The science of NuCalm is remarkable and complex.
NuCalm Basics
NuCalm addresses the midbrain activities responsible for producing stress and anxiety by naturally mimicking the communication pathways used to prepare your body for sleep. NuCalm works on the GABAergic system to create a biomimetic negative feedback loop that reduces the action of the HPA axis (Hypothalamus – Anterior Pituitary Gland – Adrenal Glands). The NuCalm system uses proprietary chemistry and physics to guide brain wave function to the first stages of sleep and induce parasympathetic nervous system dominance. In the parasympathetic nervous system dominant state you are physically incapable of activating the stress response while your body actively performs routine and critical maintenance functions.
Brain Wave Lengths
What are brain wave lengths and how does NuCalm work with them?
The brain consists of millions of brain cells forming trillions of connections. These building blocks of the brain, called neurons, communicate with each other through chemical and electrical signals. When masses of neurons send synchronized pulses, they oscillate and produce a wave-like effect or a brainwave. Brainwave frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz) or cycles per second. Higher order brain activity will produce high-frequency brainwaves, such as beta or gamma waves. When we are awake, talking and in a normal working consciousness, we are in the beta brainwave length. As shown in the chart, delta brainwaves are the slowest and are dominant when we are in a deep sleep. As with all things in life, having a balance in brainwave activity is key to achieving optimal health and performance. We don’t want to spend too much or too little time in any frequency range.
NuCalm’s patented technology aims to bring your brainwaves into the frequency range from alpha to deep theta depending on the track you are listening to. Alpha activity is associated with relaxation, greater awareness, and the production of serotonin, a type of mood balancing hormone. It increases naturally when your eyes are closed, which is a reason the NuCalm eyemask component is important for the brainwave entrainment. Theta activity is associated with light REM sleep, dreaming, meditation, deep restoration, and the replenishment of hormone reservoirs. The alpha-theta crossover state is a combination of both alpha and theta brainwave lengths, in which all of these therapeutic effects can take place. NuCalm can deliver alpha to theta frequencies through its neuroacoustic software, which is explained further on, to entrain and sync the brain electrical activity to these frequencies specifically.
Sometimes the brain will dip into the delta state, especially if the user is very sleep deprived, but NuCalm’s main goal is to get the user into the state right of the verge of sleep and wakefulness. This is the optimal recovery zone of the body, and spending enough time in this state every day is essential to our health. This is the state where the parasympathetic system thrives and replenishes our body’s resources that were depleted with stress and sympathetic dominance. Typically, people describe their NuCalm experience as being aware of their surroundings while simultaneously feeling like they are in a deep sleep with slowed breathing, lower heart rate, a heaviness to the body, and with no movement.
Because NuCalm slows your brainwaves, so fast and so reliably, your body is able to receive many of the benefits of restorative sleep without actually being asleep.
The NuCalm Biosignal Processing Disc
Mechanism of Action
The NuCalm® Biosignal Processing Disc simplifies the process of activating the parasympathetic nervous system, by tapping into the body’s Pericardium Meridian with particular electromagnetic (EM) frequencies.
Traditional Chinese Medicine explains that Qi (light energy) flows through the body along particular pathways, or Meridians, to maintain health. Everything in the world as we know it vibrates with a particular pattern, thus living systems produce electromagnetic (EM) frequencies endogenously that differ depending on the level of health or disease. It is hypothesized that if you can restore the frequencies that travel through the Meridians you can reinstate optimal physiology. Each NuCalm disc holds the EM frequency patterns of GABA and its precursors to deliver a pure biological signal to your body. When placed on the inside of your left wrist, at your Pericardium-6 acupuncture point, the disc sends a signal to the pericardium of your heart to activate local parasympathetic nerve fibers, which then transmit the signal to your brain telling it to increase vagal nerve output and begin the process of slowing down the body. The disc stops your acute stress response, so the brainwave entrainment with NuCalm’s neuroacoustic software is always reliable and efficient at getting you into theta brainwave range, where restoration and relaxation can take place.
The GABAergic System
Balancing the Brain’s Neurochemistry
A properly functioning GABAergic system is vital for relaxation, restoration and balance. NuCalm helps reduce stress, promote recovery and generate calm by working at the root causes of the problem – the imbalanced neurochemical and neuroelectrical systems. With NuCalm, the GABAergic system is activated by specific electromagnetic frequencies related to GABA and its precursors that are delivered to the body via the NuCalm Biosignal Processing Disc.
The brain’s chemical messengers or neurotransmitters are either excitatory, inhibitory or modulatory. The main excitatory neurotransmitter is glutamate, and its role is to potentiate signals forward and increase neuronal activity. The major inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), inhibits nerve activity by preventing signals from moving forward, thus calming the brain. The common neuromodulatory neurotransmitters are either serotonin or dopamine. Serotonin has many important roles within the brain some of which contribute to mood, learning, and memory. Dopamine is most well-known as the reward or pleasure chemical. Many studies have associated various neurological disorders with either the excess or deficit of a specific neurotransmitter. For example, increased dopamine levels have been found in people with addiction disorders, whereas decreased serotonin levels have been theorized to contribute to depression. Chronic stress is related to an improperly functioning GABAergic system that can no longer control the over-excitation and hyperactivity in the brain. Balance in neurochemical levels is the key to optimal brain health and function.
NuCalm Neuroacoustic Software
Dr. Blake Holloway spent several years immersed in the intriguing and exotic arena of biology and neurophysics. His objective was to design a software that would have direct physiological outcomes to combat stress and anxiety in the brain. To create an auditory evoked response at a frequency range between 4-12Hz (from theta to alpha) is not so simple, because human ears cannot receive sounds delivered under 20Hz. This is where the binaural beats come into play. This method involves simultaneously delivering two tones with different frequencies into the left and right ears (ex. 250Hz to right ear, 255Hz to left ear). These sound waves will initially meet in the superior olivary complex, a structure in the brainstem, where they will interfere constructively and create a resultant beat frequency calculated by the difference between the two tones’ frequencies (ex. 255 – 250 = 5Hz beat frequency).
Now, NuCalm is not just binaural beats. The NuCalm software uses binaural signal processing, coupled with a patented, sophisticated catalog of physics and algorithms to quickly, predictably, and consistently pace brain wave function to theta zones – every time and on every one, within minutes, regardless of context or circumstance. With just binaural beats, your brain quickly figures out the pattern and works around it to return to it's stressful state. NuCalm's software is patented, because while it uses a binaural delivery method, the additonal applied physics and algorithms ensure a state change that cannot be overriden by your brain's natural stress response – even after many years of use.NuCalm does not rely solely on audio entrainment to do all the work. NuCalm uses biosignaling (via the NuCalm Disc) to neutralize the stress response, then uses physics entrainment to lock you in.
Finally, the creative collaboration with the music producer adds a further level of complexity to the tracks, integrating music with the neuroacoustic physics to augment the outcome.
Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls the involuntary bodily functions – pupillary response, heart rate, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal.
The ANS is comprised of the parasympathetic nervous system and sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is activated when you are in a state of “fight or flight.” The parasympathetic nervous system is the “rest and digest” or “feed and breed” stage.
To achieve ANS equilibrium (homeostasis), the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems must be balanced. Due to the psychological stress that we have created for ourselves, most of us are sympathetically dominant. Why is this a problem? We all know that stress is bad for us – but what it actually means is that being sympathetically dominant for too long is bad for us. It means that weare not spending enough time in the parasympathetic state, and are missing out on the time we need to heal, regenerate and nourish our bodies. During toxic stress the adrenals are overactive and the body is being poisoned by adrenaline and cortisol. Appropriate adrenaline and cortisol release will save your life, but in excess, adrenaline can damage your blood vessels and put you at risk for heart disease, and cortisol can have seriously damaging effects on your brain health. Overactive adrenals will slowly and silently kill you with exhaustion, poor sleep, poor recovery and a compromised immune system. If you are not spending enough time in the parasympathetic state, your body is depleting all of its resources without replenishing them. This is where NuCalm can help ensure that you are achieving ANS balance every day. The more balanced you are, the stronger and healthier you will be.
