Sleep disorders and neurofeedback
Sleep is regulated by the brain. Sleep-wake rhythm is regulated by the brainstem, the thalamus and hormones of the hypothalamus. Sleep is a process with several stages. The stages distinguished in stage 1 till 4 and REM-sleep, also called dream sleep. REM stands for "Rapid Eye Movements". Stage 1 till 4 are characterized by depth of sleep. The consecution of these five stages forms one sleep cycle. People experience each night four or five of these sleep cycles, on average seven up to eight hours. These stages of a sleep cycle coincide with several types of brainwaves. When during sleep these sleep cycles are not occurring well,sleeping complaints can arise. When these becme chronic, they are colled sleep impairments. Sleep impairments are globally subdivided in falling asleep -, continued sleep, and waking up disorders. These impairments can be primary of nature, such as the apneu, an impairment where breathing is disturbed, the "restless legs syndrome" (not being able to relax the legs during sleep) walk in one's sleep, bruxisme (grind one's teeth), narcolepsy (falling asleep at daytime), and nightmares. Among others, Guilleminault (1999;.2006) has done much research into these impairments. On the other side sleep impairments frequently are a side effect of other disorders, such as epilepsy, fear impairments or chronic fatigue. A large quantity literature concerns the relation between sleep and EEG, what provides a good basis for the application of neurofeedback for treating sleep impairments. During the seventies of the previous century is was found that
neurofeedback can promote the quality of sleep. Sterman (see for an overview Sterman, 1996) showed that after
neurofeedback of 12-15 Hz activity on the motor cortex the duration of the different sleep stages increased and the number of transitions diminished. Already after two sessions of this form of neurofeedback test persons reported an improved sleep (Cortoos, Verstraeten & Cluydts, 2006). Also own research shows in a controlled study the positive effect of
neurofeedback (Cortoos et al., submitted)
Guilleminault, C., Kirisoglu, C., da Rosa, A.C. & Chan, A. (2006). Sleepwalking, a disorder of NREM sleep instability. Sleep medication 7 (2), 163-170.
Guilleminault, C., Kim, Y.D., Horita, M., Tsutumi, M. & Pelayo, R. (1999). Power spectral sleep EEG findings in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndromes. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, Supplement. (50), 113-120.
Sterman, (1996). Physiological origin and functional correlates of EEG rhythmic activity. Biofeedback and Self-regulation (21), 3-33.
Cortoos, A., Verstraeten, E., Cluydts, R. (2006). Neurophysiological aspects of primary insomnia:implications for its treatment. Sleep Medicine, (10), 255-266.
