SLEEP MANAGEMENT MALAYSIA

How can someone measure his/her sleeping quality?

How important water is for our daily living, sleep is equally as important to rejuvenate our body. Imagine yourself not having a quality sleep can have an impact on your performance the next day at work, the reason is sleep deprivation which to large extent affects our prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is just like the cream on our cakes located front of the brain just behind the forehead, in charge of abstract thinking and thought analysis, it is also responsible for regulating behavior. This includes mediating conflicting thoughts, making choices between right and wrong, and predicting the probable outcomes of actions or events. It acts as a filter to prevent oneself from irrelevant information interfering the task on hand.

With years of experience in this field, I have analyzed quite a number of brain waves using EEG Bio feedback at SOL, in most cases clients with sleep issue often lack in focus and have higher tendency to become restless. E.g. even for young kids with excessive slow brain waves on the prefrontal cortex tend to suffer from attention deficit, hyperactive behavior which is not very surprising because at the end of the day I often check with the parents on their sleeping patterns and there it goes.

Sometimes craving for sweet or high carbohydrate diet such as rice, noodles can be result of insufficient sleep, this is due to sleep deprivation that disrupts your body function which is responsible for regulating your appetite and research have proven.

I would like to share my experience in helping a client, Juliet to manage her sleeping problems and issues caused by sleep deprivation.

Finding it difficult to stay focused and remain calm

“Juliet is a corporate executive, and recently she was bothered by some health concerns which worried her so much that she sought help from us. She was losing focus in her work and experiencing fatigue very frequently. She did not take these signs seriously until one day she passed out in her office. Initially, she thought she was having autonomic nervous system dysfunction as she experienced symptoms such as excessive fatigue, blood pressure fluctuations, rapid heart rate, dizziness and digestive problem.Autonomic nervous system dysfunction generally involves impairment of the sympathetic or parasympathetic components of our autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system functions like a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the fight-or-flight response, giving the body a burst of energy to respond to perceived dangers. The parasympathetic nervous system acts like a brake. It arouses the “rest and digest” response that can calm the body down after the danger has passed. Just imagine that, if your brake and gas pedal is not working accordingly? You might experience symptoms similar to Juliet’s or even worst.

Juliet had undergone a health assessment in our centre and the result showed that the main issue in Juliet is not the autonomic nervous system dysfunction but related to her sleeping quality and quantity. To find out more about her concern, a brainwave assessment was conducted on her. According to the result, it showed that there are excessive slow brainwaves on her prefrontal cortex which would lead to impairment on her executive functioning. This is the major reason why she was having focus problem, poor mental stamina, short attention span and related issue. Scientific studies have shown that sleep deprivation would bring negative impacts on brain regions like memory and emotions causing development of anxiety related issue. Therefore, Juliet was having anxiety symptoms like indigestion, rapid heart rate and dizziness issue as well.

Solutions to end her daily-struggles

Issues related to Juliet’s sleep deprivation have affected her work performance and daily activities. To help her effectively improve her sleeping quality, Brain Trainer, the non-drug, evidence - based EEG Biofeedback therapy and Neuro-hypnotherapy are suggested to her. Sleeping pills are not recommended as sleeping pills may only improve the duration and quantity of sleep but not the quality of sleep in long run. Juliet was feeling better and her sleeping quality has improved remarkably after completing the program. Besides, a good sleep at night has brought down her anxiety level.

Apart from the cutting-edge therapies, some sleep hygiene tips were given to help her sleep better. For example, stop using her phone at least 30 minutes before bed and reduce her coffee intake or any beverage containing caffeine after 2pm. Moreover, Juliet needs to monitor herself that she needs at least 8 hours of sleep every day instead of 6 hours which previously she thought it is enough for her. Sometimes she is having insomnia, then she would need to practice self-hypnosis techniques tailored for her and shortly, she will be able to fall asleep easily. Juliet’s ability to focus has improved and interestingly, she lost about 5kgs in just 3-month time without any strict diet plan! The reason of her weight loss is simply because she has better sleep quality now.

What is neuro-hypnotherapy and EEG biofeedback therapy?

Researchers at Harvard University found that hypnotherapy actually promotes faster healing. Many insomniacs have tried this intervention with great success. Under hypnosis, you might work out any personal issues that are robbing you of sleep. A clinical hypnotherapist can also "program" you to sleep. Our neuro-hypnotherapy technique is first of its kind in Malaysia which is able to help you to improve your sleep quality. Personalized self-hypnosis method to fall asleep will be developed based on your brainwave response.

EEG biofeedback or brain trainer is based on the international standardized 10-20 electrode location system. It is essentially a way of teaching you how to self-regulate your own electrical activity in the brain and strengthen your sleep spindle activity indirectly. A powerful tool for helping people fall asleep and stay asleep. People who produce more frequent or greater amounts of sleep spindles than the average person require a higher decibel noise level to be roused out of a sound sleep. As we age, we produce fewer spindles and are more sensitive to noises around us. This can be one of the explanations why older people don't seem to sleep as well.

So are you getting at least 7 hours of sleep? Do you wake up feeling refreshed? If not, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible.

Author:

Hiro Koo

NKF Open Day & Exhibition conjunction with World Kidney Day 2016

 Our EEG biofeedback device was hooked up to a client's brain in order to read and scan brain activity. It is completely safe, non invavise, painless and no side effect. 

We have been invited to give the stress analysis (EEG brainwaves analysis) for the particpants. Special thanks to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Malaysia for the invitation.

How to Get the Most out of Your Daily Coffee (and Caffeine)

We prize coffee as much for its caffeine jolt as for its rich taste and enticing aroma. The right amount of caffeine at the right time can boost your alertness,memory, and attention. But overindulge, and you may pay the price with insomnia, headaches, and even caffeine jitters.

Experts say the upper limit for healthy caffeine consumption is 300 to 400 mg per day for a typical adult. That’s a max of three to four eight-ounce cups of coffee daily—or two to three cups, if you also consume caffeine from other sources, such as tea, chocolate and over-the-counter cold medicine. Some individuals—such as pregnant or breastfeeding women,(link is external) and those especially sensitive to caffeine—need to aim even lower.

The good news: You can get the mental perks of coffee without overdoing the caffeine. The key is making every cup count. And one of the best ways to do that is to carefully choose when to partake.

Late Morning: 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

One rationale for a late-morning coffee, which neuroscientist Steven Miller advances, is based on circadian fluctuations(link is external) in cortisol. This hormone naturally makes you feel awake and alert. In general, cortisol production(link is external) peaks between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. After that, cortisol levels fall for a while, then rise again to a smaller peak around lunchtime. Physiologically speaking, there’s little you can gain by consuming caffeine when cortisol levels are high. Your brain is already at its peak natural alertness, so this is the time when it needs caffeine least. It makes more sense to take a coffee break when cortisol levels are lower, like during the late-morning dip.

At this time of day, the psychological benefits of a cup of coffee include:

Alertness

Caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, which amps up alertness. A little adrenaline rush might be just what you need to make it to lunchtime. One caveat: Avoid overindulging. At high doses, caffeine may cause a faster heart rate and breathing rate; sweating, nervousness, shakiness, nausea, and diarrhea. And once your body develops a dependence on caffeine, withdrawal may lead to headache, fatigue, sleepiness, and bad mood.

Memory

There’s growing evidence that moderate amounts of caffeine may enhance certain aspects of memory. That could come in handy if you’ve spent your morning reading a report, sitting in a seminar, or otherwise learning something new. In one randomized, double-blind study(link is external) by Johns Hopkins researchers, participants tried to memorize a series of images. Immediately afterward, they received a pill containing either 200 mg of caffeine or a placebo.

The next day, the researchers tested participants' ability to recognize the images. In this test, some images were identical to ones from the day before, some were similar, and some were totally different. Those in the caffeine group did better than those in the control group at correctly identifying similar images as such, rather than mistakenly thinking they were the same. It seemed that caffeine had fine-tuned their memory.

Early Afternoon: 1:30 to 2:00 p.m.

After reaching a mini-peak between noon and 1:00 p.m., cortisol levels start dropping again, then rebound with another small spike between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. But you don’t want to consume caffeine too late in the day, because it may still be affecting you at bedtime. So if you choose to have a post-lunch coffee break, early afternoon is the best time to do it.

At this time of day, the psychological benefits of a mug of java include:

Wakefulness

Caffeine prevents a brain chemical called adenosine from binding to its receptors. When adenosine binds to these receptors, the result is a sleepy feeling. By blocking this action, caffeine helps fend off post-lunch drowsiness, a common occurrence that tends to be worst around 2:00 p.m(link is external). Caffeine starts working quickly and reaches its full effect within 30 to 60 minutes. So a zap of caffeine around 1:30 p.m. is well-timed to combat an afternoon energy slump. Of course, another time-honored way to recharge is by taking a short catnap. A little caffeine right before you doze off may help you wake up in 20 minutes or so, without oversleeping or ending up feeling groggy.

Attention

If your attention wanders in the afternoon, that could lead to regrettable mistakes and even serious accidents. Research(link is external) shows that a moderate amount of caffeine may increase accuracy on tasks that require paying attention. It may also speed up reaction times and lead to faster learning of new information. A caveat: Avoid coffee later in the afternoon and evening. It takes three-to-five hours for half the caffeine to exit your system, and eight-to-14 hours to eliminate all of it. If you’re still caffeinated at bedtime, you may have trouble falling asleep. And caffeine too close to bedtime may reduce deep sleep and total sleep time.

What About Early Morning?

Many people treasure spending quiet moments with a favorite coffee mug early in the morning. It’s a comforting routine. And it can easily become an exercise in mindfulness as you focus on the delicious sensations of flavor, aroma and warmth. (Of course, if you want to savor the ritual without the caffeine, you could always substitute caffeine-free herbal tea.)

An early-morning cup of coffee may wake up your brain in another way as well: Even if an 8:00 a.m. coffee isn’t actually giving you much added benefit because your cortisol is peaking, you might feel more alert simply because that’s what you expect. Research(link is external)shows that many people believe coffee gives them the sustained mental energy they require to power through a series of mentally challenging tasks. Those first few hours of the day can seem pretty daunting. If coffee gives you more confidence in your ability to handle them, that might be reason enough to pour a cup.

Source:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/minding-the-body/201602/how-get-the-most-out-your-daily-coffee-and-caffeine?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost