Biofeedback Resources International

health

Episodes

Wednesday Dec 16, 2015


You wouldn’t want to have to make that choice for
children.  Many children diagnosed with
ADHD are prescribed medications to help with the symptoms.  Some popular medications in use are Ritalin,
Concerta and Adderall.  These medications
are helping some people.  The drug
companies themselves are listing sleep problems as a possible side effect.
According to a November 23, 2015 online article in
Pediatrics, research analysis led by Katherine Kidwell of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln found that children given stimulants tended to have sleep
problems more often.  One of the studies
compared the sleep of children given methylphenidate (generic Ritalin) with
children given a placebo.  The children
who took the generic Ritalin slept an average of 20 minutes less per
night.  They also found that taking a
stimulant medication more often during the day caused a child to take longer to
fall asleep at night.
Dr. Trevor Resnick, who is chief of pediatric neurology at
Nicklaus Children’s  Hospital in Miami
says that it is extremely important  that
all children get a good night’s sleep for healthy brain development.  It is his belief that only a small percentage
of children will develop problems related to ADHD medications though. 
I believe based on experience and reading that many
attention problems may be due to poor sleep. 
If the brain is tired it is not going to work as efficiently.  It is harder to learn, focus, and pay
attention when you are sleep deprived.  Some
problems are due to children not getting enough sleep.  This can be caused by going to bed too
late.  As Dr. Michael Thompson of the ADD
Centre in Toronto Canada says, another problem is that before many kids go to
bed they are watching stimulating TV programs and playing stimulating video
games.  When they finally do go to bed
their brains are still too stimulated for quality sleep for some time.  Most children also have to wake up very early
to get to school on time.  That doesn’t
help things either.  Now this research
review is showing that the medications intended to improve attention and
hyperactivity symptoms may cause sleep problems in some of the children they
are intended to help.   
Many parents are now seeking alternatives methods of helping
their children with ADHD symptoms. 
Neurofeedback therapy is one option.  
Neurofeedback uses EEG biofeedback instruments that measure and feedback
the electrical signals from the brain. 
The information is fed back in a way that helps a person learn how to
regulate their brain activity.  Some of
the brainwaves are slower like the ones that are present more during
sleep.  Others are faster like the ones
present more while solving a math problem. 
The power of these waves are sometimes out of balance in people with
ADHD.  Neurofeedback can help a person
learn how to rebalance these brainwaves. 
This can lead to improvement in symptoms.
For listings of certified neurofeedback providers visit www.bcia.org and click on the consumers tab and
select find a practitioner.   If you are
interested in becoming a provider you can visit our website and start by taking
a free online introduction to neurofeedback course here: http://biofeedbackinternational.com/free.htm
 
Harry L. Campbell
President, Biofeedback Resources International
www.biofeedbackinternational.com
Author of the book “What Stress Can Do”
www.createspace.com/3839220
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BiofeedbackResources
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Biofeedback-Resources-International-Corp/118594803123















 

Stressed Out Students SOS

Wednesday Jul 22, 2015

Wednesday Jul 22, 2015

College students are stressed out.  Listen to this message about why and what is being done about it.S.O.S.
Stressed Out
Students Before young people
join us in the adult work and family responsibility world they are already
experiencing the effects of stress from the academic world.  College life is not a full time party for all
students.  There is a lot of pressure to
study, hand in assignments on time, and perform well on exams.  Students and or their parents usually have a
huge financial investment which is at risk if they don’t do well.  Most also have the stress of looking forward
to graduating with a large amount of student loan debt.  They are also already worrying about the
challenge of competing with the masses to find a job after graduation.
According to a May
27, 2015 New York Times article anxiety is the most common mental health
problem of college students.  A study by
the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State revealed that more than
half of 100,000 students indicate that anxiety is a health concern for
them.  A survey by the American College
Health Association showed that more than 16 percent of college students have
been diagnosed with or treated for anxiety within the last year.  These are numbers of people who actually seek
help.  Usually with mental health issues
including anxiety many people do not seek help. 
Considering this, the problem is even greater.   Many colleges and
universities have counseling centers to help students with problems like
anxiety and depression.  Some of them are
beginning to reach or surpass their capacity. 
 Counseling centers
offer individual and group therapy, mindfulness training, stress kits including
things like stress balls that you squeeze as a way to relieve stress, and pet
therapy.  Some also offer biofeedback which
uses technology to measure things like muscle tension, heart rate, breathing,
sweat, and brainwave activity. 
Biofeedback shows a person the levels of these signals so that they can
become more aware of the changes and learn how to regulate them by the power of
their own mind.  This gives them a sense
of control which is key in reducing anxiety. 
If you feel that you have no control in a situation you feel more
anxious.  When you feel like you have
some control in a situation it helps to reduce anxiety.   Students need to have stress management
assistance made available to them to help them to maintain or regain their
mental health as well as perform at their best in their studies. 
For a free stress
card and other free information on stress management text STRESS to 55469
Harry L. CampbellPresident,
Biofeedback Resources International
www.biofeedbackinternational.com
Author of the book
“What Stress Can Do”
www.createspace.com/3839220
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BiofeedbackResources
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Biofeedback-Resources-International-Corp/118594803123
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Copyright © 2011 Harry Campbell. All rights reserved.

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