Insomnia
Struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake feeling rested is more than frustrating — it can take a toll on your energy, mood, and overall health. At O’Keefe Matz Functional Health Clinic, we address insomnia with a holistic approach that looks at the root causes, from stress and nervous system imbalance to lifestyle and nutrition. One of the therapies we use is neurofeedback, a safe and non-invasive method that helps train the brain into healthier patterns for relaxation and restorative sleep.
Research on Neurofeedback for Insomnia
This is your sub-headline
Over the past decade, several studies have explored how neurofeedback can help people with insomnia retrain their brains for better sleep. Here’s a closer look at the findings:
-
Hammer et al. (2011)
This pilot study looked at people with chronic insomnia who received neurofeedback using two protocols: sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) training and individualized Z-score training. Participants showed significant improvements in both sleep quality and daytime functioning. Importantly, these benefits were maintained weeks after treatment, suggesting neurofeedback helps create lasting brain changes. Read study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21956655/ - Cortoos et al. (2010)
This study tested a home-based program combining neurofeedback and biofeedback in patients with primary insomnia. Results showed improvements in both objective sleep measures (like time spent asleep, measured through polysomnography) and subjective sleep quality (how rested patients felt). This suggests neurofeedback can be effective even when delivered remotely.
Read study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20155326/ - Schabus et al. (2017)
In this controlled trial, patients with primary insomnia received neurofeedback sessions targeting sleep-related brainwave patterns. Compared to the control group, participants showed enhanced sleep quality, fewer nighttime awakenings, and changes in brain activity (measured on EEG) that indicated more stable sleep cycles.
Read study: https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/140/4/1041/3056330
What This Means for Patients
Together, these studies suggest that neurofeedback does more than just help people relax before bed. By training the brain to strengthen certain rhythms especially the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) neurofeedback helps regulate brain activity patterns that support deeper, more restorative sleep. Unlike sleep medications, which often only mask symptoms, neurofeedback promotes lasting changes in the way the brain functions
