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Life comes with its fair share of pressure, and stress is something we all deal with at some point. A little stress can be helpful sometimes. It keeps us alert and motivated. But when it sticks around too long, it can start to wear us down, both mentally and physically.

That’s why finding methods that can help us manage stress effectively is so important. One approach that’s been gaining attention is neurofeedback—stress causes certain reactions in the brain, so this method can help train your brain to regulate itself through real-time feedback. Plus, it can also help with other skills like focus and emotion regulation.

By encouraging healthier brain activity, neurofeedback can promote relaxation, emotional balance, and mental clarity. But how does it actually work, and can it really make a difference?

Key Takeaways

• Neurofeedback is a non-invasive technique that trains the brain through real-time feedback to promote relaxation and improve emotion regulation skills.

• When stress becomes chronic, it alters brain function by overstimulating fear and anxiety and suppressing the prefrontal cortex, responsible for rational thinking and self-regulation. This imbalance can lead to irritability, poor decision-making skills, and difficulty concentrating.

• Home neurofeedback devices can help manage occasional stress, improve emotion regulation skills, and enhance cognitive performance. In-clinic neurofeedback is recommended for people who have or may have a mental health condition, as it offers a more personalized approach.

• While neurofeedback is a powerful tool, it works best when combined with other stress-reducing practices such as mindfulness, exercise, healthy sleep habits, and, in some cases, therapy or medical interventions for chronic stress-related conditions. It's worth mentioning that neurofeedback research is ongoing, and results may vary from person to person.

What Is Neurofeedback?

Neurofeedback is a specialized form of biofeedback—a training technique that helps us become more aware of how our bodies function. And it does so by monitoring specific bodily functions and providing real-time feedback. This way, we can learn to regulate our physiological responses, fostering greater self-awareness, relaxation, and mindfulness.

As such, neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback that targets brain function. It uses the brain's neuroplasticity (ability to reorganize and adapt) to encourage it to repeat desired behaviors through positive reinforcement. For example, if you're playing a game during a neurofeedback session and you become tense or distracted, the game pauses. When you relax and regain focus, it resumes.

Beyond relaxation and focus, neurofeedback can be incredibly helpful in identifying what triggers stress, anxiety, and agitation. This is extremely important because the first step toward changing our habits is acknowledging what exactly needs to be changed.

Neurofeedback can be performed at a clinic under the supervision of a qualified professional or at home using a consumer-grade device. If you have or suspect you may have a mental health condition, you should either go for in-clinic neurofeedback or talk to your doctor before using a home neurofeedback device. These systems are not medical devices and, therefore, do not substitute medical diagnosis and treatment. On the other hand, they can be safely used for wellness goals such as improving stress management skills and enhancing cognitive function.

How Does Stress Affect Our Lives?

Stress is a normal part of life. When we are stressed, our sympathetic nervous system is activated. We enter the fight-or-flight state, which can be incredibly helpful sometimes.

Normally, when the stressful moment has passed, the sympathetic nervous system allows the parasympathetic nervous system to take over. This is the part responsible for the rest-and-digest functions. In other words, it helps you relax. This is an example of acute stress, and it is most often caused by temporary challenging situations—work deadlines, medical emergencies, or unexpected expenses.

Sometimes, however, we get stuck in that fight-or-flight state. The parasympathetic nervous system cannot take control, and feeling stressed becomes a routine. This is when acute stress becomes chronic stress, and it can take a serious toll on our bodies and minds.

Over time, chronic stress can lead to other issues, like anxiety, depression, burnout, insomnia, and even physiological problems like high blood pressure and hormonal imbalances. In some cases, chronic stress is the starting point of a vicious cycle, where stress worsens specific medical conditions, and they, in turn, increase stress levels.

Additionally, scientists have suggested that prolonged stress increases the activity of the brain parts responsible for survival, like the amygdala. At the same time, it reduces the activity of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive function skills. This is why people who suffer from chronic stress are often highly irritable, find it difficult to make decisions and solve problems easily, and cannot focus for long.

Regardless of what type of stress you're dealing with, it is important to address it. If it's acute stress, you can work on yourself to improve your stress response and management skills and reduce stress-related symptoms. If it's chronic stress, you should seek treatment to avoid developing stress-related disorders like generalized anxiety disorder.

How Neurofeedback Works to Alleviate Stress

Neurofeedback therapy operates by training the brain to shift from a stress-dominant state to a more relaxed and focused state. If done at a clinic, this is performed through electroencephalography (EEG) biofeedback, which monitors different brainwave frequencies and provides real-time feedback based on the chosen protocol.

The main brainwave frequencies EEG monitors are:

• Delta, for deep sleep

• Theta, for deep relaxation and creativity

• Alpha, for calm and alertness

• Beta, for active thinking and stress (if in excess)

• Gamma, for hyperfocus

Chronic stress is often linked to excessive high-beta activity and low alpha-theta activity, but this can only be confirmed through a quantitative EEG, which illustrates brain wave activity for each patient. The neurofeedback provider will use this qEEG to fully personalize the neurofeedback protocol so that it targets specific brain waves and brain regions and minimizes the risk of side effects.

Home Neurofeedback to Improve Your Stress Management Skills

If your goal is to improve your stress response and learn how to cope with challenging situations better, you can try an at-home neurofeedback device. These devices usually incorporate EEG technology. It is sometimes coupled with heart rate variability (HRV) or other technologies that measure your breathing rate or track your sleep.

One device on the market—Mendi, that is—uses cutting-edge functional near-infrared technology (fNIRS). It is different from others on the market because it does not measure brain waves. Instead, the Mendi device focuses on measuring blood flow and oxygenation levels in the prefrontal cortex.

As mentioned earlier, the prefrontal cortex is at the forefront of your executive function skills. By strengthening its function, you can improve your emotion regulation skills, promote relaxation, learn how to control your thoughts in stressful situations (so you don't spiral into pessimistic scenarios), and enhance other cognitive abilities.

Overall, home neurofeedback—both through EEG and fNIRS—can be useful in reducing acute stress events and preventing chronic stress. It does so by potentially helping you:

• Regulate your emotions more efficiently, which is extremely important in stressful situations

• Control your stress response and develop healthy coping strategies

• Identify personal triggers

• Practice mindfulness

• Promote relaxation

• Declutter your mind and break negative thought patterns

• Improve your sleep

• Improve focus and attention span, which can indirectly reduce stress, as it helps you perform better at work and at home

• Improve your self-esteem

It is worth mentioning that the results of neurofeedback—performed both at a clinic and at home—vary depending on multiple factors.

Additionally, although there are numerous studies showcasing these benefits, future research is still required to fully confirm these. After all, neurofeedback is a relatively recent approach compared to other therapies and wellness practices.

In the following section, we'll let the science speak for itself!

What Does Science Say About Neurofeedback Training for Stress?

Given that this article isn't just our opinion on how neurofeedback training may help with stress, we've found some published works you can check for yourself:

• Principles and Practice of Stress Management, Third Edition, edited by Paul M. Lehrer, Robert L. Woolfolk, and Wesley E. Sime: Chapter 11 focuses specifically on neurofeedback for stress management and provides a comprehensive view of the topic.

• The Effectiveness of a Neurofeedback-Assisted Mindfulness Training Program Using a Mobile App on Stress Reduction in Employees: Randomized Controlled Trial: a study published in 2023 highlighting that a 4-week program showed improvements in resilience, emotional labor, insomnia, and depression.

• The Effects of Neurofeedback Training on Physical, Psychoemotional Stress Response and Self-Regulation for Late Adolescence: A Non-Randomized Trial: a study published in 2018 in the Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.

• Neurofeedback Effect on Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: a study published in 2023 in Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

Who Can Benefit from Neurofeedback for Stress?

In-clinic neurofeedback therapy for stress may be beneficial for people with:

• Chronic stress

• Panic attacks

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

• ADHD

• Sleep disorders

• Anxiety disorders

On the other hand, home neurofeedback wellness training may be beneficial for:

• People who experience burnout and work in stressful environments

• High-performance athletes

• People seeking to improve their overall well-being

• People seeking to manage stress symptoms more efficiently

Neurofeedback vs. Other Stress Management Techniques

Neurofeedback works best when used as a complementary practice, so it's recommended to rely on a comprehensive approach to reduce stress.

In the case of acute stress, you may find it useful to:

• Change your diet; eat more whole foods, lots of fruit and vegetables, and avoid sugary products and refined carbs.

• Reduce the amount of caffeine intake.

• Control emotional eating.

• Prioritize a healthy sleep routine.

• Spend more time outside, absorbing all that vitamin D from the sun.

• Exercise regularly.

• Practice mindfulness or other relaxing activities.

• Establish a balanced work-life routine.

In the case of chronic stress, you may require:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy

• Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) treatment

• Medication

• Symptom-specific treatment, especially if you also have physical discomfort or a stress-related disorder such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Is Neurofeedback Safe for Stress Management?

Neurofeedback therapy is generally considered safe for reducing stress and promoting overall well-being. Nonetheless, there are some things to consider:

• If performed at a clinic, neurofeedback treatment needs to be personalized. This can help achieve the best results and avoid side effects. According to neurofeedback experts Michael Thompson and Lynda Thompson, "NFB training is frequency specific and site specific, so, theoretically, if one were to train the wrong frequencies at a particular site, then one could get negative results or side effects."

• You may experience temporary side effects, such as headaches, dizziness, or irritability, which should resolve within 24-48 hours. If they don't, you should inform your therapist about them. The therapist should adjust your protocol to mitigate any side effects.

• Neurofeedback performed at home by someone with a mental health condition may cause side effects in some situations. For example, since home neurofeedback devices usually do not target a specific brain region or brain wave frequency, you may train the wrong brainwave patterns. Additionally, neurofeedback training can sometimes bring up repressed emotions and trauma-related responses, which is why it's best done at a clinic if you have chronic stress or a mental health issue.

Final Thoughts

While neurofeedback is not a standalone cure for acute and chronic stress, it is a valuable tool that, when used correctly, can improve stress management and emotion regulation skills. However, it's important to approach it with caution, depending on your goals, and adjust your brain training accordingly.

If you think the Mendi headband aligns with your wellness goals, you can get yours today! Backed by science and tested by neuroscience experts, Mendi uses cutting-edge technology to help you manage stress and improve mental clarity!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is neurofeedback, and how does it work?

Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that trains individuals to monitor and regulate brain activity through real-time feedback on brainwave patterns. This process can assist in reducing stress and enhancing mental health.

Does neurofeedback help with stress?

Neurofeedback can help with stress by targeting specific brain regions and brain waves associated with our stress response. This way, it can guide the brain to transition from a stress-dominant state to a more relaxed state, thereby reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation.

How quickly does neurofeedback work?

Some people may notice results from neurofeedback within the first sessions, while others require a few weeks to experience positive benefits. This depends on multiple factors, including training goals, the equipment used, and consistency.

Is neurofeedback safe for everyone?

Neurofeedback is generally considered safe for most individuals due to its non-invasive nature and minimal side effects. However, it is advisable to consult a healthcare professional to determine suitability for specific conditions.

Are neurofeedback results permanent?

Neurofeedback training can lead to long-term results, although it remains unknown whether they are indeed permanent. Studies have shown that the results may last for one year or longer.