Dr. Morayo Jimoh CPsychol Chartered Educational Psychologist and Neurofeedback Practitioner Biofeedback: The Secret to managing Stress and achieving Peak Performance 5 th September, 2013

Understanding STRESS  Stress is a natural human response to pressure when faced with challenging and sometimes dangerous situations which could also arise from the demands we place on ourselves.  Stress can be caused by Death: spouse, family or friend Health: Injury, illness Sexual problems Money: Lack of it, owing it, investing it Family change: Separation, divorce, marriage, new baby

Women and Stress Family Children Husband Home-making Extended family Work Deadlines Targets Self and others expectation Overload Relationships with other workers According to the British government’s new Health and Safety Statistics Report, there are higher rates of work-related stress for women than men. Women have responsibilities at work like men, But also have……..

Stress and your health  Stressful life situations arising from challenges at work and family leads to complications that may affect physical and psychological wellbeing.  Research shows that 75% of all doctor visits are stress related.

Brain stimulates the production of stress hormones- cortisol and aldosterone Stress hormones suppress the work of the immune system INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASES AND INFECTIONS Increased blood pressure Increased heart rate Increased blood sugar How stress leads to illness STRESS Alarm signals Fight or flight response Stress affects different parts of our bodies

Warning Signs of Stress

With the negative impact stress has your body, how can you avoid  burning out,  decreased performance and productivity,  prioritizing work over family and vice versa  health issues? The answer is …

BIOFEEDBACK

Biofeedback Biofeedback is a technique that provides you with information about bodily changes which serves to increase your awareness and control over your body. Bodily processes that can be monitored by biofeedback are :  Heart rate  Blood pressure  Muscle tension  Skin temperature  Brain waves

Biofeedback Techniques  Electromyography (EMG), which measures muscle tension  Thermal Biofeedback, which measures skin temperature  Finger pulse biofeedback, which measures heart rate  EEG Biofeedback or Neurofeedback, which measures brain wave activities  Respiration Feedback, which shows rate, volume and rhythm of each breath

How does Biofeedback work? Audiovisual display Biofeedback device Measurement You learn to control your own body Feedback on Blood Pressure, Heart rate, muscle tension By Deep breathing and a number of relaxation techniques

Learning to control your body  You can control your body processes (heart rate, muscle tension, blood pressure) by using:  Deep breathing  Progressive muscle relaxation – systematically tightening and relaxing different groups of muscles  Guided imagery -- concentrating on a specific image to focus your mind and make you feel relaxed.  Mindfulness Meditation – involving focusing thoughts on one’s current state and letting go of negative emotions of the past or worries about the future.

How can Biofeedback help me?

Benefits of Biofeedback  Allows you to control your bodily functions  Helps control and manage numerous health conditions like high blood pressure, chronic pain, head aches and migraines, asthma and other stress related conditions.  Relieves stress symptoms like anxiety, depression, etc  Promotes graceful aging  Increases lifespan  Improves quality of life  Promotes deep relaxation  Improves quality of sleep  Equips you with the ability to balance work and family

Stress, Peak performance and Biofeedback  With reduced stress levels, optimal performance at WORK AND HOME can be achieved.  While using Biofeedback to control your body, another technique similar in working mechanism to Biofeedback, can be used to train your brain to achieve PEAK PERFORMANCE

Peak perfomance  Peak performance is the ability to perform at one’s best.  The benefits of achieving peak performance include:  better concentration,  easier decision making,  reduced number of errors,  shorter response time,  more efficient memory,  increased productivity,  reduced anxiety and stage fright,  increased self-confidence and assertiveness,  better self-control

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