Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy is known to improve some sleep disorders through a process called brainwave entrainment (or neuro-entrainment). In this article, we will discuss the most important things to know about PEMF therapy and why this unique treatment may help some people who suffer from sleeping disorders.
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy has the ability to reboot the brain through the administration of low-frequency waves. This stimulation mimics the brain’s frequency during a deep sleep cycle, thus improving the ability for the brain and body to actually fall asleep.
Currently, about 1 in 5 American adults (about 25 million people) suffer from at least one type of sleeping disorder. Sleep is essential for our body to “reset” itself and to properly function over time. Without getting an adequate amount of good sleep every night—which is generally about eight hours per night for adults—you will likely end up enduring a wide variety of connected health issues. Because sleep disorders are so common across the United States (and elsewhere around the world), countless researchers have been exploring alternative treatments for sleeping disorders, including PEMF devices.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “Insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic.” This problem, while measurably common across all demographics, is one that many people tend to ignore. Having a single night of bad sleep may not necessarily produce any long-term negative consequences. But having insufficient amounts (or quality) of sleep over an extended period of time can create countless mental health, physical, and chemical complications.
Traditionally, many doctors have been eager to prescribe sleep medications to their patients. But while sleeping pills may be effective for some people, others found they had no effect or—in some cases—found that the pills caused their ability to sleep to be even worse. There are more than 80 sleep disorders that are currently recognized by mainstream psychologists. Because many of these sleep disorders overlap with one another, finding perfect treatments can often be quite complicated.
The emergence of the “alternative” medicine movement has been far from surprising. While some new products have been introduced to reduce the cost of medical treatments, others have been introduced in order to increase the effectiveness of a given treatment program. One common alternative treatment is known as pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (also known as PEMF therapy).
Lack of Sleep: The Risks
Sleep trouble can be caused by many factors. Finding the direct cause of the problem will help you avoid the potential dangers correlated with poor sleep. If someone is not getting at least 7 hours of steady or deep sleep per night, there are many negative impacts that can be associated, such as:
- Decreased Cognitive Function
- Enhanced Risk of Accidents or Serious Health Problems
- Quicker Aging of Cells and Slower Cell Regeneration
- Increased Forgetfulness or Memory Loss
- Impairment of Judgement
- Reduced Libido
These negative effects can heavily influence your daily life. Sleep is a vital aspect of general health and well being.
Brain Frequency Rhythms And The Sleep Cycle
Brainwaves are measured in Hertz because they are naturally occurring electromagnetic fields that are produced by neuronal activity. These Hertz determine what frequency band is occurring within the brain at any given time. The brain has targeted frequencies and rhythms it should be functioning at during certain times of the day, which also correlates with our state of consciousness. For example:
- During the beginning moments of the day, when we first wake up, we will be in the Alpha frequency, which lies between 8Hz-14Hz. This frequency also occurs when you are closing your eyes before drifting off into sleep.
- When we are fully awake and alert, our brain should be performing at its highest frequency level (Beta), which is between 14Hz-30Hz.
The brain frequencies that dominate the sleep cycle are referred to as:
Theta (Light Sleep or REM): 4Hz-8Hz
- Theta is a relatively light period between being awake and asleep. This is typically when dreams occur. It is common in the early stages of falling asleep and before waking up.
Delta (Deep Sleep or NREM): 0.5Hz-4Hz
- The Delta-Rhythm stage is very significant as it is the time that the body can heal, balance, and build immunity. Delta waves are responsible for the NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) portion of the sleep cycle, which accounts for about 80% of sleep time in adults.
If the brain is performing at different Hertz frequencies than the designated levels above, then we are not completing these cycles to their best potential. This means we cannot benefit from our sleep nearly as much. Hertz levels can be affected by many things, such as stress and other external factors like mobile phones.
How Do PEMF Devices Induce Sleep or Rest?
PEMF Therapy can specifically target brain frequencies that interrupt sleep wave patterns. This process is referred to as neuro-entrainment and helps synchronize the external frequencies of the PEMF device with the internal frequencies of the brain. With this method, we can coax the brain into following the desired rhythms for sleep.
Since the primary goal of sleep is to have the brain enter the Delta frequency stage, PEMF devices can also be thought of as a Delta Enhanced Entrainment Program (D.E.E.P.). This program focuses on persuading the brain to follow a Delta frequency for sleep. Since the Delta stage can sit anywhere between 0.5Hz and 4Hz, it may take some time to discover which Hz level that best fits with your brain’s preferences. Research has shown that using a continuous single-frequency throughout the night usually works best for training the brain versus changing frequency over time.
Do PEMF Devices Help With Sleep?
Although PEMF therapy is not proven to help with all sleeping disorders, there have been studies conducted in which insomnia subjects experienced significant improvement in their sleep issues after receiving pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.
Sleep can become disrupted when there are imbalances of any kind in the body. Often these imbalances are related to misfired frequencies that do not allow the brain to function optimally, particularly during sleep. The administration of PEMF therapy to the brain can assist in regulating the frequency-imbalances that are occurring and essentially reset the brain’s rhythm or Hertz level when it comes to sleep. This reset results in better quality and more full-cycle sleep. Whether you struggle with getting to sleep or have trouble staying asleep, PEMF therapy can be a great natural treatment option for you.
Should I Use my PEMF Device to Treat Sleep Disorders?
PEMF Therapy can be a wonderful way to naturally retrain the brain into following desired sleep patterns. Whether PEMF Therapy will be the most effective method for addressing your specific sleep disorder will depend on a variety of factors. The type of disorder, the causes of the disorder, and the way you personally experience the disorder (not all insomnia is experienced identically) will all be very important.
Talk to your doctor if you are considering introducing the use of PEMF devices into your routine. However, because these devices have no known adverse side effects, it is very likely they’ll approve your use of at-home PEMF therapy.
Conclusion – PEMF Therapy for Sleep Disorders
Research has concluded that the use of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy can improve some sleep disorders. Brain waves play a large role in the ability to fall asleep and the overall quality of sleep. By using a PEMF machine to simulate proper brain frequencies for sleep, you may be able to improve your deep sleep cycles and reduce the risk of sleep-related accidents, injuries, depression or other issues.
Pulsed Harmonix is a premier provider of PEMF devices. For more information about pulsed electromagnetic field therapy devices for sleep, contact us.