Holy Cow – THAT was a nap!!
I had my brain training session this morning, came straight home, went to bed, and slept for three hours. Here is the story of today, and why I was so tired.
I left for my appointment extra early due to the snow fall we had last night. The plows had been out and taken a first pass at the main routes, but 15 cm (6 inches for you Yanks) leaves quite a mess behind.
Added to that was the fact that I was driving to a new destination, as Neurvana Health had moved office over the weekend. Closer to me, but not faster with all the extra snow.
The new office is lovely! Lots of natural light, comfy new client seating, and long shiny hallways (where they may or may not have rolly chair races, simply because they have the space to do it now!).
Sachi set me up in one of the new training rooms. Same arrangement, but with a new chair for me and a new adjustable desk for the her so she can stand and work instead of sit all day.
She used the spider cap on me for 15 minutes.
No breathing exercises today, just close my eyes and relax for 5 minute intervals, listening to the Youtube channel called “music to study by”. The picture was a cute fluffy kitten looking at a book, so I was in for that. I did this closed eye three times, with a thirty second open eye break between them.
Then she removed the spider cap and attached the five little electrodes that I’ve used before.
She taped the temperature reader to my left index finger, and we were ready to go. I brought my knitting along as I usually do, but it caused a problem this time. The sensor was so sensitive it was picking up my eye movement between the screen and my knitting. That small eye movement disrupted the training. I put it down and focused on the TV.
This is our Brene Brown time. We finished her Netflix special and started her keynote talk at the 99 conference. Really good stuff about critics.
I learned something new about human anatomy today!
Sachi has to work at it a bit to get the connections on the spider cap to sit properly on my scalp because of all my hair, and the fact that I part my hair on the side, so one side is thicker than the other. “It’s ok”, she said. “Men have issues too.”
I thought it would be super easy attaching sensors to bald guys. Nope!
Apparently, the body considers it a high priority mandate to protect the brain, and will do so by whatever means it can. So it produces thick hair, or a thick scalp if hair is significantly thinned or absent. Makes me wonder how many other automatic protections are hard-wired into my anatomy simply for the purpose of protecting my organs and systems and, well, my ability to be alive.
By the time we finished the session I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Sachi explained she switched things up a bit today so my brain training doesn’t plateau. It’s good to keep the brain working hard, and this was a particularly hard workout today. So, a three hour nap. It will be interesting to see if I have trouble falling asleep tonight.
I have been noticing changes. Sachi says it’s possible, but she isn’t going to commit herself to stating that the changes are solely due to the brain training. Apparently our brains have more plasticity than we realize. Sachi said the sometimes children have noticed changes after only a few sessions. So it is possible that my brain is successfully rewiring itself. The sudden fatigue after training is a good marker for that.
Here are some changes I have noticed:
I experience better energy during the day. I feel an increased motivation that I haven’t felt in a long time, resulting in higher productivity. I am sleeping better at night, even without sleep meds. I feel more alert and “plugged in”. I am encouraged. And that alone does a lot of good stuff for the brain.
Tomorrow is my first adjustment with my new chiropractor. They booked two hours for my appointment. Apparently this isn’t just me – this is standard procedure for a first adjustment. This isn’t your mamma’s chiro, guys! I will have a lot to tell you about my adventures in image-guided spinal adjustment.
Until then, encourage someone. It’s good for their brain as well as their spirit. And if someone encourages you, accept it. Don’t casually blow it off as one of those “nice things that people think they have to do”.
You know how you give your dog a treat? You know how it makes them all waggy and happy? Encouragement is a human happy treat. Don’t be stingy.
