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Has anyone tried Neurofeedback to improve sleep?

Peyt

Senior Member
Messages
678
Location
Southern California
Hi,
I have been looking at different forms of Neurofeedback for my ADHD(inattentive) and have been told by 2 different Neurofeedback therapists (each with a different protocol) that I don't really have ADHD and my problem is my poor sleep (I fall sleep easy but then wake up several times per night and wake up tired in the morning).....

One of the protocols is called Neuroptimal and the other is the infra low EEG .
So I wanted to ask, has anyone here used any form of Neurofeedback for sleep? If yes, how was your experience? and which protocol was it?

Is anyone familiar with the Alpha Theta training for trauma that's suppose to improve sleep?
 

Jyoti

Senior Member
Messages
3,379
Did you ever try Neuroptimal? Had someone recommend that a few months ago for my daughter because she's tortured by sensory stimulation. Sounds, sensations, temperatures, odors, etc.
It sounds soooo wonderful. I tried it for my daughter who has some sensory and some focus challenges. We put in a good six months (and quite a few $$$) with no real impact, I a sorry to say.
 
Messages
9
I haven't gotten the hang of doing the quoting, but thank you all for your feedback! I really appreciate it. I'm sorry neuroptimal and/or other neurofeedback didn't help! That's kind of what I'm afraid will happen. Waste of money. And possibly she won't even be able to tolerate the quiet music... I'm just hoping to find something that doesn't cause any harm.
 

Jyoti

Senior Member
Messages
3,379
I haven't gotten the hang of doing the quoting
A little technical advice:
Highlight what you want to quote, and a box pops up underneath that says
Quote/Reply
. Click on quote. Then go to the text box you are typing in and at the bottom you will see a box that says '
insert quotes
' which opens another box with your quote in it and you can click on that.

Barring that working (which sometimes occasionally for good reasons I cannot yet fathom) it does not, you can highlight, cut and paste and then highlight again and put in a quote box by using the drop-down menu next to the smiley face icon on the menu bar at the top of each text box. This will put your quote in a tan box which makes it stand out, but it won't link to the original post. Hope this helps. You can browse here as well for more details about PR and how to use it: https://forums.phoenixrising.me/resources/

How motivated is your daughter at this point? And how much energy can she devote to de-sensitizing? I know that neurofeedback is attractive since it can be 'done' to you, on your behalf, more or less passively. I will think on other avenues and return with any ideas that arise if and when they do!
 
Messages
9
How motivated is your daughter at this point? And how much energy can she devote to de-sensitizing? I know that neurofeedback is attractive since it can be 'done' to you, on your behalf, more or less passively. I will think on other avenues and return with any ideas that arise if and when they do!
She's motivated but doesn't have much energy, maybe 1.5 hours spread throughout the day, and that includes eating and personal care. Thank you!!!
 
Messages
9
It sounds soooo wonderful. I tried it for my daughter who has some sensory and some focus challenges. We put in a good six months (and quite a few $$$) with no real impact, I a sorry to say.
Jyoti, how loud was the music? Could you adjust the volume?
 

Jyoti

Senior Member
Messages
3,379
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: on the quotes @GreenGrapes!
Jyoti, how loud was the music? Could you adjust the volume?
Yes. It has been a while, but I am quite certain the volume was adjustable. And...you could watch the screen or not. But then again, it didn't really work, so who knows if those modifications rendered it useless, at least for our purposes.

Does your daughter do any kind of guided meditation/visualizations? I know those can be intrusive sometimes and not so calming but they work for a lot of people. Breathing techniques as well. Just in terms of bringing down her sympathetic tone, which sounds like a real problem for her---that tiredness. There is also EFT (emotional freedom technique/aka 'tapping') which is a great tool for many in terms of shifting a state of being that is stuck.

Finally, we have had terrific luck with a device called the Apollo Neuro. It is a bit pricey, and it might not work for her because it does vibrate gently, (thread here: https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/sympathetic-stuck-on-on.82340/) and that might be really counter-productive. I don't know. But it has helped my daughter a lot. She wouldn't be without it. I find it incredibly helpful for revving DOWN myself and for sleeping better. You'd have to take her particular sensitivities into account--and they sound pretty intense--but those are my thoughts this morning. If I think of anything else, I will be sure to post.