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By Renee Chillcott, LMHC
When it comes to a feeling we can’t tolerate and want to change, fatigue is the most common symptom clients experience. Fatigue is an unpleasant sensation that leaves us unmotivated, causes anxiety, and makes it hard to focus and concentrate. But what can you do about fatigue when you’re sleeping the right amount and stimulating your brain to no effect?
Let’s first look at FATIGUE and what can be causing it?
Fatigue is defined as: extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness. And although the following definition refers to fatigue in a material such as metal… I think it applies to fatigue’s effect on our mental status as well: weaken by repeated variations of stress. Both definitions describe fatigue as a condition or set of symptoms that occur during periods of exertion or stress.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of Fatigue include:
- Tired eyes.
- Tired legs.
- Whole body tiredness.
- Stiff shoulders.
- Malaise (discomfort/uneasiness).
- Boredom.
- Impatience.
Although all the symptoms correspond to fatigue, we generally think of fatigue being problematic if it’s 1. Out of our control and not temporary. (We didn’t do anything to cause it), or 2. It is interrupting our ability to function. Again, borrowing from The Cleveland Clinic, the latter has symptoms that look like this:
- Depression and a lack of desire to do the activities you once enjoyed.
- Trouble concentrating or focusing.
- Very low energy and motivation.
- Nervousness, anxiety, and irritability.
- Muscle pain and weakness.
Most people have experienced brief periods of fatigue at some point in their lives. Some common treatments include:
- Increase the number of hours of sleep by going to bed earlier/waking up later.
- Addition of caffeine or stimulant medication to get moving.
- Addition of coping skills, such as stand-up desks, fidget spinners, or even a stimulating environment.
- Improving diet/adding exercise.
What should you do if you’ve tried common treatments and eliminated known causes of persistent fatigue? It’s not caused by an illness, medication you’re on, poor sleep, poor diet, or another medical condition. The fatigue just persists, doesn’t it? Won’t go away? No known cause? But it has many consequences? In these cases, we focus on the brain.
Adrenal glands produce stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones help regulate energy, blood pressure, metabolism, and your stress response.
When you’re under constant stress—whether physical, emotional, or psychological, your adrenal glands may become dysregulated. This can result in what many refer to as “adrenal fatigue,” marked by:
- Morning sluggishness despite a full night’s sleep and “hitting a wall” of fatigue in the afternoon.
- Dependence on caffeine to function.
- Cravings for “junk” or comfort foods.
- Feeling overwhelmed or “wired but tired.”
While “adrenal fatigue” isn’t a formal medical diagnosis, it’s often associated with HPA axis dysfunction. The HPA Axis is the communication in the brain between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands. The HPA Axis helps regulate our stress response. Very often, when the HPA axis dysregulates, neural firing tends to concentrate on high beta (stress) waves to balance brain activity. This causes a paradox with the client. They experience tiredness and slowing while their brain is actually firing too many overstimulated (high beta) neurons. This causes the “wired but tired” feeling and contributes to a stress loop as the client reaches for caffeine or stimulant medication to combat the tiredness, thus creating more dysfunction.
Fatigue that stems from HPA axis dysfunction often includes both physical exhaustion and cognitive dullness.
- Mental fog or poor concentration
- Slowed thinking or memory lapses
- Difficulty staying alert even without physical tiredness
- Mood swings or irritability
Just as fatigue is not a “one size fits all” condition, the treatment for it isn’t “one size fits all”.
At The Brain and Wellness Center, we evaluate each client to determine the best course of treatment. Every treatment plan is individualized and based on information specific to the client. We look at lifestyle, habits, diet, medication, and the individual brain to determine the best course of treatment. Neurofeedback is often needed to correct brain dysregulation that is causing fatigue symptoms.
WHAT EXACTLY IS NEUROFEEDBACK?
Neurofeedback is often referred to as brain exercise. While allowing you to see the frequencies produced by different parts of your brain in real time and then receive visual and auditory feedback, it teaches the brain to better regulate itself. Neurofeedback can be used to help detect, reward, and/or inhibit brain activity safely, without medication. It can help restore a wider “range of motion” in brain states, much like physical therapy does for the body.
While the client sits comfortably, watching a movie or as pictures appear on the screen (in a calm, focused state), the EEG equipment measures the frequency or speed at which electrical activity propagates in the areas where electrodes have been placed. This information is sent to the therapist’s computer. The therapist can then determine which frequencies are out of balance. For example, when the EEG shows that you are making too many “slow” or “sleepy” waves (delta/theta) or too many “fast” waves (high beta), the therapist adjusts the reward band to encourage a more balanced pattern. This encouragement or “reward” occurs through auditory reinforcement (“beeps”) and, sometimes, visual reinforcement of changes on the screen.
It is important to understand that the goal of the neurofeedback approach is not to “cure” or “fix” your brain. It teaches and guides your brain to produce frequencies that help it relax and/or focus. We provide the brain with gentle “challenges” and encouragement in a user-friendly, stress-free format so it learns to regulate or shift to healthier states more smoothly on its own at the appropriate time. We call Neurofeedback “Brain Yoga” because the goal of yoga is to be more balanced and flexible, just as Neurofeedback’s goal is.
I DON’T GET IT. HOW DOES A “BEEP” OR SOUND TRAIN MY BRAIN TO WORK BETTER?
The auditory or sound reward that corresponds to an increase or decrease in desired brainwave activity influences the brain on a neurological level. Auditory rewards stimulate auditory pathways, affect the vestibular system, and have numerous connections to the reticular activating system, which regulates wakefulness and attention. These systems function in our brains without conscious effort. Therefore, neurofeedback trains your brain through automated learning with little or no behavioral effort. Another way to put it is that neurofeedback involves operant conditioning. This type of learning teaches us through a reinforced reward system. The auditory reward (beep) is delivered on a schedule of reinforcement that encourages optimal learning—neither too hard nor too easy. This schedule of reinforcement, or reward, provides just the right amount of resistance to evoke a positive learning pattern.
WHY TRAIN YOUR BRAIN?
Mental clarity improves when you operate a calmer, more efficient brain. As you learn to slow down “inner chatter” or activate a “sleepy” brain, you become more effective at responding to stress and adapt more readily to different situations, both psychologically and physically. Parenting becomes less exhausting, appointments are more easily kept, decision-making improves, and mood swings and depression often lift.
Neurofeedback has also been shown to be highly effective for school-age children who face focus and learning challenges. Through brain training, children learn to concentrate better on schoolwork, increase their frustration tolerance, and become less overwhelmed by sensory overload in noisy classrooms. With their thoughts better organized, they can focus more clearly on others’ words, start to develop friendships, and learn more effectively.
HOW MANY SESSIONS ARE NEEDED TO BEGIN SEEING RESULTS?
As the brain learns, you will see the changes. However, everyone learns at different speeds, so it cannot be determined how quickly someone will learn. On average, children take about 10-20 sessions to see changes, and we can discuss what to expect during the intake appointment. For adults, changes are usually noticed within 10 sessions. Total treatment is an average of 40 sessions; however, we individualize treatment – some people need more and some less.
WHAT IS A QEEG (QUANTITATIVE EEG) OR BRAIN MAP, AND DO I NEED ONE?
The QEEG, or quantitative EEG, is a brain map that provides a comprehensive view of what is happening in the entire brain at once. We attach electrodes to 19 scalp sites and record brain waves while the person has his eyes open for 5 minutes and closed for 10 minutes. This recording is then sent for reading and analysis. The brain activity is compared across all spots and examined for connections, symmetry, and communication between different parts. The data is then compared to a database of peers with similar sex, handedness, and age. It helps us identify areas that need more targeted attention than just training individual spots.
We don’t always need this data to improve symptoms, but we do recommend it in certain cases. A QEEG can also provide useful information when diagnosing or determining the best medication or supplement options.
DOES NEUROFEEDBACK HURT OR HAVE SIDE EFFECTS?
Neurofeedback is a non-invasive, non-medication, and most importantly, a non-painful approach. Your experience will be very relaxing and positive. We gently teach your brain to regulate more efficiently and do not force it into an uncomfortable state. Because Neurofeedback teaches your brain how to regulate more effectively, rather than forcing pattern changes, there are no permanent negative side effects. As mentioned, no two brains are alike; therefore, we adjust treatments to fit the client, not the other way around. We are committed to ensuring your learning is optimal and your experience is positive.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Getting started is simple — just contact us. The Brain and Wellness Center staff will arrange a FREE telephone consultation to answer your questions and help you schedule your appointment. If you’re wondering which services are best for you, we can help determine that during the call. Email or text us today! The Brain and Wellness Center, 5458 Town Center Road, Suite 13, Boca Raton, FL 33486. Text (561) 206-2706, email us at info@bocabraincenter.com, or visit our website at www.BocaBrainCenter.com.
5458 Town Center Road, Suite 13
Boca Raton, FL 33486
(561) 206-2706
www.BocaBrainCenter.com
