Get in tune with your brain waves
Insomniacs who listened to classical piano created in response to their own brain waves — a technique called brain music therapy — improved their sleep quality in four weeks according to a University of Toronto study. The cutting edge therapy boosts levels of melatonin, a brain chemical linked to sleep.
Snake oil you say? Science, says Dr. Galina Mindlin, MD, PhD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry in Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Supervising Attending Physician in the Department of Psychiatry in St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center. She has a PhD in neurophysiology and neuropsychology.
According to the Brain Music Treatment web site, brain music therapy is an effective, scientifically proven treatment for stress, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. It has also been found to increase productivity and concentration. Doctors record an individual’s brain waves and convert them into unique musical sounds. These musical sounds correlate to brain waves that promote relaxation and trigger activation in your body. The musical sounds are presented to you in the form of two musical files - one relaxing, and one activating. Playing the files promotes relaxation and activation in your body. The therapy is backed by solid scientific evidence, including double blind studies.
For $550, you get your own BMT CD to use at home. You listen to a 12-minute loop at bedtime (headphones are recommended) to drift off into dreamland. “Feeding your brain its own rhythms helps your muscles and breathing relax,” says Dr. Mindlin.
Too pricey? Here’s an alternative: Phil Eichling, MD, of the Sleep Disorders Center at University of Arizona says than any music you associate with relaxation can help. His personal favorites are the Somna sleep-promoting CDs, which were developed by a sleep researcher, and albums by flutist R. Carlos Nakai at Canyon Records.