeping great now."

All thanks to the sounds of his own brain.

Brain wave optimization is available as a biofeedback technique, but formal research studies are just emerging. The treatment has been shown to be safe and painless in early research trials for insomnia.

A clinical trial for brainwave optimization in migraines is also underway, with additional studies planned for people with concussions.

BRAIN WAVES BEAT INSOMNIA!
REPORT# 1871

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Research has linked insomnia to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes and other medical issues. Not only does insomnia cause sleepiness during the day, it has been linked to deeper problems such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes and other ailments. Insomnia can fluctuate throughout one's life and can be somewhat difficult to diagnose due to the variations of the disorder. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has developed 11 variations of insomnia. (Source: www.webmd.com, www.health.com)

DO YOU HAVE INSOMNIA? Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. Insomnia can be caused by many different factors including anxiety, medications, stress, caffeine, overeating before bedtime or a change in one's life. Many people are unaware that they are suffering from insomnia, but there are a few common symptoms: 
* Difficulty falling asleep
* Waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep
* Waking up too early in the morning
* Feeling tired upon waking
(Source: mayoclinic.com)

TYPES OF INSOMNIA: There are two classifications of insomnia: primary insomnia and secondary insomnia.
* Primary insomnia occurs when a person is having sleep problems that are not directly related to any other health condition or problem.
* Secondary insomnia occurs when a person is having sleep problems because of something else, such as asthma, depression, arthritis, cancer or heartburn. (Source: www.webmd.com)

INSOMNIA TREATMENT: Brainwave optimization is a non-invasive treatment that helps the brain balance itself for optimal performance. The therapy is still considered experimental for the treatment of insomnia but there are treatment facilities offering the therapy for other disorders. Reports show that many patients meet the treatment expectations or exceed them. (Source: brainstatetech.com, www.brainpeace.ca, www.insomnialand.com)

Source: WNDU.com

Debra
Female, 54 years old
Phoenix, Arizona
Issue: Trauma, Anger Issues, Anxiety, IBS, Sleep

Before doing my Brainwave Optimization sessions I suffered from trauma, anger issues, anxieties, sleep issues, always felt “stuck”, and had just been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

After the first four sessions, I started sleeping through the night, my IBS symptoms vanished, and I could feel a shift in the way I was perceiving and reacting to situations. Since completing 10 sessions I have found myself able to disengage from stressful situations, where before I could not. And when I encountered a traumatic situation, which in the past would leave me unable to function for two to three days, I was stunned to realize the next day I was able to shake it off, function better and able to assess the situation without becoming depressed again or get stuck in the feeling of victimization. (I also started writing poetry again)!

I was tired of being stuck in the trauma of events that had happened and didn’t like how that controlled my life and who I was. I felt like things happened to me instead of me making things happen in my life. I didn’t even consider at first how it could help my sleep patterns or my medical issues.

After the first 10 sessions I am now sleeping better, I don’t feel as victimized and stuck by what happens to me, and I can deal with things better, as well as more quickly.

I feel like I could be a walking, talking advertisement – living proof of this wonderful knowledge – and IT SHOWS! I feel like I not only have found something that is truly helping me, but see how much this process could help so many people I know as well and with MUCH BETTER results than the other methods! After spending the week with Susan Sugar (Certified Brainwave Technologist) I not only found a compassionate person/therapist, but one who thankfully is willing to “think outside the box” and offer this great opportunity!

- Excerpted from actual client comments

Debra experienced Brainwave Optimization™ at Essential BrainWorks, Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Lauren experienced Brainwave Optimization at Brain and Life Optimizing in San Clemente, California.