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The one strange adjustment issue I have been facing over the last few months due to the significant weight loss is the interruptions in my sleep. This actually started back in the spring when I had already been dropping a lot of weight. The odd thing is that it is said that one advantage of weight loss, among many others, is that you will end up sleeping better.
I do believe that, but while you are going through these adjustments, that is a different story and weird stuff can happen. And that is that you can experience some episodes of insomnia, and it is far from fun.
I am quite sure that a lot of those sleeping issues I have been facing have been due to my anxiety about not getting sleep. And, the more anxious I am, the more awake I am going to be. And, the next thing I knew during those trying episodes was that it was already 5 am and the sun was starting to rise. Those were the nights when I had no choice to resign myself to stay awake for another 18 hours or so.
However, I recently had looked into apps that would help you fall asleep, and I found a great one called Relax Melodies. The app features soothing sounds that are nature, city, weather, music, and white noise related. The app also features a brainwave section that offers you to listen to a brain stimulator called isochronic tones.
What Is So Special About Isochronic Tones?
Isochronic tones?are quick brain stimulating sounds which can help you relax, focus, improve your energy levels, and sleep. So in a nutshell, what they do is that they change your brainwaves that are dominant at the time into a different frequency by the stimulating sounds they emit.
That said, when you are in your full awake state, your brain is in the beta state which is what causes our minds to think, to race, to problem solve, and so on. And, we want our brains to be in this fast-paced state during the day when we have to think, learn, and problem-solve. However, late at night, when it is time for bed, the last thing you want is to have your brain in the beta state.
That is because you are going to be tossing and turning with having those racing thoughts, while you keep looking the clock – and freaking out that you are awake at 3 am the same way you were awake during the day. In a nutshell, you want your brain to fall out of the beta state when it is bedtime.
And, this is how these isochronic tones can help with that. They can help you relax, which gets your brainwave frequency out of the beta state, and it goes into the more of the relaxed alpha and theta states. However, while your brain is in the alpha state, you are in more of a daydreamy type of phase and you can easily go back into the wakeful beta state if you are interrupted. You’ll want to enter the next phase in order to not be awakened so easily, which is the theta stage.
The theta state means that your brainwaves are at a lower frequency, and sleep spindles help you go even into a deeper sleep. At this point, the brainwaves are really slowing down as you enter the delta state. This is a very low frequency and it is also called the slow wave sleep. At this state, you are not going to be easily awakened and you will also be entering the REM phase.
During the sleep cycle, your brainwave frequency changes, as it can increase to theta, then back to alpha, and that is when you wake up from having a full bladder in the middle of the night. However, most of the time you will stay in that alpha state where you are groggy but you are awake enough to realize that you need to go to the bathroom. And, after that, you will go back to sleep and the sleep cycle will start again – unless you allow yourself to wake up fully and end up in the beta phase.
When that happens, that is bad news because as soon as your brainwaves enter the beta phase, you are wide awake and it is unlikely that you will be able to go back to sleep – unless you listen to the isochronic tones that will help you enter the deep delta phase sleep again.
Here is an example of the isochronic tones that will help you get into the delta state (but be careful because if you listen to it during the day, you are going to end up getting sleepy).
Just listen to a few seconds of it if you are curious and stop it from playing right away because it will change your brain frequency from the wakeful beta to the deep sleep delta phase!
And, you may have heard of?binaural beats as well which is different from isochronic tones.
Binaural Beats Vs. Isochronic Tones
There is a difference between?binaural beats and isochronic tones. Binaural beats?are softer and you have to listen to headphones to hear them. They also do not target any specific area of the brain and are not nearly as helpful when it comes to getting your brain out of the beta state into the delta state. The only thing that can be said about?binaural beats is that they are a little more pleasant than isochronic tones because of its softer nature.
However, that said, it is true that isochronic tones are a bit harsher but they are highly effective, and you don’t need to use headphones to listen to them. You can always make the tones a little more tolerable by listening to some very quiet ambient music or a quiet nature sound that will help lull you to sleep as well at the same time.
Now that I have made this discovery and have been finding it very helpful in solving the insomnia issue, I will be studying how else isochronic tones can help.
Additionally, it is likely safe to listen to but I have heard mixed things about that when it comes to listening to these tones during pregnancy or for those who have seizures. That said, if you are pregnant or if you have a seizure disorder, then you must talk to your doctor before listening to these tones.
Otherwise, it is safe to listen to isochronic tones to help change your brainwave frequency. But if you are in doubt, always talk to your doctor first.
All I can say for me is that it works well for sleeping, and putting some lavender essential oil on my pillow is also quite calming. With both of these used together, there is no reason to not get a good nights sleep.