Here’satruthwecanallrelateto:thebusierweget,and
themorejam-packedourlifestylesandschedulesbecome,the
moredifficultit is tofulfilourverybestwellnessintentions.But
what if there was a hack? The latest buzz to catch our
attentionisn’tnewormanufacturedina lab;it’ssomething
that’sbeenaroundforthousandsofyears– andwitha series
of contemporary twists to maximise the benefits of the
traditionalpractice,it’sbeenbroughtbacktotheforefront.
Whatisit?Perhapssurprisingly,it’sthepowerofsound.
Arecentwaveoftreatmentsandpracticesismakinguseof
frequencyand vibrationwith somequite startling results–
promisingtoimproveeverythingfromsleeptomentalclarity,
bringingusonestepclosertothatelusivestateofmindfulness
and overall relaxation. It’s time to make some noise.
THE BEAUT Y of a GOOD
NIGHT’S SLEEP
Weknowhowmuchsleepaffectshowwefeel,butit alsoplays
ahugepartinhowwelook.Aswesleep,ourbodiesworkto
remove cell-damaging free radicals, plus it’s peak time for
buildingcollagen.Fortheseandmanyotherreasons–suchas
maintaining good digestion and asturdy immune system –
decentshut-eyeis crucial.Yettwo-thirdsofusregularlyfailtoget
the eight hours recommended by the World Health Organisation.
SURROUND
SOUND
EnterSomnuva.It’sadevicethatlookslikearadio,butit’s
asouped-upsoundmachine,emittingtonesandpulsesoverlaid
with the lull of lapping waves, to extraordinary effect. “It’s
a magicmachine,”saysKateWealden,whousedtosufferfrom
debilitatinginsomnia.“AssoonasI startedusingit, if I woke in the
night,I wouldlistentothewavesanddropbackoff.”
Sohowdoesit work?Theteambehindthedeviceanalysed
datafromhundredsofsleepersanddiscoveredthat,inquality
sleep,thebrainwavesmovedthrougha similarfrequencypattern.
“Sleepersshouldgothroughfivesleepcycleseachnight,”
saysSomnuva’sLondon-basedfounder,AdamSpittles.During
eachcycle,wemovethroughphasesofrapideyemovement(the
dreamingstage)andnon-rapideyemovement(deepsleep).An
algorithmenablestheSomnuvadevicetoplaytonesandpulses
infrequenciesthatreplicatetheoptimalpatternofbrainwavesin
a dream,ahem,night’srest.Medicalproductresearchcompany
CreativeMedicalResearchfoundthat,inatestofinsomniacs,
92 percentsleptlongerandmoredeeplywhenusingSomnuva.
Forthoseofusmerelywantingtofine-tuneourrepose,the
devicecanbesetforanylengthofsleeptime,bringingyou
through your sleep cycle to wake just before your alarm.
somnuva.comMEDITATION, MUSIC and
MINDFULNESS
I’vetriedHeadspace.Eachyear,I resolvetomeditatedaily,
andfail.Thetheoryofmindfulnessissopersuasive–withits
benefits touching everything from hormone regulation (less
acne)toimprovedcellturnover(fewerwrinkles)–it’sashame
thatactuallydoingit issodifficult.Happily,I’vefoundsalvation
in theformofanewwebsite,Wavepaths,which swaps the
spokenwordformusic-basedmeditation.
Wavepathsisthe brainchildof neuroscientistDr Mendel
Kaelen.Foreightyearsheresearchedthepowerofmusiconthe
mind. Withcollaborator Brian Eno – whose ambient music
DavidBowiecreditedwithprovidingcalmthroughtheworst
daysofhisaddictions,andwhosesoundandlightinstallations
arealreadyinhospitals–Kaelenisnow bringing the healing
powerofmusictoa largeraudience.
“Thereis evidencethatmusiccanbeaspowerfulinreducing
stress,anxietyanddepressionaspsychotherapy,”Kaelentells
me. “Mankindhas usedmusic in thisway forthousandsof
years.Oftenit hasbeenthepreserveofthemedicinemanor
shaman,withatransformative,almostmagicalfunction.Today,
neuroscienceenablesustoseehowit activateseverypartofthe
brain:motor,language,emotionsandmemory. Further, it has an
immensecapacitytomakeusrelax.”
I logontotheWavepathswebsite(inbetamodewhenI try
it)andchoose“meditation”.Onmyscreen,a shimmeringsphere
appears, as a gentle thrum of electronic sound wells in the>159
MINDSET
KEEPING UP WITH
THE CURRENT HEALTH
TRENDS CAN FEEL LIKE
AN UPHILL STRUGGLE.BUT THERE’S AN
EASY WAY IN- JUST LISTEN UP...
BY REBECCA NEWMAN