Have you ever found yourself wide awake at 3 AM, watching the minutes go by while sleep feels like a distant dream? For Mark*, a 57-year-old professional with a demanding career, this wasn't just an occasional frustration – it was his every-night reality. After several years of getting by on just 4-5 hours of fragmented sleep, he was sceptical that anything could help. Despite his initial doubts, Mark agreed to try a two-month neurofeedback program combined with lifestyle changes to address his insomnia, a chronic sleep deficit problem.
Two months later, his transformation was evident not only in his brain maps but also in his renewed energy and positive outlook. This case study shows how understanding and retraining brain patterns with a 7-week, focused neurofeedback program helped Mark reclaim his nights and transform his days and quality of life.
The Challenge
Every night followed the same frustrating pattern: Mark would fall asleep around 11-12 pm, only to find himself wide awake between 3 and 4 in the morning, staring at the ceiling and unable to drift back to sleep. Like many people struggling with sleep deprivation, he tried traditional remedies – a cup of warm milk became his nightly ritual, sometimes bringing relief but often leaving him just as restless. The only respite came on weekends, when he could partially recover from his severe sleep deficit through afternoon naps on Sundays and slightly longer sleep on Saturday nights.
Managing a demanding career on just 4-5 hours of fragmented sleep was taking its toll in ways that reached far beyond simple fatigue. We have all experienced a bad night's sleep and know how it affects our next day, but Mark was living this reality night after night, week after week. His concentration at work began to suffer, leading him to compensate by working longer hours and pushing himself even harder, also due to the COVID-19 crisis period. The strain showed in his relationships too, as his usual patience with colleagues and loved ones wore increasingly thin. What started as a sleep problem had slowly transformed into a chronic quality of life issue, affecting everything from his work performance to his relationships.
The Neurofeedback Assessment
When Mark first came to me, we had a detailed discussion about his situation, followed by a brain mapping assessment called qEEG (quantitative electroencephalogram). This is basically a snapshot of the brain’s electrical activity, providing fascinating insights into how Mark’s brain was functioning.
One of the things we found was intriguing: his brain was showing patterns typical of someone in a state of constant alertness – like a city that never dims its lights at night. His brain was producing an excess of fast brainwaves, particularly in the high-beta and gamma ranges. While these fast brainwaves could be valuable for problem-solving and decision-making, having too many of them or for a very long time is like keeping your brain in high gear all the time. This pattern explained Mark's persistent mental chatter, agitation, and difficulty winding down at night.
The brain mapping also showed an alpha peak frequency of 8 Hz across most brain regions, suggesting suboptimal cognitive processing efficiency. This slower alpha frequency is often associated with mental fatigue and cognitive fog. Additionally, the Focus Score indicated an imbalance between Alpha 1 (8-10 Hz) and Alpha 2 (10-12 Hz) waves, pointing to potential difficulties with attention and emotional regulation.
The most significant finding was an elevated Arousal Score, suggesting a state of heightened arousal. Think of it as measuring how revved up your brain is – and Mark's brain was running like an engine in high gear even when it needed to idle, to “cool down”. This explained why he couldn't maintain sleep once he woke up in the early morning hours.
These findings helped me understand that Mark's sleep issues weren't just about sleep – they were about his brain's overall inability to regulate its states of arousal and relaxation to find and maintain an optimal balance.
The Mental Training Journey
Based on what we found, we created a personalized neurofeedback training plan combined with coaching sessions. The focus was on normalizing Mark’s high beta and alpha peak frequency, lowering overall arousal levels, and helping his body regulate its natural sleep-wake rhythms more effectively. Mark attended training sessions 2–3 times a week for about two months.
Along the way, we also discussed and implemented lifestyle changes to support his progress. I introduced him to exercises designed to quiet mental chatter, sharpen focus, and boost mental flexibility. One significant change was his sleep schedule - he began going to bed much earlier and kept a relatively regular bedtime routine.
Importantly, he started monitoring his sleep length and quality using an Apple Watch and the SleepWatch app. He also tracked air quality and other environmental factors that could directly influence sleep quality. Between neurofeedback sessions, Mark engaged in activities to reinforce specific brainwave patterns and calm others. These included jogging, playing the violin, practicing Qi Gong, and incorporating spontaneity into his daily routine instead of adhering to a rigid schedule.
During the neurofeedback training sessions, Mark participated in interactive exercises such as playing video games and watching movies that responded in real-time to his brainwave activity. This feedback loop taught his brain to adjust and maintain optimal brainwave patterns. Regular check-ins allowed us to monitor his progress and make adjustments to ensure the training remained focused on the most impactful improvements.
The Results
The follow-up assessment after 18 training sessions showed significant improvements, despite the relatively short treatment period: Alpha peak frequency increased from 8 Hz to 10 Hz across most brain regions, indicating enhanced cognitive processing efficiency, while the Arousal Score improved considerably, suggesting better regulation of the nervous system.
Initial brainwaves pattern | Brainwave pattern after mental training sessions |
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In addition, his performance in cognitive tests increased considerably, mostly due to an increased mental processing speed. For example, in the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) - a neuropsychological test designed to measure an individual’s sustained attention, response inhibition, and processing speed – Mark’s reaction speed improved from 1.1 seconds to 0.7 seconds, showing a significant boost in cognitive processing and response time.
Initial score | Score after 17 neurofeedback sessions |
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*The Cognition score is a composite metric summarizing key aspects of cognitive performance, such as accuracy (e.g., Commission and Omission Errors in CPT tests), reaction time, focus, and sensory performance. It provides an overall view of mental functioning, with higher scores indicating better cognitive efficiency and fewer errors.
These changes in brain activity translated into noticeable improvements in Mark’s sleep patterns. Mark shared that he was consistently getting 7–8 hours of sleep each night, including stretches of 6 uninterrupted hours. Early morning awakenings were much less common, and on the occasions he did wake up, he found it much easier to fall back asleep and continue to rest.
Life After Neurofeedback and Mental Training
Mark reported a 30% improvement in his overall quality of life after completing the training. While better sleep was a big part of his progress, he also noticed several other positive changes:
He felt calmer and more patient, finding it easier to manage his emotions.
His daytime energy levels and mental clarity improved noticeably.
He handled stress more easily and felt better equipped to bounce back from challenges.
His ability to conduct meetings and engage in dialogues with colleagues significantly improved, driven by a heightened level of self-awareness. This led to enhanced communication and stronger relationships.
He became highly motivated to maintain healthy lifestyle habits, such as a regular bedtime, and limiting stressful evening activities. This included abandoning his previous pattern of working excessively long hours.
The improvements in his sleep patterns were not just based on how he felt, they were backed up by objective sleep-tracking data, providing clear evidence that the intervention was working.
Graphs extracted from the Apple Watch app, illustrating the progress and highlighting the positive changes in his sleep patterns over time.
Neurofeedback Transforms Sleep Patterns - It Can Help You Too
Mark's story illustrates something I see time and time again in my practice: when we help the brain find its natural rhythms, good sleep quality and increased length of good rest - often follows. His journey shows that poor sleep patterns aren't something we simply have to live with – there are ways to retrain our brains for better rest, without interventions with medications.
The improvements seen in Mark's case could be particularly relevant if you find yourself regularly waking up in the early hours, struggle to get back to sleep after waking, feel that stress is affecting your sleep quality, or want to improve your sleep without relying on medication.
However, just as each person's sleep challenges are unique, every brain training journey is personal. But Mark's story shows what is possible when we give our brain the tools it needs to function at its best.
* Names and personal details have been changed to protect privacy, and the client has consented to share this data.
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