Insomnia

Being unable to sleep or waking after a short time every night takes a toll on your mental and physical health. If you’re feeling the effects of insomnia, visit Steven Zimmerman, DC, of Zimmerman Chiropractic in Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Zimmerman uses drug-free, non-invasive BrainCore™ neurofeedback to improve brain activity and sleep quality. To learn more about neurofeedback for insomnia, call Zimmerman Chiropractic today or book an appointment online.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia means being unable to get to sleep or sleeping for only brief periods. It’s a frustrating problem that causes exhaustion, daytime sleepiness, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.

In addition to the distress of being unable to sleep even when you’re desperate, insomnia is also a risk factor for several potentially life-threatening conditions, including:

• Obesity
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease

Chronic or recurring insomnia affects up to 15% of the population worldwide. The longer you put up with insomnia, the harder it is to treat and the greater your risk of complications. Therefore it’s important to seek expert medical attention as soon as insomnia symptoms develop.

What causes insomnia?

Many things can play a part in causing insomnia, including stress and anxiety, depression, and trauma. Poor sleep habits make insomnia worse, for example eating, watching TV, or using electronic devices before bed, having irregular bedtimes, and napping during the day.

However, newer research indicates that insomnia could be due to cortical hyperarousal, which affects the brain’s ability to process information. This leads to abnormal brainwave function that prevents you from sleeping.

How is insomnia treated?

The first step in treating insomnia is ensuring you adopt healthy sleeping habits. A regular bedtime, comfortable bed, pleasant temperature in your bedroom, and avoiding any stimulants like screen time, sugary snacks, or caffeine before bed can all help.

Many people take medication for insomnia, but this has drawbacks. Sleeping pills can cause side effects and do nothing to address the reason for your insomnia. Dr. Zimmerman offers neurofeedback as an alternative that doesn’t require medications and is entirely painless.

How does neurofeedback help with insomnia?

Dr. Zimmerman uses the state-of-the-art BrainCore neurofeedback system, which can have a powerful effect on your ability to sleep well. Neurofeedback identifies brainwave imbalances that could be preventing you from sleeping. BrainCore technology retrains your brain, improving function in areas linked to insomnia.

Dr. Zimmerman attaches painless wires to your head that have sensors in them. The sensors relay information to the BrainCore software as you interact with a game or various sounds. Neurofeedback offers rewards for healthier brainwave patterns that encourage the development of new responses.

As you continue with neurofeedback treatment, you create new patterns and pathways in your brain that improve brainwave function. The result is longer, more restorative sleep.

To find out how you could benefit from neurofeedback for insomnia, call Zimmerman Chiropractic today or book an appointment online.