Entrainment

Entrainment is defined as the tendency for two oscillating bodies to lock into phase so that they vibrate in harmony. It is also defined as a synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles. The principle of entrainment is universal, appearing in chemistry, pharmacology, biology, medicine, psychology, sociology, astronomy, architecture and more. Christian Huygens, a notable physicist, coined the term entrainment after he noticed, in 1666, that two pendulum clocks had moved into the same swinging rhythm, subsequent experiments duplicated this process.

Entrainment is a function of resonance, or the frequency an object wants to vibrate. We all function to a certain rhythm. Our heart beat, respiration and brain waves are entrained to each other. If you slow down your breathing, your heart rate will drop and your brain wave pattern will alter. The opposite effect is to calm the mind and the heart rate and respiration will drop. Standing meditation and Tai Chi can help in this respect.

With entrainment you can change the natural oscilating pattern of one object and replace it with the oscilating pattern of another.

It is easy for two different people to become entrained. Females who work in the same office for any long period of time can start to share their menstrual cycle. A similar example may be the entrainment between a parent and their child.


You may have noticed effects of entrainment yourself. If you have spent any time with a person mentally weaker than you, your stronger brainwave will actually slow down, while their brain wave will speed up. The outcome is you will get entrained down to their level. This is why you sometimes go home at the end of the day mentally tired.

Electrical equipment also resonates a certain frequency, so time spent in an office for example can leave you entrained and feeling weak.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT SLEEP PATTERNS

Chances are during the day (and night) you will be exposed to low frequency electromagnetic energies. Power lines, electrical circuits in your walls, ceilings and floors and electrical appliances such as electric blankets and TV’s all emit such energies. This electromagnetic pollution can disrupt natural sleep / wake cycles.


Brainwave entrainment refers to the brain's electrical responce to sensory stimulation, such as light. Entrainment is also linked to even greater cycles such as lunar cycles. We are nearly all entrained to sleep when it is dark and wake when it is light for example.

When the brain receives a sensory signal it emits an electrical charge, this charge runs into and through the brain to become what we see and hear.


When the brain receives a rhythmic stimulus it is reproduced in the brain as an electrical impulse. If this stimulus is fast enough it can resemble the natural rhythm of the brain, called a brainwave. Brainwaves are related to mental state. You could not normally go to sleep for example listening to AC/DC, but could listening to the calming sound of the sea.

WHAT TO DO
 
Try unplugging all electrical items in your bedroom, including clocks, TV’s and lights. If your sleep quality improves, rearrange your bedroom so that all electrical items are as far away from your bed as possible. Also do not use an electric blanket.


OTHER FORMS OF ENTRAINMENT


Doctors and psychologists have discovered that you can become entrained or synchronized to a dysfunctional schedule in as little as 7-21 days. This means that if you stay up to midnight for one to three weeks in a row, your internal body clock will become entrained to wait until midnight to start reducing cortisol output and increasing melatonin output (explained in ourprevious blog on Circadian Rhythm). If your body gets used to going to bed late and you then decide to get to bed earlier one night, you’ll probably have a hard time falling asleep. Now your faced with the task of entraining your system to release your sleepy-time chemicals early enough so that you can get to sleep on time for a full cycle of physical and mental repair. In addition, if you work in an environment with other people, your heartbeat will show up in the brain waves of any weaker people in the group. In other words, you get entrained down to their level. This is one of the reasons at the end of the day you go home mentally tired.

The different types of brainwaves are as follows: -


• Gamma (100 - 38) HZ (Hertz=cycles per second)


• Beta (38 - 15) HZ


• Alpha (14 - 8) HZ


• Theta (7 - 4) HZ


• Delta (3 - 0.5) HZ.


Gamma Brainwaves


Not much is know (in comparison to other brainwaves) about Gamma waves. They have been seen in states of both physical and mental peak performance, periods of high concentration and schizophrenia.


Beta Brainwaves


Normal waking consciousness is when beta brainwavwes would be observed.


Anctious, busy or active thinking produces these brain wave patterns.


 Alpha Brainwaves


Alpha brainwaves are seen when we are relaxed, daydreaming or visulaizing.


Sensing is the word here. Hearing, tasting and smell can stimulate alpha waves.


Theta Brainwaves


Subconscious, dreaming (REM Sleep), hypnosis and meditation produces Theta waves. It is connected with intuition and creativity.

Delta Brainwaves


These are the lowest frequency waves and represent unconsciousness or dreamless deep sleep.


Binaural Beats


We now know that our brain operates at certain frequencies at certain times of the day, depending on our mood, our surroundings, our company, stimulation to light and so on. It is possible to alter the state of mind by means such as meditation, but an ever more popular method is binaural beats.


We all know that music can affect our mood. Rock concerts leave you buzzing, whereas a folk concert might leave you more mellow.


It is now possible to obtain very low frequencies from a fairly high sound, so if the frequencies of two sound sources are applied seperately, one to each ear, a binaural beat frequency is created. What is heard is not the two seperate sound (frequencies), but a frequency difference between the two sounds. It is like playing the number 1 in one ear and number 3 in the other and hearing number 2.


So by listening (through headphones) to certain frequencies it is possible to alter your brainwaves, whether that be higher frequencies to stimulate thought processes, or lower frequencies to help relaxation or sleep.


I use binaural beats at work. If I feel mentally drained I use a certain frequency for 10 minutes to perk myself up. If a feel a headache coming on I can usually stop it by using another frequency.


Binaural beats are not just a buzzing in your ear. There are some good ones that can be downloaded (some for free) on I-Tunes. They are mixed in with calming sounds of the ocean, bird song, thunder and rain and can nearly all be customised to suit you.



Certainly worth a look.

 I now need a rest as I have been typing for ages and have become entrained.

Post by Simon Sheridan

Circadian Rhythm

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

It is all to easy when training is not going so well to blame diet, training techniques, age, time factors, lack of equipment, places or partners to train with and so on. But how many of us look at or understand our sleep patterns, or how a good sleep pattern can benefit our health and cure those aches and pains that even the doctor could not help?

Years ago when we all lived outside we would have gone to bed when it was dark and got up with the sun. Those living a tribal existance will still be doing just that, as will many wild animals. This is the natural sleep/wake process, but why and how does it occur?

Circadian Rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that result from the movements of the sun and planets following a 24 hour cycle and affecting nearly all living creatures including plants. Circadian Rhythms are produced by natural factors within the body, but they are also affected by signals from the environment. Light is the main cue influencing Circadian Rhythms, turning on or off genes that control an organisms' internal clocks.

The above illustration is an overview of the human circadian biological clock with some physiological parameters. Many of our hormones are produced in tune with the cycle of the sun. Stress activating hormones cortisol are produced as the sun rises and peak around mid-morning. As the day progresses, the level of stress hormones decrease. The body then begins to increase production of growth and repair hormones melatonin as the sun goes down. Our bodies are designed to wind down from sunset until about 10.00 pm, when sleep and physical repair should begin. Psychological repair takes place predominantly from about 2.00 am to 6.00am.


DISRUPTED SLEEP/WAKE CYCLES


A disrupted sleep/wake cycle can lead to adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands produce a hormone called cortisol, which is an activating hormone released in response to stress. This activates the body in preparation to work or movement. In addition, if you go to bed after midnight you’ve already missed two hours of your psychological repair cycle. This long term can lead to musculoskeletal injuries, headaches, as sagging personality and neurological disorders.


TIPS FOR A GOOD SLEEP/WAKE CYCLE


1. Get to sleep by 10.30 pm. Wind down before you go to sleep. Going to bed at 10.00 pm and reading until 11.00pm does not count.
2. Minimize exposure to bright lights, two hours before going to bed (including TV.)Try dimmer switches or candles.
3. Sleep in a room that in completely dark.
4. Avoid caffeine, sugar and nicotine after lunch. These are stimulants which trigger the release of cortisol.
5. Drink plenty of water. If dehydrated the body thinks it is in stress. Again more stress hormones, which are awakening hormones.

Another thing to understand is that the body cannot tell the difference between different types of stress. So if it is bills you cannot pay, an arguement with a partner of a fall down the stairs, it is all just stress as far as your body is concerened. So stress releases cortisol, which we now know as the wake up hormone, therefore it is of upmost importance that a calm frame of mind is reached before going to sleep.

Circadian Rhythm is closely linked to Entrainment which will be the subject of our next blog.

Post by Simon Sheridan