IBVA for relaxation

A good night's sleep is essential for repair of cells and production of vital proteins in our body. To achieve this, our body must be still and the mind must be fully rested, in each stage of a sleep cycle.

The first twilight stage of sleep shows a combination of Alpha and Theta waves, before passing into just Theta waves and K-spindles of fluctuating acitivity. The main part is SWS & NREM sleep with slow deep Delta waves. With IBVA you can record a sleep session, recording for 6-8 hrs whilst asleep and replay the data for analysis later on.

If most your sleep session shows Beta waves and Eye movement, this is REM sleep - good for dreaming, but not so good for cell regeneration and subconscious communication. You can begin to improve the quality of your sleep, once you have monitored your normal pattern.

Below - (simulation)This IBVA stereo display of 0-30 Hz on the x axis and 20 microvolts on the y axis shows very low amplitude brainwaves whilst relaxing. During a light meditation with visualization, no Beta waves, some Alpha as seen on the right side with some green peaks in the delta/theta region. The red dots denote tiny peaks, when all brainwaves are very low power.
(One frame per 10 seconds, realtime IBVA =10-30 fps)

The significance of proper relaxation
Dr Herbert Benson's book The Relaxation Response introduced this term in relation to methods for relaxing and lowering the blood pressure. In contrast to the fight or flight response, the relaxation response does not always come by itself when it is needed.

"Just sitting quietly or, say, watching television, is not enough to produce the physiological changes. You need to use a relaxation technique that will break the train of everyday thought, and decrease the activity of the sympathetic nervous system."

By a relaxation technique, we mean something that can provide a more effective form of relaxation than that which can be achieved by taking a stroll or sleeping. Through the use of IBVA and a relaxation technique, you can learn to achieve a state of rest that is deeper than that of sleep, while you remain conscious and experience what is happening. You become familiar with the relaxed state. "The advantage seems to come from the physiology of relaxation rather than by mere suggestion." (Dr. P. M. Lehrer) Through meditation and awareness training you will also be able to see when the fight or flight response is about to be triggered, and thereby become better at choosing how to react.

Creativity and wellbeing from relaxing.
What are the benefits of proper relaxation ( as if you need to be convinced ) "Wellbeing, of course," is the answer if you ask those who know how to use a good relaxation, "and creativity." Current research is interested in more than that - they want to see if there are permanent and deep physiological effects.
Some researchers have documented that relaxation techniques, sometimes supplemented with other yoga techniques and meditation, can be used as an alternative or a supplement to traditional treatment for people who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, stress, sleep disorders, chronic pain, rheumatism, anxiety, cancer, psoriasis, alcoholism, epilepsy, to name but a few.
The immune defence system is strengthened by relaxation. Perhaps the most interesting thing for most of us is the fact that relaxation strengthens the immune defence system. Therefore it can help in keeping sickness at bay by making people more resistant to viruses. The degree of effectiveness naturally depends on whether or not one uses relaxation regularly.

Below - Click to enlarge 2 images, both show relaxed slow EEG acitivity 10 minutes apart, as the right side becomes more dominant. Alpha, Theta and Delta are more present during deep relaxation.