An assortment of questions

[steve_keene]

Hey all. I've had a history of sleep problems for quite a few years, and I have tried a variety of therapies to try and solve the issues, including CPAP therapy, a full overnight sleep study, 3 different pharmaceutical sleep aids, 4 different anti depressants, traditional chinese medicine/herbal therapy & acupuncture, and most recently Hypnotherapy...

While I found the actual hypnotherapy session to be ineffective (and expensive), when she was starting the session she had me on a proteus, and I'm unsure which session it was (she hasn't responded to emails).. anyway, i did notice a little bit of a difference in my relaxation and mood, so I thought I'd pick one up.. She told me they'd run about $300CAD here in Calgary.. did some snooping and found one for $150USD, shipping in, so now I've got one and I've played with it a few times..

I've tried the "Goodnight" patten, 30, I think before bed a few nights, and noticed no real difference.. I'm wondering if there is a better suited program to use for me to basically shut off my brain at night.. I'm basically looking for something that drops me down to delta and leaves me there, so I can actually get some restful sleep at night. Any thoughts?


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Also, What are the "ideal" settings for brightness and volume? Is there any? I can have them both cranked up and stand it, but im wondering if I'm losing the proper effect by being 'bombarded' so to speak..?

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Finally, what are thoughts on using say one of the energizing patterns during aerobic exercise? (on a stationary trainer where i'm not going to run into innocent bystanders...)

Thanks for all your input, and I look forward to some success with this.

-sk

[Marisa]

I've tried the "Goodnight" patten, 30, I think before bed a few nights, and noticed no real difference.. I'm wondering if there is a better suited program to use for me to basically shut off my brain at night.. I'm basically looking for something that drops me down to delta and leaves me there, so I can actually get some restful sleep at night. Any thoughts?

Try P47.
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Also, What are the "ideal" settings for brightness and volume? Is there any? I can have them both cranked up and stand it, but im wondering if I'm losing the proper effect by being 'bombarded' so to speak..?

Set the lights and sound to what is comfortable for you. You do not need the settings at the brightest or loudest to get the desired results. Some people like the lights bright, some don't. It's really a matter of preference.
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Finally, what are thoughts on using say one of the energizing patterns during aerobic exercise? (on a stationary trainer where i'm not going to run into innocent bystanders...)

Try the energizing program with lights before exercising or if you want to use it while exercising, try using the machine with just the sound and not the lights.

M.

[Marisa]

Hey all. I've had a history of sleep problems for quite a few years, and I have tried a variety of therapies to try and solve the issues, including CPAP therapy, a full overnight sleep study, 3 different pharmaceutical sleep aids, 4 different anti depressants, traditional Chinese medicine/herbal therapy & acupuncture, and most recently Hypnotherapy...

Did you have any success with any of the therapies you tried? Do you know what the nature of your sleep problem is?

While I found the actual hypnotherapy session to be ineffective (and expensive), when she was starting the session she had me on a proteus, and I'm unsure which session it was (she hasn't responded to emails)..

That's unfortunate! If you could learn some self-hypnosis on your own, you may be able to help yourself. One of the things that may help with you falling asleep is to notice how fast your self talk is and imagine yourself turning a knob so that the rate of speech becomes slower and slower. By slowing down your self talk, you are programming your mind to work at a slower pace, which is necessary for falling asleep.

Is your problem falling asleep or staying asleep?

Self hypnosis also helps because you are giving yourself suggestions in a timely manner to relax, fall asleep and have a full, restful night's sleep. Self hypnosis is a tool to use to help you resolve this problem, the other things that have to be taken into account are working to resolve the reason why you are having difficulty sleeping in the first place.

anyway, i did notice a little bit of a difference in my relaxation and mood, so I thought I'd pick one up..

Yes, the machines will make a difference because they coax your brainwaves into a desired state. Used regularly, your brain will learn how to access these states on its own.

M.

[steve_keene]

Did you have any success with any of the therapies you tried? Do you know what the nature of your sleep problem is?

Alas, no.. None of the therapies seemed to have a substantial effect on me.. and the biggest problem with my issue is that no one seems to be able to pinpoint what exactly is up.. They thought it might be Apnea, but when I went in for the full overnight study, they determined while I do suffer from very mild apnea (as a very large guy), it is nowhere near severe enough to cause the problems I face.

That's unfortunate! If you could learn some self-hypnosis on your own, you may be able to help yourself. One of the things that may help with you falling asleep is to notice how fast your self talk is and imagine yourself turning a knob so that the rate of speech becomes slower and slower. By slowing down your self talk, you are programming your mind to work at a slower pace, which is necessary for falling asleep.

Is your problem falling asleep or staying asleep?

Self hypnosis also helps because you are giving yourself suggestions in a timely manner to relax, fall asleep and have a full, restful night's sleep. Self hypnosis is a tool to use to help you resolve this problem, the other things that have to be taken into account are working to resolve the reason why you are having difficulty sleeping in the first place.

My problem tends to be sometimes A sometimes B.. I can toss and turn for two hours before I fall asleep, or some nights I fall asleep (seemingly) right away, and am up several times throughout the night, other times I fall asleep (seemingly) right away, and wake up 2 or 3 hours later and become unable to get back to sleep.

The biggest thing I found was that there are some nights I don't recall waking up or even moving, for 6-8h, and I still feel like i've been kicked in the brain when I wake up.. Basically that I might be asleep but none of it is restful.

The hypnotherapist that I saw suggested that I spend a lot of time "out of body" while I sleep, and that's why I'm never getting any rest.

Yes, the machines will make a difference because they coax your brainwaves into a desired state. Used regularly, your brain will learn how to access these states on its own.

M.

I'll keep using it then!

[Marisa]

My problem tends to be sometimes A sometimes B.. I can toss and turn for two hours before I fall asleep, or some nights I fall asleep (seemingly) right away, and am up several times throughout the night, other times I fall asleep (seemingly) right away, and wake up 2 or 3 hours later and become unable to get back to sleep.

The biggest thing I found was that there are some nights I don't recall waking up or even moving, for 6-8h, and I still feel like i've been kicked in the brain when I wake up.. Basically that I might be asleep but none of it is restful.

Well I would agree with what you said earlier that you are not getting into a delta state or your delta state is getting interrupted by beta or higher alpha waves. It would take a EEG to know for sure. However, to save some money, you can work with the Proteus for a while and see if it helps. If possible, do the sleep program I mentioned earlier every night.

If you find that during the day, you are feeling really dragged out, try P10.

The hypnotherapist that I saw suggested that I spend a lot of time "out of body" while I sleep, and that's why I'm never getting any rest.

Oh that's helpful. Translated "I have no clue what I'm talking about".

I'll keep using it then!

Have you noticed any differences since you began using the machine?

M.