1. Biofeedback: A Panacea to Stress and Catalyst for Peak Performance By Dr. Morayo Jimoh CPsychol

2. Stress is a natural human response to pressure when faced with challenging and sometimes dangerous situations. The pressure is not only as a result of what is happening around us, but often, also as a result of the demands we place on ourselves. What is stress?

3. What is stress contd. Experiencing stress is part of being alive. Some forms of stress increase our alertness and energy to meet challenging situations. Excessive stress can be overwhelming and exhausting

4. 75% of all doctor visits are stress related. Stress-induced alterations in brain regions underlie the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative amnesia. Stress acts as a predisposing factor for the effects of acute, stressful life events Research report on stress

5. Causes of stress General causes  Threat  Fear  Uncertainty  Cognitive dissonance

6. Life causes  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 Causes of stress contd.

7. Stress at work  Demands of the job  Relationship with colleagues

8. Signs and symptoms of stress Physical signs  Biting of nails  Grinding of teeth  Hunching of shoulders  Tapping of fingers or feet

9. Signs and symptoms contd. Emotional Signs  Anxiety  Depression  Anger  Feeling overwhelmed  Feeling out of control

10. Signs and Symptoms contd. Behavioural Signs  Aggression  Disturbed sleep  Emotional outburst

11. Stages in adapting to stress The alarm reaction stage Resistance stage Exhaustion stage

12. How stress affects our body Something stresses you This sets up alarm signals in mind and body The hypothalamus is stimulated by the alarm to stimulate the adrenal glands

13. How stress affects our body contd. The adrenal cortex produces cortisol and aldosterone which in turn increases blood sugar, reduces the efficiency of the immune system and reduces allergic responses.

14. How stress affects our body contd. The adrenal medulla also produces adrenalin which in turn produces the flight or fight effect in the body Thus, the heart beats faster, blood pressure increases and blood sugar rises.

15. Solution Biofeedback techniques can help us keep the effects of stress at bay and achieve peak performance.

16. What is peak performance It is the ability to perform at one’s very best. It is excelling in whatever one does 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 etc.

17. What is Biofeeback? Biofeedback is a technique that trains people to improve their health by controlling certain bodily processes that normally happen involuntarily such as heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension and skin temperature.

18. What is Biofeeback? Biofeedback is the use of instrumentation to mirror psychophysiological processes of which the individual is not normally aware and which may be brought under voluntary control (George Fuller, 1984)

19. Electromyography (EMG), which measures muscle tension Thermal Biofeedback, which measures skin temperature Finger pulse biofeedback, which measures heart rate Types of Biofeedback

20. Types of Biofeedback Contd. EEG Biofeedback or Neurofeedback, which measures brain wave activities Respiration Feedback, which shows rate, volume and rhythm of each breath

21. Benefits of biofeedback Biofeedback: Allows individuals to control their bodily functions Helps control numerous conditions Relieves stress Improves quality of life

22. How does biofeedback work?

23. How biofeedback works A measurement of a certain biological function is made e.g. skin temperature, brainwave activity, muscle tension, etc. The measurement is converted into meaningful information through the device and fed into a monitor or sound system.

24. How biofeedback works contd. The individual receives a feedback and the learning process starts. With this knowledge through many repetitions an individual can learn to control his/her physiology

25. Demonstrations Biofeedback techniques Questions

26. For more information on biofeedback www.mobilehealthconsult.com www.bfe.org www.isnr.org www.aapb.org Thank you for listening